Would You Like Fries with that Debate?
“What the mass media offers is not popular art, but entertainment which is intended to be consumed like food, forgotten, and replaced by a new dish.” - W.H. AudenMore than ever.
I watched the CNN/YouTube debate last night, and the similarities between it and the nation’s fast-food were more than canny. First of all, by means of format, the fact that the questions in the debate came from ‘average citizens’ obscured how those questions were chosen. As I watched this infomercial-dressed-up-like-a-presidential-debate play out, I considered its likeness to the advertising put into fast-food.
Consider the ‘Have it your way’ campaign. Seriously now. Unless ‘your way’ includes the global mass production of standardized patties of cow slathered in American cheese on a stale bun, you’ll probably soon come to the conclusion that you’re really getting it ‘their way’. You basically get to choose the condiments.
Hold the onions. There, that makes me feel in control. Makes me feel like my voice matters. I’m loving it.
Secondly, it impressed me to no end how much the nicety-patrol on Anderson Cooper’s blog commended him for keeping the candidates to the thirty-second time limit set for answering questions that are purported to have reflected the feelings and fears of the common folk. Apparently CNN believes that any candidate should be able to respond serious on matters of policy and moral courage in the amount of time it takes to gulp a 64oz Mountain Dew.
Lastly, let’s talk about the cynicism. Watching this debate through my occasionally failing old DSL, I couldn’t help but think how happy the handlers of these professional politicians must have felt to have had this opportunity fall in their lap. I mean, the ability to take part in a historically hyper-promoted candidates’ debate and not have to worry about any follow-up questions or rebuttals! Amazing. Everything about this debate was designed for the soundbite (go figure, but really this was just over-the-top). He or she with the best speech-writers and campaign managers came out on top, as usual. Those candidates marginalized by this format (including some very intelligent and experienced people… you know who they are) either go for laughs or become the brunt of them. The whole thing is a sham. And we all know this.
Deep down we know that this kind of commercialization of political discourse is poison. It may taste good while it’s going down, but it’s gonna be Tums for dessert.
Shelly Blake-Plock writes a daily blog about food and the people who eat it. http://skyrainpotatoes.blogspot
Copyright 2007 Shelly Blake-Plock for ‘Let the Sky Rain Potatoes’
Sometimes a good use of restaurant reviewers is to find out where not to eat. Having chosen to skip this meal, it’s nice to hear I made the right choice, from someone willing to suffer through it.
The debate lacked any ‘hard’ questions and the Democrats were ‘greasy’ yet, at least we received 2 hours of conversation without the use of our new ‘Homeland”. Has anyone else noticed that. It was a breathe of fresh air. For 2 hrs we had our NATION back. not some 6 year old homeland.
check my article on the debate CNNYouTube Debate: Democrats fail to mention ‘Homeland’ http://newssophisticate.blogspot.com/2007/07/cnnyoutube-debate-democrats-fail-to.html
I bet the GOP on Monday pepper the entire debate with ‘homeland’ speak and their platform of fear and so called ‘national security threats’
Fast food indeed. After eating a bunch of it you feel like you want to puke it all back up.
It should have been obvious that the whole idea of a debate with average Americans asking questions would still come across as scripted. About as scripted as those “town hall” meetings that Bush likes so much. I could think of a hundred thought-provoking questions to ask any of the Democratic candidates, but as long as CNN retains editorial control, not a one of them would have gotten past their screeners. And we all know this.
The media have already decided who we will be allowed to vote for next year (and no, we can’t vote for Kucinich.) They certainly won’t entertain the thought of us pesky citizens actually putting their darling frontrunners’ feet to the fire. God forbid, that sounds too much like democracy.