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President Obama has a good laugh at the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington, DC on Saturday, April 25, 2015. When the elite of the DC press corps get together with the DC elite... the funniest thing is how clearly it proves the fact that for the remaining nights of the year, the joke is always on us.
Have you ever come to know members of a family who collaborate in staying silent about something bad that happened in the past, something no one wants to talk about because to talk about it would probably tear the family apart?
The innocent would have to accuse the guilty. The guilty to defend themselves would find a way to spread responsibility around-- or just lie about what happened. Which would then enrage people who were there because it rewrites history and erases their experience. If you have ever come to know such a family -- or been part of one, as I have -- then you know how participants in the conspiracy share a signaling system that can instantly warn an incautious member: you are three, four hops away from violating the pact of silence... if you don't want to bring the whole structure down, then I suggest you change the subject... or switch to one of the harmless work-arounds we have provided for the purpose of never getting too close to the source of our dread.
None of that has to be said, of course. It's all done by antennae. The result is that serious talk about certain subjects is off limits. Key routes into that subject are closed off, because the signaling system activates itself three or four rings out from dread center. To an outsider this manifests itself as an inexplicable weirdness or empty quality, difficult to name. To insiders it becomes: this is who we are... the people who route around--
I mention this because I think it helps in interpreting a bizarre event that [unfolded Saturday night] in Washington and on many a media platform: the White House Correspondents Association dinner.
Read the full article at Jay Rosen's blog, Press Think.
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Have you ever come to know members of a family who collaborate in staying silent about something bad that happened in the past, something no one wants to talk about because to talk about it would probably tear the family apart?
The innocent would have to accuse the guilty. The guilty to defend themselves would find a way to spread responsibility around-- or just lie about what happened. Which would then enrage people who were there because it rewrites history and erases their experience. If you have ever come to know such a family -- or been part of one, as I have -- then you know how participants in the conspiracy share a signaling system that can instantly warn an incautious member: you are three, four hops away from violating the pact of silence... if you don't want to bring the whole structure down, then I suggest you change the subject... or switch to one of the harmless work-arounds we have provided for the purpose of never getting too close to the source of our dread.
None of that has to be said, of course. It's all done by antennae. The result is that serious talk about certain subjects is off limits. Key routes into that subject are closed off, because the signaling system activates itself three or four rings out from dread center. To an outsider this manifests itself as an inexplicable weirdness or empty quality, difficult to name. To insiders it becomes: this is who we are... the people who route around--
I mention this because I think it helps in interpreting a bizarre event that [unfolded Saturday night] in Washington and on many a media platform: the White House Correspondents Association dinner.
Read the full article at Jay Rosen's blog, Press Think.
Have you ever come to know members of a family who collaborate in staying silent about something bad that happened in the past, something no one wants to talk about because to talk about it would probably tear the family apart?
The innocent would have to accuse the guilty. The guilty to defend themselves would find a way to spread responsibility around-- or just lie about what happened. Which would then enrage people who were there because it rewrites history and erases their experience. If you have ever come to know such a family -- or been part of one, as I have -- then you know how participants in the conspiracy share a signaling system that can instantly warn an incautious member: you are three, four hops away from violating the pact of silence... if you don't want to bring the whole structure down, then I suggest you change the subject... or switch to one of the harmless work-arounds we have provided for the purpose of never getting too close to the source of our dread.
None of that has to be said, of course. It's all done by antennae. The result is that serious talk about certain subjects is off limits. Key routes into that subject are closed off, because the signaling system activates itself three or four rings out from dread center. To an outsider this manifests itself as an inexplicable weirdness or empty quality, difficult to name. To insiders it becomes: this is who we are... the people who route around--
I mention this because I think it helps in interpreting a bizarre event that [unfolded Saturday night] in Washington and on many a media platform: the White House Correspondents Association dinner.
Read the full article at Jay Rosen's blog, Press Think.