One of the many BS-ers at The NY Times (David Brooks), tries to come to the rescue of one of the many BS-ers in mainstream media (Brian Williams).
Brooks's go-to move is to try to appeal to emotions. He constantly seeks to present government and The Empire in a morally positive light. That's his schtick.
His piece on Brian Williams is titled: "The Act of Rigorous Forgiving". So you can see what I mean. He tries to take the pious route when it comes to defending government and its apologists, of which Brian Williams is a part of.
Brooks writes:
The barbaric part is the way we respond to scandal these days. When somebody violates a public trust, we try to purge and ostracize him. A sort of coliseum culture takes over, leaving no place for mercy. By now, the script is familiar: Some famous person does something wrong. The Internet, the most impersonal of mediums, erupts with contempt and mockery. The offender issues a paltry half-apology, which only inflames the public more. The pounding cry for resignation builds until capitulation comes. Public passion is spent and the spotlight moves on.First of all, I want to point out the the Internet is a very personal medium. It connects people with other people like no other tool in history. Whether it be companies connecting with their customers, a reunification with friends that haven't been seen since childhood days, a husband meeting a wife, or the million other ways that people connect very personally, the Internet is not "the most impersonal of mediums". It's only because one of Brooks's guys came under fire that he's now demeaning the Internet.
What about the 364 other days in the year, when David Brooks is urging the "coliseum culture" to favor whatever barbaric thing The State is up to at the time? Where does "public passion" belong then?
Well, here's the pious and "rigorously forgiving" Brooks when it comes to The Empire:
It’s frankly naïve to believe that the world’s problems can be conquered through conflict-free cooperation and that the menaces to civilization, whether in the form of Putin or Iran, can be simply not faced. It’s the utopian belief that politics and conflict are optional.
Brian Williams peddled the Iraq War (as well as other wars) with gusto. He even ripped off LewRockwell.com.
Brooks wants the "coliseum culture" to leave Williams alone, and direct its passions at the "menaces to civilization". Don't be naive by believing in "conflict-free cooperation." The State will tell you where to direct your angst.
What a swindle.
Brooks wants the "coliseum culture" to leave Williams alone, and direct its passions at the "menaces to civilization". Don't be naive by believing in "conflict-free cooperation." The State will tell you where to direct your angst.
What a swindle.
Chris Rossini is author of Set Money Free: What Every American Needs To Know About The Federal Reserve. Follow @chrisrossini on Twitter.
Cool POV, thanks Chris.
ReplyDeleteFunny how Brooks gets all pious about the human dimensions of forgiveness neglecting the relationship people have with Brian Williams is not a personal one, but a business one. Trustworthiness _is_ the news product Brian Williams offers. Untrustworthy news is not worth the time it takes to watch much less its associated advertisements.
According to Brooks: "The civic fabric would be stronger if, instead of trying to sever relationships with those who have done wrong, we tried to repair them, if we tried forgiveness instead of exiling." Perhaps true of personal relationships we wish to cultivate with multidimensional individuals offering us great value in many other ways. But if my food seller whom I turn to only for food knowingly offers me tainted food, well, I'd simply consider him a bad source for my food and turn elsewhere. End of story.