Just some views and clues from the world around us, such as it is, from the last little while.....
.....the Trump circus continues unabated, and you thought it would end with the completion of the campaign?
But then again you probably thought, like all the pollsters predicted, that Hillary would win.
What’s with that by the way?
I mean they’re a bit like meteorologists where they build in a percentage factor that says if certain things happen we don’t know what we’re talking about, folks.
But I’m more inclined to have sympathy for meteorologists, where I know there’s science involved and a one degree difference in temperature can either mean a snowstorm or a bit of a rain that no one cares about, than pollsters, who claim it’s kind of a science, 19 out of 20 times ahem, but....
.....anyway, the CNN talking-head circus continues unabated: What will Donald do today? Who will be his head chef at the White House? Will he replace the cleaning crew with his own staff from the Trump hotels? Will he ever talk to the mainstream media directly again or is he going to tweet his way through the next four years?
These questions, and more, are debated virtually 24/7 on CNN and others where they used to actually cover the news but now they’re more often than not, just getting everyone’s opinion on what Trump is up to.
And, to be honest, I can’t really blame them because I’m tuning in from time to time to see what’s happening next, helping the ratings bonanza that comes from covering and commenting on all things Donald.
When you can tap into a story that can always start with “Is this really happening folks?...” you know you’re going to get ratings....
.....and speaking of ratings and where people get their news from, the issue of fake news is getting a lot of attention lately.
It’s a fascinating phenomenon when a lot of people get much of their news from social media and have to wonder if “The Pope is backing Donald Trump in U.S. election” is for real or not? It’s not by the way.
Like always, you have to judge the news by its source and with more and more social media aficionados making comfortable livings off fake news (hey, it’s easier to get more hits when you can make the stuff up) while mainstream struggles to stay relevant and alive at the same time, it can get more than a little confusing out there.
Was fake news a factor in the American election? Yup.
Was mainstream media a factor in the American election? Yup. But less than it’s ever been before and the future unfolds (both fake and real) as a confused public tries to take it all in and make sense of it all, arrrggggghhhh....
.....maybe we can take some comfort in the sense that it’s not necessarily the whole world that’s going crazy, it’s just the way it’s being reported that makes it seem that way.
Just like time isn’t really going faster these days it’s just because everything can be done, or at least communicated thanks to technology, in a nanosecond that makes it seem that way.
But then again what’s that bit about the medium is the message and perception is everything?........
But also then again I’m just old and cranky so what do I know? Obviously there are tons of benefits from social media as well, many I have to learn more about before I pass judgement, but at times it seems like a lot for us old guys to take in without a rule book of some kind.
Who knows where all this will lead? Maybe I should consult a pollster?