Pop Media Bullshit – another example.

Written By: - Date published: 9:24 am, December 11th, 2019 - 10 comments
Categories: Bernie Sanders, elections, Jeremy Corbyn, journalism, making shit up, Media, Propaganda, uk politics, us politics - Tags: , , ,

Two days ago, John Grace of ‘The Guardian’ wrote about the “sense of hopelessness” he witnessed at a UK Labour Party rally in Bristol…”there was just weariness, a weight of resignation. A commitment to a cause that already felt lost. The crowd had turned up as much to keep the faith with themselves as with their leader.”

According to Grace, “barely a couple of thousand” attended a rally on a winter’s afternoon. A couple of thousand people on a British winter afternoon?! That’s…it simply doesn’t square with Grace’s take. A few thousand people turning out on a winter afternoon is quite a feat.

Here’s a video of the rally. (I can’t figure out how to embed it properly, sorry)

Oddly, John wrote that Corbyn “climbed on to the podium to a desultory chorus of “Oh Je-re-my Cor-byn”. At the last election this chant had come to sound almost devotional. A hymn. Now it’s just a barely conscious Pavlovian response. The last vestige of a failing leadership.”

I’ll leave you to view the video make up your own mind about levels of enthusiasm and engagement.

Seems to me that pop media isn’t much more than a propaganda arm for elite interests and views. It’s crap.

Watching US media coverage of the Democratic primary leads to the same conclusion (“Bernie “who”?). In all honesty, if you are out there, and unhappy to merely sit back and see what you’re told; if you want a genuine feel of where people are coming from; if you want an honest analysis of events taking place elsewhere in the world, then draw yourself up a list of trustworthy web sites and youtube channels and stop paying uncritical attention to pop media’s commissars and stenographers.

Pop media these days is no better than pop music – offering up only the very occasional ‘okay’ moment in a vast sea of dire offerings. And in these times of class war we can provide ourselves with the honest and informative news we deserve

 

10 comments on “Pop Media Bullshit – another example. ”

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  1. ianmac 1
    11 December 2019 at 11:42 am

    Well spotted Bill. Imagine what would be needed to be enough for Grace to rattle his dags and be a bit more realistic. My crowd counting would get in excess of 10,000 enthusiasts. Warning to our Government to counter the coming slippery negatives from Opposition and their mates in MSM.

  2. AB 2
    11 December 2019 at 2:49 pm

    Far be it from me to come across as a crude materialist – but an analysis of John Grace's income and net worth may be all that is needed to explain this phenomenon.

  3. Siobhan 3
    11 December 2019 at 3:13 pm

    The Guardian isn't merely 'pop media'..its not that benign..its a failing ideologies mouth piece fighting for its life.

    When you read the Guardian you are picking up a mad snake thats more than willing to eat its own young tail to survive..

  4. greywarshark 4
    11 December 2019 at 3:15 pm

    He is graceless all right. John Crace it is. What a dirge for the workers party, which may go on to a fugue for him, and a funk for the UK if they allow their minds to be derailed by trivia.

    He likes to write a light little read apparently. Full of feeling and signifying nothing? This one below would suit Boris Johnson who is someone who prefers banter and bluster to actual debate about the important things.

    A digger burst through a wall of polystyrene bricks. At the wheel was Boris Johnson, who could barely contain his excitement. It was touch and go whether he’d remember to brake before taking out a dozen or so members of the media who had been lined up to film the event. The election campaign had just hit a new low.

    On reflection, it was probably not the best idea to let a prime minister, who was only just out on day release for nicking a journalist’s phone, loose in a JCB. His advisers, doubling up as his probation officers, looked predictably harassed. Boris had said he was going to lie in front of a bulldozer, not on top of one. There again, they should have known better. Johnson has yet to find a place where he can’t lie.

    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/10/boris-johnson-jcb-polystyrene-bricks-campaign-john-crace-sketch

  5. lprent 5
    12 December 2019 at 6:48 am

    I'm in my second week of a fortnight the UK for work at present. I was watching a channel "BBC Parliament" with Corbyn doing a full-length standup speech at some electorate supporting the local Labour candidate.

    He was very effective, very human, and very interesting. After going to literally hundreds of these kinds of speeches over them with various politicians over the years, I was actually impressed. After watching it, I had a ten-fold increase in my respect for him and his clarity of presentation. Wholely different to the usual media presentation here.

    A similar speech – clearly setup as a set of sound bite blips with no cohesion from Johnson was torturous pap.

    Anyway, my feeling is that it is going down to an effectively hung parliament again.The Brexit divisions cut across the political divides and are causing a massive political discontinuity

    • Sacha 5.1
      12 December 2019 at 10:28 pm

      clearly setup as a set of sound bite blips

      .. and we know what wins modern elections with well-funded social media scumbaggery behind them.

  6. Billy 6
    12 December 2019 at 9:19 pm

    Yup and let's be vigilant here. Remember it's not attacking your own side to dig out a poison dart.

    • Incognito 6.1
      12 December 2019 at 9:26 pm

      Some people can’t tell the difference between a poison dart and acupuncture or understand that careful local injection of toxin can iron out wrinkles.

      • Billy 6.1.1
        12 December 2019 at 9:28 pm

        Turn that rigid smile toward the working man who doesn't live his life going from committee to international committee, and take care he doesn't take fright… e.g., Hillary Clinton

        • Billy 6.1.1.1
          12 December 2019 at 10:16 pm

          Were said lobbyists to own farms where they didn't pay the living wage despite campaigning hard for it I'd be especially inclined to call bullshit.