Image via WikipediaI think the acrimony in our country has less to do with meta-debates over socialism and democracy and more to do with plain old marketing.
I agree that it is incumbent upon us as media "consumers" to realize that each brand is doing it's dead level best to sell a particular product. Fox knows its demographic and sells to it. They give the faithful what they want. They know that there's a certain amount of men watching Fox And Friends in the AM at a certain time and so they throw a couple of Hooters girls on the set to promote some lame wing special. They also know what stories to run that will excite and inflame their audience.
CNN is no different, MSNBC... the list goes on and on. These are companies that are in the business of making money, first and foremost. We lose sight of that far too often.
There's a profile somewhere in CNN's headquarters of their typical viewer: (white, upper middle class, college educated with at least a BA in something, prefers a Mac over a PC, lives in or near a large city, eats sushi three times a month). They can try to make it sound like they are a serious news organization and that Fox is all about sensationalism, but they are both trying to give their typical viewer exactly what their typical viewer wants.
And because people want to belong to a tribe, they gravitate toward the same stuff that people in their tribe gravitate toward. Do you know how many people that I know that drive Volkswagens AND own a Mac? A lot. The same holds true for the shows we watch, the restaurants we frequent and... our politics.
I watch Fox News off and on throughout the day. I also switch to CNN occasionally and I begin each morning listening to NPR. I also have an AP Mobile app for my iPhone and I check it two or three times a day to get news updates. But I am an exception to the rule.
Most people stick with their tribe unaware that by doing so, they are limiting their knowledge and their perspective. I am guilty of it with Apple products. I probably could have a better phone than my iPhone for a lot less money. But there is nothing in this world that will make me want to switch.
You're dead on, my friend. Although there are variables we might not be aware of a far as who's pulling what strings for whatever agenda, you and I have to fess up to our part. Still, I've been known to step out of the box from time to time, you know, for variety. That spice of life and all. We might tribe up, but it's nice to cavort with others from other tribes as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd on a side note, Tribe makes me think of a not-so-good Queensryche album, but I digress.