Saturday, February 23, 2008

Open Thread

NPR related comments are always welcomed.
Posted by Mytwords at 10:07 PM
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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Eureka! I think I've got it, Matt: Scott Simon IS A REPORTER.

But that's just it: he just REPORTS--you know, like a STENOGRAPHER.

The more I listen to NPR, the more depraved I think they are.

Whether it's Guy Raz, Renee, Inscreep, or Simon, they are such sycophants and stenographers to power.

What I can't get over is how some of my friends in academe can persist in believing in NPR's objectivity when, if they'd listen critically, they'd know it isn't there. My hunch is that they are not listening critically: my hunch is that they haven't the wherewithal to listen critically at all.

Or maybe its worse: maybe they just go along to get along. Maybe they just don't want to rock the boat, you know, really critically examining things might cost them the approval of their peers....

Keep up the great work. I'll keep my ears open for any more gems like the last two.

Regards,

Flavio

2/24/08, 3:16 PM
Porter Melmoth said...

Yes, Flavio, I can only echo your thoughts. We've all been putting 2 and 2 together around here for some time now, and the conclusions are disturbingly the same. NPR has indeed infiltrated into academe. My theory is that it's a calculated strategy. I encounter the same thing in my own academic surroundings almost every day. However, due to my warnings about NPR, several people I know, who, from what I've picked up, technically agree with me, but are more hesitant to say 'I heard on NPR that...' for fear that I might get up on my anti-NPR soapbox yet again. In other words, despite my criticism, they're still buying into the NPR way of life. Not that I expect to change people's minds, for heaven's sake. No, I just want to spread some awareness.


Americans don't want to come off as fools, even though they succumb to foolishness regularly. Better to be a sheep and yes, go along. Many people in academe have adopted, usually quietly, a rather corporate approach to their lives and careers. They are interested in profit and getting all they can out of the system. This isn't cynicism as much as it's the Reagan Era Legacy, institutionalized. NPR fits right in. To my mind, it's as simple and as sad as that.

2/25/08, 11:11 AM
Anonymous said...

Aye, the accounts as shared here hearken me back to my own misspent (in every sense of the term!) past, ergo my swallowing of the myth: "they MUST be on the level - they're listener-supported!" But it was the well-remembered and regarded sage advice from a part-time retiree curmudgeon at my own workplace who imparted the epiphanic keys of enlightenment unto me:

"They're too vanilla."

The myth was shattered, and the realization instantly crystalized within me... "Y'know, come to think of it - yeah, you're right!" My benign displeasure turned to rabid disdain; and now with this support group of kindreds here, I know I'm not alone.

2/25/08, 6:43 PM

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