ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?

“If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed, If you do read it, you’re misinformed.”

–Denzel Washington, Oscar Winning Actor?

I can’t say for sure, but I do feel “We The People” are systematically being manipulated to keep us from seeing what’s really going on and who are the real puppet masters. All facets of our society seem to be adopting the “Hollywood” entertainment business model. Hollywood is without peer when it comes to creating illusions that appear real. For the record, the American Entertainment Industry represents a mighty sizable export to the rest of the World. According to my research, “In 2021, for instance, exports from film and television alone accounted for about $20 billion. When factoring in other segments like music and gaming, the total contribution to the economy is even higher.” While the fiscal note is impressive, I am more concerned with how all of these ‘make believe’ realities impact our ability to understand and negotiate life in real time. Simply put, my thesis is that these unlimited and varied entertainment platforms are essentially eye wash that blurs our vision of reality. Moreover, I maintain that using entertainment as a diversion from reality has created unanticipated consequences in our political arena. For example, Rome’s political leaders used free or cheap entertainment as a way to mollify their public when the prevailing regime was floundering. Clearly, The objective for the Roman leaders was not only to placate but, more importantly, to? distract the populace from their grievances—and ,by the way,they were successful.

I would submit that today the entertainment industry is used very effectively as a diversion from reality.? While free events are rare today, there are still many entertainment options out there to keep us distracted. We can easily access these entertainment platforms—from apps to streaming. In fact, today we are faced with managing dueling technologies . Should I use my mobile phone, my iPad, my laptop or my smart TV to find my favorite distraction? Case in point is what’s been happening in our political races. The language of politics has coursened and become foul mouthed. Elected officials name-calling and insulting each other has become tiring and juvenile.? Today, anything goes.

It feels like we’re living in a “fact free” universe. Whoever tells and repeats the biggest lie, with and without fact-checking, seems to dominate the news cycles. Politicians are less concerned about connecting with voters around truthful statements and instead are relying more and more on so-called ‘alternative facts.’? Still, We The People need reliable and fact based information to make the best decision for us as voters. Instead, what we are getting falls under the “garbage in, gospel out” rubric. Without verifiable and truthful information, We The People are simply minds to manipulate and not educate. As a result, we are grappling with unanticipated consequences in our political arena.

So, how do we find information that informs and educates us so that we can discharge our responsibilities as voters. Allow me to modestly share how I and others might personally deal with this conundrum.

• Be a consumer of news from more than one source. Watch and read both conservative and liberal news outlets
• Never assume that your political nemesis is stupid or not worth listening to. “If you’re not careful, you might learn something.”
• Stop trying to convert your political nemesis. Rather probe him/her about the basis of their beliefs. Acknowledge their authenticity even if you fundamentally disagree
• Always remember not to take personally the ‘labels’ your political nemesis uses against you to throw you off your game
• Attack the issue, not the person.
• Remember always that we are all Americans and in the final analysis want this great country to prosper and live up to its founding principles.

Without verifiable and truthful information, We The People are simply minds to manipulate and not educate. The challenge and the dilemma we face is clearly stated in Denzel Washington’s statement on misinformed versus uninformed.