Conflicted
"You cannot fan the flames and then condemn the fire."
I’m conflicted today.
Another black man’s death was caught on video. This time with midwestern police officers involved. The inevitable protest was met - at some stage of the confrontation - with rubber bullets and tear gas.
None of which was ever used on the apoplectic white demonstrators armed to the teeth and angrily confronting authorities at state capitols nationwide who were protesting because they were not at liberty to spread their germs at will.
Another black man took a cell phone video of a white woman in the Bramble section of New York’s Central Park where dogs are not allowed off leash, but hers was. She responded by calling the police and recklessly crying wolf because, in doing so, she was endangering his life. Fortunately, the footage he posted online showed himself to be innocent of her accusations.
But, imagine if he had no proof…
Meanwhile, the occupant of the White House has been crazily tweeting a slew of prevarications, innuendo and outright slander. Twitter has finally responded by including fact-checking links to the man’s political lies in regards to Vote By Mail because the intent is obviously to subvert our democracy.
Note that Twitter did not remove the tweets. Nor did Twitter ban the account as they have done to many users for using inappropriate words, or the wrong combination of inappropriate words, or for veiled or thinly veiled threats. Of course, even so, the Mad King Donald is whingeing mightily about his loss of “free speech”.
I’m conflicted because all of these incidents demand a response.
Americans tax dollars built the worldwide web. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) thought of it. Whether Al Gore had a hand in that, I don’t have a clue.
At this stage of the game, some of the biggest companies on the planet are raking in their fortune online. YouTubers, like PewDiePie and the Gangnam Style dude, are raking in their fortune online. Whole businesses operate entirely online without the need of a physical presence. The monetization of the internet is complete.
Except something is not right.
Once again, the base behavior of humans has risen to the top of the economic food chain. Things of real value - as always - are not so valued online.
Why is it news organizations have to beg for subscribers, while YouTube sensations earn millions just by drawing attention to whatever antics they post online? Why can’t news organizations that faithfully and doggedly report on the state of the world reap the rewards just like the YouTubers? Why are they forced to have people donate to them or pay them a monthly subscription?
People post news articles over and over and over and, if it’s the Washington Post, I’m screwed because I don’t want to subscribe to another newspaper and I can’t get past their paywall, but if it was the JackAss creators on YouTube shooting roman candles out of their asses, I get passed on through and I’ve inadvertently fattened their bank account.
I read somewhere that online “if something is free, you are the product.”
If our tax dollars established the internet to begin with, why aren’t we getting a cut of all this largesse? Why can’t we sell our data to the highest bidders?
The way the system is aligned now causes news organizations to play the sensationalize everything game in an effort to procure your attention.
It’s why so many headlines are misleading.
It’s why the word “breaking” is being grossly overused.
It’s why contrarian views are all the rage and given an equal amount of weight no matter how off-base they might be.
It’s why the occupant of the White House can flip flop like a dying carp and every utterance is treated as being just as newsworthy as the last.
It’s why the scariest part of this coming election is that news organizations are already having a tough time surviving and this election pits one candidate who is a decent human being against another candidate that writes or creates headlines for them every single day. I fear it will make it a tough call for them.
So, while the ugly hydra-headed monster of racism continues to stalk the land and the inchoate imbecile in the White House continues to stir controversy worthy of being banned for life from social media, I’m fixated on the inequities of the internet.
I find it troubling. It would be slightly less troubling if things of value were ‘killing it’ like the most renowned social influencers.
I think I could rest easier at night.
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Alert, intrepid reader Steve Laboff wanted all of my alert readers to know what had happened to Harry and Sally, so he sent me a link to a trailer of the movie’s sequel. Helen Mirren is delightfully delicious in her role. Warning: Not for the squeamish.
There are many good online yoga instructors and - these days - even your friendly neighborhood teacher is probably streaming classes online to make ends meet during these trying times. But, if you are at a loss, or just want easily accessible classes, I recommend Adriene from Austin.
Molly and I took one of her classes in person when we were in Austin a couple of years ago and Adriene was as warm in person as she appears to be in her videos. And, since I was lamenting how difficult “things of value” seem to have it online, I thought I should stump for her once again.