As the Media Merges with Politics, Can We Resist Electotainment?
What were they thinking? Did the Democrats who decided to extend the campaign season with a year of frenetic barnstorming really believe that would turn more people on to politics or was it just another fundraising gambit? As the race drones on, as the mainstream turns into a mud-stream, cynicism and tune-out deepen. It’s a reaction to what Time Magazine’s once called, “electotainment,” an ongoing televised carnival in an age of hyper partisanship, in which the corrosive spirit of polarization between Democrats and Republicans has now led the Dems to polarize themselves. The ONION caught the vibe with a headline: “AMERICANS ANNOUNCE THEY’RE DROPPING OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL RACE.” Among the factors these satirists hone in on is a lack of stamina for an l8-month marathon horse race and exhaustion with “relentless media scrutiny.” I would modify that to “tired of self-promotional media exploitation” and anchor-pimping/corporate news brand-building with staged events that do little to engage u
