I agree, Ernie, this is encouraging.
Demagoguery on multiple fronts, mixed together as part of a whole, is radical centrist for an observer who is open to all of the input. The tension may be high as the tea party demagogues express their disgust at the government-should-take-care-of-us-all demagogues, and visa versa. But it won't be boring. Freedom to rant. brought to you by the amorphous Internet (except in China). Chris _____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Dr. Ernie Prabhakar Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 10:35 AM To: Radical Centrist Discussions Subject: [RC] Seth's Blog: How media changes politics This is actually one of the most encouraging things I've read in a while. Yes, it means we are probably in for a period of demagoguery, which can turn ugly, but the end result should be a much more engaged electorate. -- Ernie P. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/10/how-media-changes-politics.h tml?utm_source=feedburner <http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/10/how-media-changes-politics. html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fse thsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader> &utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Bl og%29&utm_content=Google+Reader How media changes politics If you want to get elected in the US, you need media. When TV was king, the secret to media was money. If you have money, you can reach the masses. The best way to get money is to make powerful interests happy, so they'll give you money you can use to reach the masses and get re-elected. Now, though...When attention is scarce and there are many choices, media costs something other than money. It costs interesting. If you are angry or remarkable or an outlier, you're interesting, and your idea can spread. People who are dull and merely aligned with powerful interests have a harder time earning attention, because money isn't sufficient. Thus, as media moves from TV-driven to attention-driven, we're going to see more outliers, more renegades and more angry people driving agendas and getting elected. I figure this will continue until other voices earn enough permission from the electorate to coordinate getting out the vote, communicating through private channels like email and creating tribes of people to spread the word. (And they need to learn not to waste this permission hassling their supporters for money). Mass media is dying, and it appears that mass politicians are endangered as well. -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
