On Medium: Exposing the Sham of Televised Political Debates
Real on about narcissism, infantilization, and the fear of exposing the humiliating truth: why real debating is alien to politics and to television, but not to all new media.
It seems obvious that politicians in their overwhelming majority do not ''debate'' to search for the truth and from the best decisions on how to run a country.
The American Congress also has regular debates on the bills it passes, which are more like speeches. UK and Canada have question time in parliament, which features some back and forth and heated interrogations of the party in power. But in Canada, at least, the level of dialogue is childish. It's all about slogans and drowning out the opponent's answers with noise and insults. The question is whether the television camera in the room is what makes the discourse so childish.
In the U.S.A. the so-called presidential debates are completely orchestrated by private interests. The whole thing is overseen by the Commission on Presidential Debates: a private corporation that determines which candidates get to speak at the 'debates' and what issues they are allowed to 'debate' about. Of course, 3rd party candidates aren't allowed to participate because while they have the legal right to exist & field candidates, private corporations have no obligation to give them any coverage. Considering that those Americans who vote in the federal elections do so along party lines, it's unclear why they even bother with debates after the Democratic & Republican primaries.
I predict Trump will run again in 2024 against Kamala Harris. The debates will be hosted by Jerry Springer & the candidates will be seated in cheap wooden chairs. That would actually be worth watching.
If it's Trump vs Harris, Trump will demolish the Democrats and be in power again, in which case Armageddon begins. First, Trump would have to get past the prosecutions that are brewing. He certainly made a nothing-burger out of the Mueller report. Is the American legal system strong enough to stop a would-be dictator from trolling the country? It's far from clear since there's already a two-tier system that benefits the elites, as Matt Taibbi showed in The Divide. OJ Simpson got away with murder by buying his freedom with the Dream Team.
It's always important to remind ourselves that the voters in the US are usually only half or a third of the voting population. That's the most astonishing thing in American politics. When you think of such a low turnout, you think of Afghanistan or some war-torn, rugged place where it's unduly difficult for many to travel to the few voter booths. The fact that there's such effective voter suppression in the US is hilarious and mind-bending.
The corporate media rarely mention this low turnout, let alone shout it from the rooftops when they cover the elections. In the off-year congressional elections (in the middle of the presidential term), the turnout is typically around 35%. It's just astonishing to realize that all the pundits' talk about the Democrats and Republicans is about only half the country. Only quarter of the country or less votes in the politicians, or in rare cases a third does so. That's proof that the system is broken. Instead of fixing the problem, it's ignored or kept hidden.
They purposely confuse what is debate and what is mere trivial conversation.
ReplyDeleteIt seems obvious that politicians in their overwhelming majority do not ''debate'' to search for the truth and from the best decisions on how to run a country.
ReplyDeleteIt's a competition to see who wins.
The American Congress also has regular debates on the bills it passes, which are more like speeches. UK and Canada have question time in parliament, which features some back and forth and heated interrogations of the party in power. But in Canada, at least, the level of dialogue is childish. It's all about slogans and drowning out the opponent's answers with noise and insults. The question is whether the television camera in the room is what makes the discourse so childish.
DeleteIn the U.S.A. the so-called presidential debates are completely orchestrated by private interests. The whole thing is overseen by the Commission on Presidential Debates: a private corporation that determines which candidates get to speak at the 'debates' and what issues they are allowed to 'debate' about. Of course, 3rd party candidates aren't allowed to participate because while they have the legal right to exist & field candidates, private corporations have no obligation to give them any coverage. Considering that those Americans who vote in the federal elections do so along party lines, it's unclear why they even bother with debates after the Democratic & Republican primaries.
ReplyDeleteI predict Trump will run again in 2024 against Kamala Harris. The debates will be hosted by Jerry Springer & the candidates will be seated in cheap wooden chairs. That would actually be worth watching.
If it's Trump vs Harris, Trump will demolish the Democrats and be in power again, in which case Armageddon begins. First, Trump would have to get past the prosecutions that are brewing. He certainly made a nothing-burger out of the Mueller report. Is the American legal system strong enough to stop a would-be dictator from trolling the country? It's far from clear since there's already a two-tier system that benefits the elites, as Matt Taibbi showed in The Divide. OJ Simpson got away with murder by buying his freedom with the Dream Team.
DeleteIt's always important to remind ourselves that the voters in the US are usually only half or a third of the voting population. That's the most astonishing thing in American politics. When you think of such a low turnout, you think of Afghanistan or some war-torn, rugged place where it's unduly difficult for many to travel to the few voter booths. The fact that there's such effective voter suppression in the US is hilarious and mind-bending.
The corporate media rarely mention this low turnout, let alone shout it from the rooftops when they cover the elections. In the off-year congressional elections (in the middle of the presidential term), the turnout is typically around 35%. It's just astonishing to realize that all the pundits' talk about the Democrats and Republicans is about only half the country. Only quarter of the country or less votes in the politicians, or in rare cases a third does so. That's proof that the system is broken. Instead of fixing the problem, it's ignored or kept hidden.