No Indoctrination: One

Background: A reading that caused me to dig some more into what our students and citizens of the future are exposed to, given this item, and the information that students learn their political views from television and primarily from comedy shows (e.g. Air Farce, This Hour has 22 Minutes, and the like). Interestingly, according to CBC's (Evan Solomon and Carol MacNeil, Jan. 26, 06) program, the comedy programs are going to go after the Conservatives, and it sounds as though it will be merciless. Apparently, it is not as easy to make fun of the NDP / Liberals. Do try to obtain a transcript. Very revealing.

John Leo: Oprah and our culture of lies -- "She is in the feelings business, and you don't succeed in her line of work by favoring facts over deeply felt but untrue stories." Insight on the News, Jan. 23-29, 06

[. . . . ] College speech codes have long been written in feelings language. Hurt feelings are evidence of an offense. These codes reflect, and reinforce, the rise of feelings over facts and standards.

[. . . . ] Many of the campus hoaxes owe something to the postmodern notion that there is no literal truth, only voices and narratives. [Derrida's deconstructionism?]

[. . . . ] Certainly our culture is awash in lies—politicians, professors, reporters, columnists, scientists, etc., so much so that numbness has set in. “Emotional truth” seems to take advantage of this numbness over a culture saturated in lies. If you can't believe the literal truth anymore, why not trust your own emotional response to stories? [. . . . ]

Search: “verbal behavior” that “produces feelings of impotence, anger or disenfranchisement,” whether “intentional or unintentional.”

Oprah has since apologized for her error in promoting Frey's book in which he lied.



Benign and helping? An Opportunity for Political indoctrination? Instructive or insidious?

Some background:

A voice for federalism and freedom, silenced Daimnation, July 22, 04

The National Post notes that Jeff Fillion, a popular and controversial DJ at Quebec's to-be-silenced CHOI radio, is an outspoken opponent of Quebec separation and statism. This may not have been the reason so many people (well, around 90, anyway) complained to the CRTC about his station, but it didn't help. (Via Kevin Jaeger at The Shotgun)

The reason his station has ruffled so many feathers in Quebec City is not because Fillion is racy -- but because he has dared to express ideas that Quebec's nationalists deem heretical.

[. . . . ] As Fillion sees it, separation would allow Quebec politicians to dramatically extend the interventionist politics that have sprouted since the revolution tranquille.[. . . . ]

The CRTC's willing stooges -- Comment: Paul

Is now the time for a major radio station to go all-internet? [. . . . ]

Or would the CRTC then try to tell me what I can and cannot put on my private website? Would Bell and Rogers, as public carriers, try to regulate what goes on their data networking infrastructure?[. . . . ]

Might such a corporate adventure lead where the recording and motion picture industries have been unsuccessful - controlling private communications? [. . . . ]

A classic cartel

Comments: Doug -- "a classic cartel"

.... This is a classic cartel, hiding behind a trade barrier (to protect our culture, of course), aided and abetted by a captured regulator. Look at the players; media (including, now, the newspapers - so long, Conrad) telecom, cable ... all beholden to the CRTC/Liberal Party. And don't dare forget the legions of lawyers who owe their Muskoka cottages to these proceedings. The Party treats them all well at rate time, and it keeps out all the, ahem, unfair competition. Mr. [Colby] Cosh was bang on when he noticed the connection to the illegal dishes.

There is a small quid pro quo, of course. None of these outfits strays too far outside of Party policy on the basics: CanCon, MultiCult, da Canadian value, bilingualism, wide-open immigration, pandering foreign policy ... (yawn). Once that's understood, everybody sits back and collects the cash. [. . . . ]

Long live the Party!

Current:

Student Voting and Cross Pollination: Heritage, Some Teachers' Unions, Elections Canada



Student Vote -- Building students into citizens