Much of this is a result of right wing outlets like the Sun, the National Post, Rebel News, Canada Proud, and social media pushing disinformation, so people become wary of what to believe.

Want to know why Canadians, especially young ones are disenchanted with government and the media.
Here's a possible reason.
I was at my local coffee shop the other day and the elderly woman in front of me in line spoke to the young, under 30 barista, saying she had something to show him.
She pulled a book out of her bag and excitedly told him, "Look this is my first book, it just got published."
The young man smiled and asked "what do you want me to do about that?"
The woman (admittedly a bit on the eccentric side) replied, "I thought you might like to buy one."
The Gen Z type guy replied, "Oh sorry I don't read."
The woman, looking a bit horrified, said, "you don't read books?"
He replied, "Yeah, I'm just not the book reading type."
That probably means he is not the newspaper reading type, the politically aware type, but instead the anything except Tik Tok viewing, Only Fans watching sheltered hopeless case.
On the other hand I suppose these types don't vote either because they don't believe it will do any good, and they won't believe anything the media says because it's all just so confusing.
Fans of HG Wells will get my reference to these people as the Eloi.
As a long as someone puts food out for them and plays some nice music they will drift along,until the Morlocks summon them below ground to eat them alive.



 

There's absolutely no surprise.
But to make another literary reference, in George Orwell's 1984 the way that the totalitarian government controlled opposition was by limiting thought and vocabulary.
It imposed the "newspeak dictionary" where only a small number of words could be defined or used.
Newspeak was the only language allowed on pain of torture or death.
When people are told not to read or expand vocabulary they are limited in critical thinking.
Having several jobs does not limit you in critical thinking or reading.
If you visit many other countries outside America and Canada you will be impressed by the amount of reading of books and newspapers you see around you.
People on the streets sitting in cafes or on transit with their nose in a book or a newspaper.
not texting non-stop on a stupid smartphone.
And because this is a radio talk board, the mind also suffers when you don't have access to thought provoking and extremely easy access to radio.
Radio stations that still broadcast talk shows, news, editorial content etc are still a vital part of the media.
No matter what you might think of AM radio, you have to recognize that talk and opinion-oriented programs are still the formats of radio stations in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary St. John's Winnipeg etc, etc.




 

We probably agree to a good extent about Orwell, the notion of doublespeak, lies/truth, and such. That's one of the problem areas I consider existential, because it is already f'ing up public interaction.

I was simply pointing to another possible scenario. Someone with two or more jobs could potentially think, as could someone unemployed. Our thought levels and abilities vary considerably. Exhaustion does, however, constrain thought. Exhaustion and other stressors can also lead to depression. And people in those shoes have bigger fish to fry than thinking through logically what's going on in the wider world. But I suppose I shouldn't make any excuses for 'lazy thinking' - because it's a systemic failure.

AM talk radio, particularly south of the border, is as bad, in its own way, as social media. But the sheer overwhelming nature of social media and reliance on 'smart' phones and other microdevices worries me (see para 1 here) considerably. People cross the freaking street and ride their bikes and cars, in traffic, reading their screens. They read them at the dinner table and in other social settings when they're with actual flesh-and-blood friends and family. We're debating - DEBATING - whether or not kids should be allowed to have the devices with them in the classroom.

Your reference to newspeak reminds me of 'maga' and 'gravy train' ...
 

Last edited by Saul (February 14, 2024 12:38 pm)