[UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention that I had stigmatized (albeit unintentially) people with a reading disorder, by my unfortunate choice of wording for the original title of this post. My sincere apologies to anyone who may have been offended.]
In the wake of my pleasure at learning of the heroic and successful rescue of the American captain who was held hostage by Somali pirates, I am chagrined to report that my pleasure is tempered by my annoyance with the MSM reportage of these happy events. Not only are we plagued with biased reporting, but we are also presented, even by those less egregiously biased, with important news as processed by inept "newscasters". Let me cite one very typical example.
As is my wont, while doing my daily treadmill workout, I tuned to a news network, which shall remain nameless because they are all equally faulty in their level of incompetence, whose male-female tag team was hyperventilating about the exciting rescue. The female is best described as a breathless airhead; the male as a sputtering bonehead. This annoying pair could not simply report the few meager facts at their disposal. No, they had to milk perhaps 5-minutes worth of factual news for upwards of an hour of "news time", which included a substantial number of 2- or 3-minute commercial breaks.
In the process of this flurry of spittle-spraying the lenses of the TV equipment in the studio, the breathless airhead found it necessary to report what is excruciatingly obvious. For example, the lifeboat that was commandeered by the pirates who held the ship's captain hostage, had to have had its cover open at the time of the rescue, because, you see, it would have been difficult for the navy sharpshooters to kill the pirates otherwise, since their telescopic rifle sights could not penetrate solid material! Duh, you mean our sharpshooters don't have x-ray vision? Meanwhile, her bonehead male co-anchor kept talking about our navel vessel, the "Brisbane", despite the incessant repeating by others of its correct name, the USS Bainbridge.
ARGH!
Post #711 Breathless Airheads and Sputtering Boneheads
In the wake of my pleasure at learning of the heroic and successful rescue of the American captain who was held hostage by Somali pirates, I am chagrined to report that my pleasure is tempered by my annoyance with the MSM reportage of these happy events. Not only are we plagued with biased reporting, but we are also presented, even by those less egregiously biased, with important news as processed by inept "newscasters". Let me cite one very typical example.
As is my wont, while doing my daily treadmill workout, I tuned to a news network, which shall remain nameless because they are all equally faulty in their level of incompetence, whose male-female tag team was hyperventilating about the exciting rescue. The female is best described as a breathless airhead; the male as a sputtering bonehead. This annoying pair could not simply report the few meager facts at their disposal. No, they had to milk perhaps 5-minutes worth of factual news for upwards of an hour of "news time", which included a substantial number of 2- or 3-minute commercial breaks.
In the process of this flurry of spittle-spraying the lenses of the TV equipment in the studio, the breathless airhead found it necessary to report what is excruciatingly obvious. For example, the lifeboat that was commandeered by the pirates who held the ship's captain hostage, had to have had its cover open at the time of the rescue, because, you see, it would have been difficult for the navy sharpshooters to kill the pirates otherwise, since their telescopic rifle sights could not penetrate solid material! Duh, you mean our sharpshooters don't have x-ray vision? Meanwhile, her bonehead male co-anchor kept talking about our navel vessel, the "Brisbane", despite the incessant repeating by others of its correct name, the USS Bainbridge.
ARGH!
Post #711 Breathless Airheads and Sputtering Boneheads
If you haven't read it yet, I think you'll enjoy Blackfive's description of the action.
ReplyDeleteAnd the very last sentence is, well, pithy.
Apostate,
ReplyDeleteKind of reminds one of this classic asshat.
OMG.
ReplyDeleteI was living in Taxachusetts when Dumkaka ran for president, touting the "Massachusetts Miracle" while the state government was writing hot checks.
Think on this... Mike Dumkaka, Governor; John Kerry, Senator; Ted Kennedy, Senator; Ed Markey ("The beauty of daylight-saving time is that it just makes everyone feel sunnier."), House.
Those were my elected representatives.
You hit the state-government trifecta+1 (perfecta squared?)!
ReplyDelete