Should we really believe everything we read? With recent scandals in politics we start to question what is true and what is false. Gossip in politics has become a way for people to basically get away with murder, and to do and say whatever they want. This got me thinking of a concept we have discussed many times this semester in class, and that is the junkyard dog. The junkyard dog is person and in the case of politics, a journalist who is willing to use any means necessary to go above and beyond attacking someone in the media, and spreading nasty rumors.
This tends to go on a lot during campaigns and when someone finds it necessary to make up a rumor to make them look better. In the article Gossip: Of Politics, People and Relationships I found the concept of the junkyard dog to be very appropriate. Writer Allan Schwartz of the article discusses how gossip in politics only occurs when the person or the subject is not present, because that’s when they can get away with whatever they want. Nasty rumors explained by Schwartz always go something like this, “Did you hear that Barack Obama was friends with a left wing radical during the 1970's?" or Did you hear that John McCain had once been involved in very shady bank dealings?” It is easy to see how people love gossip, and believe whatever they hear from the news to be true. I believe that Schwartz was right when he explained that gossip has become something of a norm to us now days. Just because it’s a norm does it make it alright though?
http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=22416
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I agree that today we are seeing more reporters, media, and people in general, using the concept of junkyard dog. Gossip, scandals, image over issues, and other negative aspects we see in politics are what sell, and the media wants what sells. Gossip is a part of everyday life. We see it all around us, in the news, at the store, talking with friends, and what do you listen to? Drama. Drama is entertaining and that is what everyone has to watch instead of actual facts and issue oriented news because of the easily persuaded inattentive audience that over populates the attentive audience actually yearning for real facts and stats.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post about the junkyard dog and gossip. It sort of relates to my post about Free Speech. As Americans, we supposedly are protected under the 1st Amendment to say what we please, which is not the case. If it had been, you wouldn't have cases involving defamation of character or issues of treason. The world is entertained by drama. People just love the stuff, so when there is "news" about a new scandal regarding politics, everyone runs to the story to be the first ones to cover it. Ultimately, we determine what the media does regarding the reporting of gossip. If we are more turned off about gossip rather than tuned in, we can frame what stories the journalists actually report. We have the power, it's all about whether we choose to make viable use of it.
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