Attack of the plasma screens and flip flop fungi.

June 26, 2010 at 10:23 pm (creative writing, culture, education, entertainment, ethics, humor, journalism, life, politics, Writing)
Tags: flip flops, heat wave, humor, Mike Royko, news reporting, plasma televisions, radio, television

Okay, I could pass off this as a vent due to the rising heat index here in the Kansas City metro area but I won’t. I can’t in all honesty just say I’ve got to blow off some real steam one way or another just because it’s way hot and humid and been so for days.  Nope, I won’t blame this rant on Mother Nature’s efforts to broil us off the face of the Earth much the same as a surgeon cauterizes infected puss oozing wounds. I’m going to blame in on all televisions blaring everywhere I venture into–coffee shops, grocery stores, restaurants etc. Is no place television free? And why is every single one got CNN on the screen night and day? What is this, can’t Americans survive anywhere without a television screen? Btw, this is coming from someone with absolutely no intention of purchasing a plasma screen idiot box ever.  The antique tv squatting on a shelf has already been unplugged for the duration of its existence due to the inane nature of most of what races across its screen.  Judging from the contents of most news shows it seems Americans are assumed to be thinking with the mental clarity of a sedated five-year old. Perhaps they are if they’re engaged by the boob’s tubes. The only thing worse is the gibberish on many radio stations. I’ve managed to avoid most of this garbage by simply tuning it out. But recently I ventured into a BBQ establishment on a quest for some sweet potato fries and tender pulled pork swimming in a rich sauce. Found the food. Settled down to  feed my growling tum tum and the radio began blasting some list of strange factoids about the unhealthy nature of flip flops as footwear. I’m not kidding, this guy was actually being paid to yap and yap about flip flops on a lizard controlled radio station.  Now with environmental disasters surfacing around the Earth, a few wars running on and on and  on, and the growing anger and desperation of the  unemployed whose jobs have been outsourced to parts unknown, you’d think there was more substantial material for a radio personality to flap his jaws about. But no. Apparently we need to ESCAPE from the realities of our world and float on flip flops out to the wading pools of fantasy land. Yeah, right, like exposing flip flops fungi issues will solve anything ever.

Hence I offer up Democracy Now! which airs on over 800 radio and television stations much to the chagrin of media outlets who ‘follow’ their lead when they’re not too afraid of the content.  I remember reading the Chicago newspapers as a kid. Newspapers with all sorts of independent reporters and serious columnists  like the late great Mike Royko who raised serious issues and debates. That sort of journalism and thoughtful writing is getting harder and harder to find. But it’s there at Democracy Now! and other independent news reporters.  Haven’t seen anything like on those plasmas sprouting everywhere. I wonder if they do double time as Orwellian spy machines?

http://www.democracynow.org/

Democracy Now! airs at 8 am Monday thru Friday on KKFI. Other news programs like Counterspin, GRIT Radio, Alternative Radio, The Heartland Labor Forum and War News Radio among others can also be discovered at     www.kkfi.org which streams online .

So if you’re sick of listening to grown men yap about flip flop fungus surf into  RADIO LIKE YOU’VE NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE while you’re blogging about more than summer toe fun.

To discover more about Mike Royko- here’s a start  http://www.essortment.com/all/mikeroyko_rert.htm