Is that an echo I hear...?
Published November 08, 2004
But democracy depends, at least partly, on being able to listen and discuss with eyes, mind and heart wide open."
(Mitch Neuger)
At the same time, others were worried that, no matter how hard the liberals might try to reach out to the other side, their attempts would fall on deaf ears:
"...Democratic overconfidence wasn't the cause of our defeat. We read the polls — indeed, we read them to excess. In our heads, if not our hearts, we knew the election was going to be close, and we fought back hard. And it nearly worked — it came within a few hundred thousand votes of working. But our opponents occupied a stronger position — built, ironically, around an "echo chamber" that is much, much more tightly sealed than our "reality-based community" has ever been...."
(Mike Booth)
It remains to be seen, of course, whether or not any real dialogue will open up between the two Americas. What is certain, however, is that the internet will continue to be a mechanism through which people motivate, communicate and disseminate.
And long may it last.
- Is that an echo I hear...?
- Published: November 08, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Sci/Tech
- Filed Under: Sci/Tech: Internet
- Writer: Kirsten Cameron
- Kirsten Cameron's BC Writer page
- Kirsten Cameron's personal site
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Oh, and also, it isn't just the blogosphere that tends to be an echo chamber: most of us seek affirmation and commonality from the media, life, friends, etc.
At the risk of sounding self-serving, I will reiterate that one of the great things about Blogcritics is that it really is a crossroads where a vast range of ideas, opinions and predispositions come together to hash things out. It may get ugly, but it sure as hell isn't an echo chamber.
Very, very true. And the dialogue is always the best when people make an effort to set aside their prejudices and belligerence and really try to understand someone else's viewpoint. Or at least agree to diagree. Civilly. It's not always easy....
"the grinding propaganda of the right wing mainstream media"
Is it 4-1-05 already?
It's not April 1.
The "grinding propaganda of the right wing mainstream media" is perhaps a deeply veiled reference to CBS, who boosted the flagging incumbent yet without appearing to offer support. This clever ruse was performed by running an anti-Bush story that while "essentially true", was supported with crude forgeries rather than authentic historical documents.
to the best of my knowldege the only place the "right wing media" actually exists is talk radio and to a much lesser extent FoxNews. Even Eric Alterman admits that print journalism skews to the left
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(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/22013)
very nice Kirsten, thanks!