[ASTRO] Re: MOAM on mtv (or anywhere else)

[Michael Kepler <kepler@metro1.com>]

.. begin astro-transmission

On Tue, 7 Oct 1997, Veronica Kyle@ Topeka & Shawnee Co. Public Library wrote:

> .. begin astro-transmission
> 
> At 01:20 PM 10/7/97 -0700, you wrote:
> >.. begin astro-transmission
> >
> ><SNIP!>
> >> Methinks both sides of this argument give way too much power to mass media. 
> >
> >This point is well taken.  The "mass media", like so many things, only
> >has as much power as you give to it. 
> 
> I agree that mass media is only as important as the public makes it.  All
> I'm saying is that I don't think there was anything wrong with Man or
> Astro-man? participating in this show on MTV.  

I agree completely.  Any means of exposing more humans to the Space Dorks
is a good thing.

> The media will only exploit
> them if they CHOOSE to be exploited.  

And if they're lucky and work at it.  Getting publicity when you need
it to make a living, like a band does, can be pretty hard to do.
Getting publicity when you don't want it, like Richard Jewell got,
is a random nightmare like being hit by lightning.


<SNIP!>  
<Removed stuff I agree with, but you've already read, and to which I
have nothing to add.>

>   If you really want to talk about a topic related to media power, how about
> the fact that news programs gossip, exaggerate, and outright lie to us
> everyday, and a lot of people choose to believe it?  What I worry about is
> that few people know how to think critically.  

Presuming that you are a young person, this makes me more hopeful for
the future.  People get worked up about so many trivial socio-political
phenomena, but by far the most alarming trend is the death of critical
thinking.

> They take things at face
> value without doing any research.  Internet is one of the worst culprits,
> too.  

An unfortunate turn of phraze.  I trust that you realize that the Internet
itself is neutral medium of transport for all kinds and qualities of content.  

One of my pet peeves is the way some people assign qualities to the
Internet as a whole based on a tiny sample of Internet content and
their own predjudices.  I do _not_ think you are one of those people.

> Few people stop to think about the credentials of the authors of these
> "informational" and "educational" web sites.  Students are encouraged to do
> research for projects on the internet, but they aren't instructed on how to
> filter out the fiction from the facts.

I struggle daily to try to teach my children the importance and practice
of critical thinking.  It is very difficult when incompetent public school
teachers constantly undermine my efforts.  (No.  I'm not saying all public
school teachers are incompetent.  I _am_ saying the most of the public
school teachers in the state of Oregon I have encountered are incompetent.)

>         All right, I'm off my soapbox for today.

Keep that thing handy.  I like what you have to say.

Mookie

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
This message is from the Man Or Astro-Man List.  To post to the list send
your message to the list at: astro-list@furball.slime.org  To be removed 
from the list, please send a message with "UNSUBSCRIBE astro-list"
(no quotes) in the BODY of the message to listserv@furball.slime.org
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
.. end astro-transmission