Neuron Activation

[UltraBudgie]

So I'm approaching this Thread title "Neuron activation" as a metaphor for "Things that make you think."

Yes... The Rogan podcast does do that.

But the irritation the mainstream media talking heads often displays has to do more with their own refusal to accept that their own "model" and "process" has become increasingly irrelevant.  Their new "journalism" became infected with the popular "activist" fad... making everything they say and do suspect, in terms of 'narrative manipulation' and 'partisan support.'

In other words, they blew it.  They focused on the fee-fees of the media organization owners, and their positions, rather than the actual 'news' and 'facts.'  They got burned by their own zeal to virtue signal, and speak for their own 'causes' and 'allegiances' which overrode their standing mandate to inform.

The once-called 'main stream' media has now become the 'alternate'... widely disregarded as 'public relations' for their party, or corporate owners.

As a result they are now spitting disdain from their newly-forged reputation as at least suspect, if not implicitly untrustworthy...  focusing on the more popular media which is distinctly not theirs... envious of the dollars they are not earning anymore.

They fear the solidifying understanding of the word "misinformation," which is more and more easily applied to their own productions; instead of the the alternative media, for which it was originally intended.  They intentionally crafted a new meme... which will haunt them for generations; they gave the term to the public... not realizing that the public would eventually just apply it to them.

Putting aside for a moment all the people who are wise enough not to care about things they have no control over, it has very much become kayfabe -- a deliberate play-act that both sides, those who pay attention and those whose attention is payed, know is play-acting but go along with because that's the game. We pretend to be newly outraged about things we've known for years, presenting new ah-ha! I've got you now! diatribes and analyses, they pretend they really just don't understand how we could be so crazy and treat it like a momentary aberration, and we both act surprised each time like a goldfish seeing the sunrise.

It's the only possible discourse and engagement that is left, within the bounds of civility. We have each other up against the wall. Okay, I'm in no hurry, let's let it play out.

Scarily, the future is left up to the people who actually still (gasp!) believe the news. The trendline there is obvious:

“How much trust and confidence do you have in the mass media -- such as newspapers TV and radio -- when it comes to reporting the news fully accurately and fairly?”

https://news.gallup.com/poll/651977/amer...d-low.aspx

Oh wait that must be because of Trump. Or Russia. Or the Internet is rotting people's brains. It's Fox News. Or MSNBC. Or something. Or nothing. Blame the Illuminati. All of that.

As always thank you for your well-reasoned discussion. It is honourable, and quaint.