Why I Hate Local News Teams: Reason #13

[Royal]

People really dumb down when it comes to "The Internets" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p95_eF3bD1w)

I wish newscasts were emo....

[Charles RB]

That newscast made me want to cut my wrists.

Or rather, the reporter's wrists.

[JDogindy]

I watch the news for the news, not for the broadcasters. And these teams can really dish out the trash.

I said this in another thead a while back, and it involved my local FOX affiliate, WXIN 59. I was bemoaning about all the stupid stuff they were showing every two days.

Now, every Monday, they got this "Survive Alive!" hogwash. The main commercial for it looks like a really bad video game, and what they talk about dosen't fare better:


You are in snow. That's bad, but they emphaize that if you are in snow, then you will fall into an icy revene and drown or freeze to death!!!!!
Indianapolis might not be ready in the event of a disease outbreak!!! But... every city is not ready in the event of a disease outbreak, duh!
You're stuck in the fourth floor while a fire is tearing apart a building. Apparantly, they tell us to not panic. That's the first thing we do! If anything, we'd be swinging on the shower curtains with ice buckets on our heads when the fire department comes into the hotel room.


But, boy does this looks very dumb.

[Joe Acro]

"Emo" means "emotional"? I think they made that up.

[Fish Sauce]

I love the way they say that there are online tests you can complete to see if you're emo.

[TinMan]

"Emo" means "emotional"? I think they made that up.

No they didn't, Emo has been short for "emotional" since the word became popularized by friggin MTV several years ago.

I found this kind of funny and kind of sad at the same time, it's actually amazing to see how many kids are like that now. I know I've actually met plenty of them through friends (whether they were friends of friends or someone's sibling) and the reasoning is amazing. I mean, I think the whole "Emo image" is dumb, but the fact that the idea of being depressed is used as a status symbol and a way to gain popularity is pretty disturbing.

[Winslow]

Must be the "generation gap."

I don't get emo.

I don't get why Royal's pissed.

And local news has always sensationalized everything . . even the fraking weather.

[HomerJay]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/HomerJay64/thlawn.gif

[MaxofSteel]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v655/HomerJay64/thlawn.gif

That would make thing so much more convenient!

[Royal]

No they didn't, Emo has been short for "emotional" since the word became popularized by friggin MTV several years ago.

I found this kind of funny and kind of sad at the same time, it's actually amazing to see how many kids are like that now. I know I've actually met plenty of them through friends (whether they were friends of friends or someone's sibling) and the reasoning is amazing. I mean, I think the whole "Emo image" is dumb, but the fact that the idea of being depressed is used as a status symbol and a way to gain popularity is pretty disturbing.

I find it funny that people still by into this "media powered" movement.

It's been media powered ever since they used the term on Fugazi.

[HomerJay]

That would make thing so much more convenient!
I'm thinking of beginning to ridicule my lawn and playing nothing but Morrisey in order to make this happen. Do they sell lawn care products at Hot Topic?

[Huh?]

The best part of that whole report was when they kept showing this piece of art:

http://x09.xanga.com/c82d937350c3047432991/b11266362.jpg

Hilarious!

[Matt Algren]

Local news stinks universally. Here's why. (http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/2006/12/al_jazeera.html)

[Royal]

Must be the "generation gap."

I don't get emo.

I don't get why Royal's pissed.

And local news has always sensationalized everything . . even the fraking weather.

Let me help you out m'man.

"emo" started to get known around...I say 1980's. You had American punk bands like Husker Du, Rites of Spring and Fugazi straying away from the "scream and slam" sound of Punk at the time and making a more easy heartfelt version of the genre through experimentation of production techniques and more seemingly heartfelt lyrics. This style was picked up in the west by bands like Yaphet Kotto and Still life. The term wasn't created until the late 80's when Ian MacKaye and Fugazi got big. The last "real emo" band to be covered under the original sense of the term would have to be Weezer or Foo Fighters.

Now days, The media (a large part of music media in general) brandish about the term for anything and everything they can get their hands on. I can go on any major website and write a whole article on how the music of say....Meiko Kaji (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaji_Meiko) is "emo" and not get smacked down for it. It's a "one size fits all" term. The current "suit" emo is wearing is the giant sized canibalization of the proto punk sounds of the 80's. Big time music creating false saviors to "save rock and roll" only to make a huge buck off the disenfranchised and those who look back to find sustainance in the present.

As for the culture, I'm still trying to figure it out. I don't how it went from Jim Atkins of Jimmy Eats World and Rivers Cuomo of Weezer to the more adrogenous look of Davey Havok of AFI or the grittyness of Bert MacKraken of The Used. Maybe CBR's more knowledgeable maestros can help us?

As to why I'm pissed, my "gimmick", my "angle" is society coming to terms with new and old media. I'm a Technorealist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technorealism) with underpinings of Technoprogressivism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techno-progressive). I believe that by keeping a level head and education one's self on the implication and fallbacks of certain forms of instrumentation, on can invoke and sustain social change for the better (EX: If one learns the handling and management of a car, one can become a major tool in the advancement of capitalistic endevors and social intergration EX2: By understanding at least a little bit about computers and internet communication, one can use the computer as an alternative communication device as well as an alternative form of entertainment and data collection).

The running joke with me, I think the forum knows, is my total distain for local news stations. While I do understand that they do have a big problem keeping up with the internet, and I truly feel for them, they have chosen to stagnate, nay, fall back on ignorance to sell a story. This whole piece could have been a non-story and shot down with just one and a half minutes of research. Research. Y'know. The action of collecting facts? As a technorealist and technoprogressive, I find local news as a cesspool and breeding ground for neo luddism and willful ignorance thus far in this decade if not this century.

As for sensasionalism, I can understand how they need to grab as many eyeballs as possible. Especially up there in North Dakota. But let up live with the truth. The era (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Current_Affair_%28US_TV_series%29) of Peter Brenan and Bert Kerns is over. I don't think shows like EXTRA or Inside Hollywood would take anyone away from the local news anymore. If there must be sensationalism, let it be more in the mold of Sam Fuller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Fuller) instead of Maury Povitch. A fact based report with certain bends and exactgerations(sp) on certain facts and ideas. Not blind ignorace.

[Winslow]

Ah, that was helpful.

I'm woefully out of touch with the music.

But I "feel your pain" on the use of fear and ignorance to sensationalize and sell. I loathe that too.