Dick Meyer: Why We Hate Us

[mwb970]

An Uneasy America: 'Why We Hate Us'
(NPR.org, August 5, 2008)

Dick Meyer is a man with a list of hates. Meyer, NPR's new editorial director of digital media, can rattle off plenty of examples: corporations that profess to care about you, the words "managed care," and reality shows that promise a shot at love with a celebrity called Tila Tequila. Those are some of the gripes to be found in Meyer's new book, Why We Hate Us: American Discontent in the New Millennium.

All those little complaints are indicators of something bigger, Meyer told Steve Inskeep: a lack of trust in public leadership and an overall weakening of public morality.

"The 1960s was a symbolic turning point," Meyer said, citing the decade as a time when personal choice became more important than following tradition. "It became much more important to make all these choices as a witting, conscious consumer of life," Meyer said of formerly tradition-bound elements like religion, where people live, whether they decide to get married.

"And deeper than that, there was a sense that if you did follow a traditional route," Meyer said, "you were an existential weakling."

The realm of personal choice has only expanded since then.

Check out the excerpt from Meyer's insightful book at the NPR link. Interesting!

[norepubsin08]

1. The reason why we hate is:

Is because deep down we realize that we are biggest bunch of hypocrites on the face of the earth. We profess to be a "Christian" nation yet kill all over the planet. We profess to be environmental stewards yet are biggest consumers and polluters around. We profess to be all for democracy yet prop of right wing dictatorship when it feeds the corporate trough. Too many contradictions between our talk and our walk!!!

[bemildred]

2. It's all bullshit these days, media management and spin.

We have forgotten what it once meant to be American, the weasels and Ponzi artists have taken over and are running the show, and the public is playing video games and shopping at the Mall.

[Skittles]

3. fucker blames it on the 60's

honestly, I believe the turning point was the 80's, when Reagan made idiocy and greed fashionable

[bemildred]

4. It was like turning on a switch when Raygun got elected.

I remember being just floored at the way the media fellated him, no matter what he did. But I really did not understand the way the public swallowed it (pun intended). After the Vietnam War and Nixon and all, I did not expect the sort of mindless jingoism and uncritical acceptance of obvious propaganda that Raygun managed to tap into.

[Skittles]

5. I was bewildered, bemildred

I will NEVER, EVER understand how anyone could fall for that evil bastard's act :puke:

[riverdale]

6. Teflon

I remember they called him the Teflon president. Then after a time I came to realize, every Republican is the Teflon president.