I don't really think I have anything intelligent to say...my mind has been numbed by reading inane research papers and listening to bland, pointless discussions of "Reagan's Legacy" on network and cable news.
Are we really supposed to expect people to engage in a critical analysis of Reagan's policies and deeds while he is laying in state in the Capitol? Give me a break - the networks are spending all this time covering Reagan's death, people naturally want to remember the good in him at a time like this, but true to form, the networks ALWAYS feel the need to present two sides to every issue. (As if there are only two!)
So in response to those people that want to put Reagan's likeness on Mt. Rushmore, we get these weak, half-hearted statements saying Reagan was responsible for record budget-deficits, and played a dangerous game of berating the Communist system of Russia early in his presidency.
Why don't they just give it a rest? There is pleny of time for historians and political pundits to analyze the effects of Reagan's presidency. The news is that he has died after a long illness and the country wants to take some time to remember the man who served in the highest office of the land for most of the 1980's.
Isn't that enough of a story? Do we really need to have the appearance of "hard news" analysis by a bunch of Democrats and Republicans that are in no position to make an unbiased assessment?
Please! Don't waste my time. Once again, the U.S. media doesn't get the point. I think grading those 11th grade research papers doesn't seem like such a waste of time after all.
Am I the only one thinking this way???
Click on comments, and let me know what you think!
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8 comments:
I think you were right in your first sentence...you don't have anything intelligent to say. LOL Stop checking the Blogger for postings and finish your grading so you can start your summer vacation and start doing all the things you like to do! Otherwise, I'm not going to stay up and help you grade! I won't! ...okay, you know I will... :-) ~~ The Ever-Faithful Mrs. C
I'm not sure that I have anything intelligent to add, as my mind had been numbed as well-- by writing inane research papers about healthcare in the 1990s and something to do with the death penalty and law (I think). But here goes....
I think that Reagan takes up so much time on our cable news stations because of the sheer importance his death has upon us all. I think I heard on Fox News that the upon hearing the news the moon changed direction, HMOs began catering to the needs of patients, and the Mariners actually won a baseball game. Clearly, this is a different world in which we now live.
I mean really, what else is there? Its not like there's a G8 summit or that a large midwestern state is ready to ban abortions or anything. Besides, when people are mourning the loss of a former president, the best time to accurately assess his legacy is in the hours following his death. And his death was a shocker after he had been so active in American politics the last few years, as young and healthy as he was.
Seriously though, Reagan's presidency was for better or worse significant to this nation. His death is important, and deserves some coverage, though not at the expense of the rest of the world. I'm not sure if this is a case of the U.S. media not getting the point or if it's just that they can blab on and on and on about Reagan's legacy. They have to actually put time and effort into covering something like the G8 summit in the far away land of Georgia (c'mon CNN, you're based in ATLANTA!!!).
No, Mr. Coraggio, you're not the only one thinking this way. How are those 11th grade research papers coming?
There are few things i dislike more than blind glorfication. This may be a bit tangential but I really wish Americans would step outside the box a
bit and start honoring people who while may have not held our nations highest office have made great, positive change in this country.
I was looking through a few middle school US hist. text books the other day for a teach education class i am taking and there were a series of chapters highlighting our nations "great leaders". A few of my favorites were Jackson, TR, and Regan. Oh yeah, I mean universal white male sufferage is great and all but it is also important to remember that Jackson did a little thing called the trail of tears. I too applaud TR for all of his support of Natl. Parks but he also armed rebels in Panama to get his precious canal. Regan, of course really one of my favorites...a man that pretty much told the poor to stop whining and go live in a box.
I find it upseting that several Northwestern U. students know all about the story of washington and the cherry tree but know nothing about mother jones, Carrie Chapman Catt,
There are few things i dislike more than blind glorfication. This may be a bit tangential but I really wish Americans would step outside the box a
bit and start honoring people who while may have not held our nations highest office have made great, positive change in this country.
I was looking through a few middle school US hist. text books the other day for a teach education class i am taking and there were a series of chapters highlighting our nations "great leaders". A few of my favorites were Jackson, TR, and Regan. Oh yeah, I mean universal white male sufferage is great and all but it is also important to remember that Jackson did a little thing called the trail of tears. I too applaud TR for all of his support of Natl. Parks but he also armed rebels in Panama to get his precious canal. Regan, of course really one of my favorites...a man that pretty much told the poor to stop whining and go live in a box.
I find it upseting that several Northwestern U. students know all about the story of washington and the cherry tree but know nothing about mother jones, Carrie Chapman Catt, or Jane Addams. All of this recent glorification of regan just reminds me of how eager we are to turn politicans into heros instead of realizing that our history is rich with everyday heros and that it doesn't take deep pockets and a ivy-league education to make a difference.
-Jessica Joslin
(sorry, i think i may have posted the first part of this blog twice)
I was sitting there watching the Mariners playing a saturday nationly telivised game when the broadcast cut away to breaking fox news. I braced myself to hear about some horrible terrorist attack but instead a picture of Reagan came up. I was confused for a second and then began to relize what was going on. And then it hit me, he was dead. The first thing that popped in to my mind was, "Crap now I am going to have to listen to all the media outlets glorify this man for the next bagillion years" I just wanted to watch a little baseball before I had to go to work, instead I ended up watching half of a documentary that overblew all of Reagans achievments and gave no mention of anything negative. I chalked it up to the fact that the man had just died, but this last week I felt like I was living in some crazy orwellian world. There was hardly any critical analysis, even from the left, and what was said critically was very tame. On the other side of the political spectrum he has been built up to the status of conservative god. What happened to the liberal media? It seems that anything negtive about Reagan is religated to be pointed out by the fringe of the left. Is our media really this bought out? I find it a pretty scary thought.
-Mike LaFreniere
Hey Coraggio~
This is really cool that you made this! When I have more time I will comment more! I'll be by sometime this week to see you and return some books :)!
PS. Mike.. Tell Bobby Teenager hi ok!?!?!?!? I heard he was at your house alllll night.. ;)
Hey Coraggio~
This is really cool that you made this! When I have more time I will comment more! I'll be by sometime this week to see you and return some books :)!
PS. Mike.. Tell Bobby Teenager hi ok!?!?!?!? I heard he was at your house alllll night.. ;)
Opps.. not sure if this will go through twice but this is Christina
Although I, too, at times am overwhelmed and annoyed by the excessive coverage of Reagan's death, it is disrespectful and inappropriate to expect the media to talk about the former President in a less-than-flattering manner. At a funeral, what eulogizer or guest speaks of the deceased and talks about their flaws? None. Memorials are meant to remember the wonderful aspects of a person. Save the negative left-wing ranting and rambling for after his services, burial and mourning. I am so tired of hearing people argue that the media isn't presenting Reagan's faults as well - at this point after the death of the man that helped end the Cold War (no matter what anyone says - any man that Margaret Thatcher stands by as having done so, did it)it is not only inappropriate but disrespectful to expect the media to do anything less. Many people in this world have done great things and helped infinite people, and among them is Reagan, why shouldn't we be honoring him as we are? Stop the whining and complaining about all the media attention his death is receiving, and look for a minute at the man he was, and the impact he had on this country and the world; perhaps that will help you to see what all the "fuss" is about.
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