Ask Me Help Desk - What is a current event?

Regardless Clete, your particular rant about our media was unwarranted and I particularly thought the "get over yourselves" bit was petty - and premature - seeing as how your complaint was so obviously wrong.

I'll put it to you speech what does the average american know about anything beyond their borders, and why?

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Tom and yourself would like to suggest there is something wrong with government enterprise but what we find is that a government enterprise can be an efficient means to meet a public need and at an appropriate time divested into private hands

Good way for the government to control the press and by extension your thoughts. What you want is what Orwell warned against.

the Orwellian system didn't allow competition Tom, you and I both know it was a thinly veiled depiction of the Soviet system. You cling steadfastly to the idea that private eneterprise is the only true expression of an economic system, but what your system has failed to prevent is the boom and bust

Yeah ,especially when the government intervenes in attempts to control boom and bust cycles... which of course makes them worse. But that's OK .You can keep on believing that Tulipmania was a free market bubble and not the result of government intervention in the market. .

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Originally Posted by paraclete

i'll put it to you speech what does the average american know about anything beyond their borders, and why?

Changing the subject, eh? I'd say they are no more apathetic toward the rest of the world than anyone else.

No speech if you remember the start of the op, right back on subject, you attempts to redirect the argument are rebutted

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Originally Posted by paraclete

No speech if you remember the start of the op, right back on subject, you attempts to redirect the argument are rebutted

Sorry dude, you just sounded petty and condescending in the op and I've proven your complaint was invalid. It wasn't that difficult to demonstrate either you need the help of a fifth grader, just didn't try that hard or my guess, you hate Americans for some inexplicable reason. Or need more fiber. I don't have such animosity toward our friends, but you certainly seem to.

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I just visted the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC and only on the BBC did I get a hint that something existed outside the USA get over yourselves, you are not that important, who wants to know? Not 95% of the world

Sounds like someone with a problem to me... don't see us doing that.

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Originally Posted by smoothy

Sounds like someone with a problem to me...don't see us doing that.

Let me put it this way, I wanted to see what you thought about world affairs and I found it a low priority. Perhaps I selected the wrong mastheads but if they are reflective of the way you view the news then I'm not surprised that you are relatively unaware

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Originally Posted by tomder55

good way for the government to control the press and by extension your thoughts. What you want is what Orwell warned against.

The problem is that exactly the same type of tyranny can be leveled at a society with a "free press" Such a press controls your thoughts as well. Such a press promotes a pre- disposition to lurch to an extreme position on many issues.

I think we see a manefestation of that here Tutt, definitely signs of brainwashing

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Originally Posted by paraclete

let me put it this way, I wanted to see what you thought about world affairs and I found it a low priority. perhaps I selected the wrong mastheads but if they are reflective of the way you view the news then I'm not surprised that you are relatively unaware

If you are looking at the lamestream media as a bellwether for what people are thinking... you are likely to find you are sadly misinformed.

Besides... name ONE country that is more concerned with what someone else's is doing.. than what's happening inside their own borders... you won't find one because local events effect and matter more to people that what's happening to someone halfway around the world.

Hell... just look at how misinformed you and Tut are... not to mention NK about what's really going on here... because you get everything you know for a news source none of you are able to really judge the bias or accuracy of. After all, what penalty do they get for not being 100% correct or accurate? Nothing... right?

Because YOU rely on a media that tells you what they want you to think is going on... not what is actually going on. And what THEY tell you is completely biased by the political viewpoints of the people that run that outfit.

Some of us know how deep that bias can run because we are privey to a lot of stuff the average person isn't... and we see many things that should be reported about but aren't because they don't "further the cause" that that media id pushing...

And its usually the people that have absolutely no access to contrary information that tend to get their panties in a knot the most... because its they who are the truly brainwashed.

I've spent a significant amount of my adult life between Europe and the USA to see how widespread that is... and there is absolutely no rational reason to believe its any different in the remainder of the planet.

YOU (and everyone else) worry about taking care of yourself and your family first... you worry about local events second... national events third.

What happens to someone halfway across the planet ranks dead last on that list for everyone in importance.

But if there is one thing that definitely is NOT true... is there is no lack of International News coverage in any part of the USA. We night not know how many Kangaroos got ran over on a certain stretch of road in the Outback... but the bigger stuff does get coverage in many cases.

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Originally Posted by paraclete

let me put it this way, I wanted to see what you thought about world affairs and I found it a low priority. perhaps I selected the wrong mastheads but if they are reflective of the way you view the news then I'm not surprised that you are relatively unaware

Again, since virtually every media outlet we have has what you were looking for I can only surmise you just wanted to rag on the US as is your habit. You may have modeled your ABC after Aunty BBC but we don't. We are what we are, get over it.

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Originally Posted by Tuttyd

The problem is that exactly the same type of tyranny can be leveled at a society with a "free press" Such a press controls your thoughts as well. Such a press promotes a pre- disposition to lurch to an extreme position on many issues.

I'll take my chances with a free press and choice rather than my news being filtered by government apparatchiks.

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Originally Posted by tomder55

I'll take my chances with a free press and choice rather than my news being filtered by govenment apparatchiks.

I much prefer the consumer be the judge than have a government media referee.

LOL, everybody watches to see what we do here, as it affects other countries more than smaller countries.

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Originally Posted by talaniman

LOL, everybody watches to see what we do here, as it affects other countries more than smaller countries.

And there is a lot of truth in that... and it has nothing to do with arrogance either... its just how it is.

How many people Watch Urguay to see what's happening there? Not many right... because what they do or don't do really has little effect on the Worlds affairs..

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Originally Posted by talaniman

LOL, everybody watches to see what we do here, as it affects other countries more than smaller countries.

And when something significant happens like a hurricane in Haiti Americans jump to help - personally.

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Originally Posted by smoothy

We night not know how many Kangaroos got ran over on a certain stretch of road in the Outback....but the bigger stuff does get coverage in many cases.

Oddly enough the only place that information would be reported is in the US because it might be of interest to some liberal lame arse who would want to beat us over the head with it, telling us how our kangaroo management is deficient and how much better their wildlife management programs are.

I wouldn't even know how many abo's got run over in the outback but we certainly get told every time some equally lame arse abo footballer thumbs his nose at authority, such is the quality of local news, and you can bet we look to see if things are happening with more import.