living, thinking and writing
|
|
| PRACTICE living, thinking and writing |
|
|
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 Air America is on air Glad I'm in LA, one of the only four cities can receive it. But you can always listen to it on line. The first liberal talk radio ever, it reminds me how wonderful this country is, not only for the existence of liberal voice, but more importantly, the tolerance for such an existence. Speaking of that, I think it is the time I talk about radio. I used to be an avid radio listener in college, where no television or "interesting" newspaper were available. I walked with and sleep with radio on. At our time, we considered VOA and BBC our channel to truth. Since I came to this country, I waged a long battle with language obstacle. I picked up television since it is really a great tool for studying English. One night, David Letterman show suddenly made some sense to me, and CNN suddenly sounds like talking in my language. I thought it was time to resume my radio listening. Now I woke up with NPR every morning, driving and walking with NPR, while TV news became more and more unbearable to me, especially after September 11. Propaganda and exclusive focus on US news is one reason, the commercial operation is really what turns me off. This morning, I woke up hearing NPR reporting the death of five US soldiers and four contractors in Iraq, and cheering Iraqis hanged some of the bodies on bridge. When I came back home at noon the coverage and comment was still continuing in radio. But when I turned on TV, surprisingly all news channels, from CNN to NBC to FOX were broadcasting live the police search of a suburb in Wisconsin and for one suspect that might abduct a college girl. I really don?t understand the significance of this news compared to the nine death in Iraq. The college girl (surely a white one) was found alive, the suspect might be armed with a gun, it happens in a marshy area? I don?t get it. Just like I don?t understand how Elisabeth Smart, Laci/Scott Peterson or Michael Jackson?s case could be a national sensation in all national news channels, do I forget to mention Janet Jackson?s breast? Is the howl of Howard Dean the only memorable moment of this man? Do news TV also try to turn themselves into Reality TV?... That's the other thing I feel sorrow for this country, where people enjoy the privilege of free speech and access to truth, while they don?t cherish such endowment. Anyway, I?m glad I still have radio, actually a lot of radios-I have five at my one-bedroom apartment, not including our four computers where we can listen to Internet radio. posted by lmeimei @2:24 PM| permanent link| | |
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
