Writes Holly Sklar: “Until 2005, multimillionaires could still make the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans. In 2006, the Forbes 400 went billionaires only. When the Forbes 400 began in 1982, it was dominated by oil and manufacturing fortunes. Today, says Forbes, "Wall Street is king."
And what are the consequences? She writes: “The 25th anniversary of the Forbes 400 isn't party time for America. We have a record 482 billionaires -- and record foreclosures.
We have a record 482 billionaires -- and a record 47 million people without any health insurance.
Since 2000, we have added 184 billionaires -- and 5 million more people living below the poverty line.”
This superbug of greed went largely undetected by the TV channels and business news outlets. Now, as a crisis ripens with parallels to 1929 on the lips of sober pundits, we have a new superbug on the horizon: the superbug of mindless “news” designed to divert our attention from what is really happening
In the guise of reporting on business, we have Fox’s new fusion of porn and partriotism pumped out by a bimbocracy of chatter and well-calculated false optimism as Jim Nocera observed in the New York Times.
One minute Fox was doing a segment that included a $1 million diamond; the next it was giving tips on how to avoid foreclosure. It would home in on the stock market and then report on the death of a teenager in Virginia from a staph infection, reports that included several truly silly efforts to frame the tragedy as a business story. On Tuesday afternoon, while CNBC was dissecting Intel’s earnings, Fox was running its “Happy Hour” show, which is set in a bar. A co-host named Cody, a dude so hip he doesn’t tuck his shirt in, was interviewing a random customer about his plans for Christmas spending. “Expensive chocolates,” was the man’s reply.
So what superbug is at work here? Perhaps a superbug of bullshit. But it doesn’t seem to matter as more money is invested in more ways to spend money and divert attention from the dangers we face. Ads and promos legitimize this information abortion.
Clearly we need antidotes to all of these superbugs. And they have go beyond washing your hands and/or allowing your brain to be washed. Cure-all product won’t help either, writes Mike Adams on NewsTarget.com
I think this antibacterial products sham has gone way too far. Yesterday I was shopping at Office Depot, and guess what I found? Antibacterial pencils. Yes, it's true. I found some mechanical pencils made by PaperMate that have an antibacterial coating… We've seen antibacterial hand soaps and dish soaps, shampoos and all sorts of other personal care and cleaning products. And we've seen all the bad news about this, as well, including the fact that they are completely and utterly useless at actually protecting people from germs, viruses or contagious disease.”</blockquote>
So where should we start in combating these many superbug menaces?
Truthful disclosure might be a good beginning. More vigilant journalism would help along with a clearer appreciation that there are often unanticipated consequences of programs launched with the best of intentions.
But most of all we need a national outcry to move the masses, push the media and press the politicians to speak out before some new bacteria turns you and I into breakfast.
News Dissector Danny Schechter edits Mediachannel.org. His new film IN DEBT WE TRUST investigates the superbugs of credit and debt. (Indebtwetrust.org)
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