Pseudo news gets hard hitting!
The general perception of bloggers are that we are pseudo journalists. Technically we might be called journalists, since blogging is a form of journaling - we'll grab at any semblance of credibility. So many of us have a passing interest in issues related to the field, such as "does the media have any true influence?" The answer depends: if journalists are trying to grab at a semblance of credibility themselves they say that they are the opinion makers; if they are trying to duck responsibility for some outrageous statement they usually say"no, we can't make any one do anything". That cuts down the significance of not only the mainstream media, but associated fields as well. There for it can be a little reassuring when someone comes along to prove that the media does in deed have an impact. Like Greg Gutfeld.
Red Eye or Gut Rock?
Greg Gutfeld, himself a pseudo journalist, is employed by FOX, the home of psuedo journalism. He hosts a show called Red Eye, which I have never watched. From descriptions it seems to be FOX's attempt at political humour a la John Stewart or Stephen Colbert, but without the intelligence and sophistication (There's no doubt Gutfeld is a comedian rather than a journalist, since he has borrowed most of comic Gilbert Gottleib's trade mark facial expressions - not that I mean to taint Mr Gottleib by association). Recently Gutfeld weighed into the controversial topic of the Mid East War on his Red Eye show. Particularly he was concerned with Canada's intention to withdraw from the conflict and take a year long hiatus. Gutfeld described this as a vacation, and therefore conduct unbecoming warriors. Now that's gotta be good for a few laughs.perception vs reality: Gutfeld misses the point - doesn't have the facts either
Displaying the same finesse and sensitivity of Gen George Paton when he slapped a shell shocked solider while visiting a WW2 field hospital, Gutefld and his cohorts launched into an anti Canadian rant, full of school yard invective. For one thing he mentioned that Canada's top officer, Gen Andrew Leslie, had an odd name for a solider. Now Andrew is a pretty common name. I guess he was referring to the Leslie part. The inference must have been that guys named Leslie are pansies. Explaining the difference between family names and given names might have spoiled the crude joke. Pointing out that John Wayne's real name was Marion Morrison would've been totally out of place (incidentally John Wayne never served in the military. He was officially listed as 4F reject. Perhaps the American Govt felt that he made a more valuable contribution to morale by staying at home, dressing up, and wearing make up for the movies). Besides everyone who's ever seen a movie knows that action heroes are supposed to have he man names like Jack, Chuck, or Rambo. Purple Heart ex marine Lee Marvin being a notable exception.out of place - and not even funny
The Red Eye gang went on to gleefully make other crude jokes about Canada. They seemed to think that red is an effeminate, and possibly gay colour; so the Mounties can't be as macho as Texas Rangers. Well the RCMP themselves boast that they always get their man. There was a lot of other stuff too, that really isn't worth repeating. The gist of it was that Gutfeld & co felt Canada was lacking in John Wayne style true grit. When the going got tough they'd rather prance around on their RCMP musical ride. Now this is where the good news for journalism part comes in.
Thanks for the help, suckers
It seems that Canadians, whose troops have fought as long and as hard as Americans, and often in the most violent areas, took exception to these comments. In fact many were enraged. As of March there were 116 Canadian deaths in the on going conflict. The bodies are driven up the 401, on a stretch known as the Highway of Heroes on their return. This has become a repeated and painful reminder of Canadian involvement. So naturally Gutfeld's flippant comments were taken as worse than a slap in the face in return for continued and costly support. Responses ranged from "Is he nuts?", to "Roast him on a spit!"
Newsflash - no one's laughing
With Canadian viewers threatening to boycott FOX, you might say that the shit has hit the fan. What seemed like a good idea at the time is now looking like a costly mistake (I mean Gutfeld's clumsy attempts at humour, but perhaps the war too). So some one in the upper echelons of FOX decided it was time to give the leash a yank. After presumably being called on the carpet, Gutfeld showed up on TV saying he was sorry that people were offended. He didn't actually say he was sorry for what he said, but at least he didn't say he was sorry that the little sissies couldn't take it. We've just become so oversensitive in this politically correct age that you can't joke about anything anymore. It's taken the humour completely out of racism, rape and war. Soon there won't be any fun left to be had!
Attention fringe media - you count!
So Gutfeld has unwittingly made a major stink. He's offended Canadians, embarrassed Americans (most of whom insist that FOX is not representative of their views. It seems to be a sort of guilty viewing pleasure for our neighbours to the south, like pro wrestling and reality TV), and put his employers on the defensive. He has managed to accomplish one thing. By creating a major international stink he has proven that the media does in fact make a difference - though in the words of another FOX minion, Marge Simpson "one person can make a difference, but most of the time they probably shouldn't". So bloggers of the world, take heart. We can make a difference no matter how half baked our ideas. What's more, even if we're only pseudo journalists, we're really no less so than the pseudo journalists in the mainstream media! Besides, if an asshole like Gutfeld can land a spot in national mainstream media (though admittedly FOX ain't PBS), then what's to stop any one of us from storming the citadel? Keeping on bloggin'!
PS. If you ever doubted the power of the media don't. NASA's pole to name it's new space station has gotten hijacked by Stephen Colbert and his merry men. Colbert urged viewers to write in "Colbert" as their selection for the space station name. The wrote in potion beat out number two choice, and NASA favourite Serenity, by a significant margin.
oh crap
That puts NASA in a bind, or at the very least creates some comic complications. No one seriously expects NASA to name the new space station USS Colbert, least of all Colbert himself. However they did create an online pole and allow people to think that the outcome would determine NASA's choice. How can they save face? Well recent word from NASA is that while they have no intention of naming the station Colbert, they will perhaps call one of the facility's toilets by that name. Who said nerds don't have a sense of humour! So like I say, keep on bloggin' fringe journalists!
PSS. It's important to note that the opinions expressed by Mr Gutfeld are not those generally held by the majority of Americans. In fact the responses popping up on messages boards and the comments sections of websites - posted by Americans, express disgust at the statements. Many seem genuinely aghast.
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