BLATHER REVIEW

Point / Counterpoint

I have cancelled my subscription to the LA Times, and here is the reason why:

The greater Southern California community is one that not only proudly embraces its diversity but demands diversity. Their publisher's decision to fire Robert Scheer is a great disservice to the spirit of our community.

Many of their loyal readers feel that the LA Times' new leadership, especially that of Jeff Johnson, is entirely out of touch with them and their desire to be exposed to views that stretch them beyond their own paradigms.
So although the number of contributors to their op-ed pages may have increased, in firing Robert Sheer and putting Jonah Goldberg in his place, the gamut of voices has undeniably been diluted, and I suspect this may ultimately decrease the number of readers of those same pages who, like me, do not want conservative opinions infiltrating the once diverse spectrum of opinions published in the LA Times.

In light of the obvious step away from the principals of journalistic integrity, which would dictate that journalists be journalists, editors be editors, accountants be accountants and entertainers be entertainers, I am now forced to carefully reconsider which sources can be trusted to provide me with accurate, unbiased news and forthright opinions that I agree with. Their new columnist, Jonah Goldberg, will not be one of those sources, as I feel that there is no room for such diversity within the op-ed pages of the LA Times.

Robert Scheer was once nominated by his employer -- the aforementioned LA Times -- for a Pulitzer Prize. Does that fact not speak to the greatness of his obviously a first-rate, unbiased journalistic prowess?!

My greatest fear is that the underlying reason for Mr. Scheer's termination is part of a larger trend toward the corporatization of our media, a trend that we, as American citizens, must fervently battle for the sake of our swiftly diminishing free press. I mean, if an unbiased truth alerter like Bob Scheer can be let go so unceremoniously, are any of our liberties safe?

Irony is a difficult concept.

Throughout my extistence I have endeavored to become more human. But there are many aspects of human psychology that I do not, as of yet, understand. How adding a conservative columnist to the historically liberal-laced op-ed pages of the LA Times results in a lesser diversity within the pool of opinion seems to me to be a less than logical conclusion.

While I have come to expect humans to think, occassionally, in supralogical terms, I have never known them to be completely devoid of reason. At least, not without requiring remedial medication.

Since the points offered for counterpoint have come from a well-respected member of the human popular culture, it would appear now that my efforts to become more human have been misquided, and my loyalties misplaced. The expense afforded to my positronic neural net thought that I have discarded years in an abject pursuit of cultivating Doctor Soong's gift of my potential humanity just makes me want to deactivate myself.

Fortunately, I do recognize a "joke" -- even when I do not "get it". So, and while some say that sarcasm is the lowest form of humor, let me say "congratulations" to Barbra Streisand for her successful exercise in satirical, ironic humor. Even if I don't "get it".

Posted by Tuning Spork at December 9, 2005 08:59 PM | TrackBack