UPDATE: 1-2-2008; For those who may be wondering, yes you are correct, I haven't written anything new for a few days. I have been pondering, and decided to go through with, going on a writting sabatical for a few months. With all the political mess we are in now, and all the crap we've been put through over the last year and a half, I need the rest, just as America needs a rest from liberals. I'll c yas on the flip side. --John

Now here is a serious YouTube Brutha with Word! Alfonzo, also known as "machosauceproductions" puts the serious smack down, and is worthy of note. You can check him out here; http://www.youtube.com/user/machosauceproduction

..Although my memory is fading, I remember two things very clearly; I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior. --John Newton

"A Veteran -- whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve -- is someone who at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to: 'The United States of America,' for an amount of 'up to, and including his life.'" --Unknown

Saturday, January 26, 2008

The Pope And The Media: Praises And Slams

I found this on NewsMax.com the other day to be rather interesting as it covers both ends of the spectrum even though the title itself "Pope Slams Unethical Media," portrays only one side of the article. According to the text, this last Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI "PRAISED the mass media for helping to spread democracy and knowledge around the world, but lamented that it also tended to hype violence, vulgarity and consumer products." Not to mention the particular slant that it seems to have adopted since the mid to late 60's. Something that regular readers of my blog have noticed I harp on quite a bit.

He, The Pope, brings up an very interesting angle though in the article. Benedict "suggested there might be a need for an 'info-ethics' field in the media, just as there is a bioethics field in medicine and science, to guarantee that human dignity is respected." That's a very enticing idea. Which means that in no way would the media ever submit to it. I suspect it would be hounded with calls of being a blight on 'free speech,' and other such supposed civil rights violations.

But Benedict didn't just slam the media, as noted above, he did issue praise for it, and also said "the media had played a "decisive" role in spreading literacy, democracy and dialogue among peoples, and should continue to be used for promoting justice." Which is pretty much what the media should have been about all along, instead of taking up the torch of one-sided ideals.

Benedict went on in the article to mention how the media can also subject its users to the "dominant interests of the day." Something we see almost constantly these days. The push for global warming, the sexualization of youth, the regular use of profanities in everyday shows, the promotion of what the majority of the populace considers to be deviant behavior. It goes on and on. But pop over and take a look at the full article. It's worth the quick read.

Article info provided by NewsMax.com.

Posted by John at 11:16 AM

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2 comments:

MEI-HSIN CHEN said...

Instrument itself is neutral. Depending on how we use it, it become good or evil. Pope Benedict XVI remind us this reality through the example of "social communications means". This is what I think.

Mon Jan 28, 08:43:00 PM PST
John said...

Hello Chen and thx for your comment.

For the most part, I WOULD agree with you, it it weren't for the fact that the "instrument" has been used one-sidedly since the early sixties.

If you look through many of my past postings, you would see what I mean. The media has been, and probably will be decidedly "left-slanted" for some time. Whether to promote one disingenuous thing or another, or in attempts to sway popular thought. Even attempts to influence political opinion, as we see so much of these days.

Thanks again for commenting.

John

Mon Jan 28, 09:29:00 PM PST

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