Marshal McLuhan Redux: Time Magazine Covers as a Message

Every now and again we get to glimpse into the mind of our mainstream media and discover what hideous corporate lapdogs they truly are.  Sarah Palin was right (gasp) when she called them the Lamestream Media (EDITOR’S NOTE: Even a broken clock is correct twice a day)

Check out these time covers from 4 editions of the magazine this week.  See anything strange?

Yes, there’s no revolution here in America.  Nothing to see here citizens, move along.  Move along.  Nothing happening in America or abroad.  Yet the real irony in these covers is that the American one is all about anxiety.  What could people possibly have to be anxious about in our capitalist wonderland?  Life is perfect here in the American Exceptionalism Land!  And if you are anxious for some reason, it’s good for you!  

I don’t know what’s worse, that American’s are being sheltered from the reality of a global revolution against finance capitalism or that they just don’t care?  Either way, it’s pretty horrible.

I was having a talk with someone about what might ultimately undo the Occupy movement.  This is it.  This is exactly what I said.  The media will simply ignore it domestically.  Without a re-imposition of the fairness doctrine, Occupy will never get the media traction it needs to unseat the powerful interests of financial capitalism.

Why, why, why… Why can’t we have a better press corps?  I think I just answered my own question.

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3 thoughts on “Marshal McLuhan Redux: Time Magazine Covers as a Message

  1. We do have a better press corps. They’re stationed in the Middle East and Northern Africa, writing stories that get the cover of TIME Magazine everywhere but in the United States. The real question to ask: why have we allowed a system to develop where editors cow-towing to putative financial interests over-ride the news America needs in the interest of the news it presumptively wants.

    1. I think that, based on McLuhan’s work, you’re making my point. The framework in which Time USA operates is dominated by triviality. At some point, editors are expected to make actual editorial decisions about what is newsworthy and what is fluff. In America, we get fluff. We get fluff because that is what the corporate owners of the media want us to get.

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