Sunday, November 30, 2008

arbiters of classism

The essence of winter is to survive it, which is so very good for the people who live in those large houses with fuel bills of multiple hundreds of dollars that are, for them, easily affordable.

But I, even if I were as warm as I would ever want to be, withdraw my essence deeper, bring everything inside that might be damaged by the cold out there, and wait, crowded in, for the season to change.

Meanwhile, I watch the local news as the vapid, overly socialized reporters tell me that I can save money by turning my thermostat down to sixty-five during the day and sixty or even fifty-five at night.

That does it. I snap. Who the fuck made the local news the arbiter of classism in America? If the poor (or the overly frugal) choose to live in a less than comfortable manner to save money, that's one thing.

But for the local news station to take it upon itself to suggest that we "cope" with bad economic times by turning down our thermostats... Why would they not, instead, ask us to write to our representatives?

"Dear So-and-so, Please inform me as to why, when we can least afford it, our utility bills keep going higher and higher while corporate CEO's get million dollar bonuses for declining profits."

That's the kind of thing that local (and national) news would suggest if they were really looking out for the working class. Instead, they gloss over real problems and deal with mere symptoms.

Because it's the role of TV in postmodern America (and around the world), not to agitate, but to appease; make people feel better about their declining health and wealth while the elite rake in the cash.

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