Here's the slightly naughty animated version
Posted on 09/11/2004 9:58:07 AM PDT by Seydlitz
Another Hierarchy Bites The Dust
If anyone was foolish enough to doubt the power of the blogosphere, then they are on notice to start dismantling that fantasy. CBS, in its venerable 60 Minutes program, had the breathtaking audacity to present some almost-certainly forged documents on the air as part of their endless campaign to drive Bush from the White House. The documents in question purported to be memoranda prepared by Col. Killian, one of George W. Bush's commanding officers in the Air National Guard. The memoranda implied that Bush had deliberately defied a direct order to take his physical exam, and that Killian was under presure to "sugar coat" Bush's performance record.
It was not long before the "distributed intelligence" (as succinctly described by Wretchard) of the blogoshperic network went to work. A host of discrepancies in the documents were quickly identified, including typographical irregularities, dubious content, improper formatting and references to incorrect regulations (for a complete look, check out the links at Instapundit). In only twenty-four hours, the CBS story had more holes in it than a Swiss cheese.
The implications of this remarkable event are profound, and nor are they limited to media matters. Instead, this is a testament to the awesome potential of the autonomously empowered individual. The mantra of the Establishment Left (and part of the Right) is fundamentally that people are too stupid and/or selfish to have control over their own lives. Economic regulation and heavy taxation are imperatives in order to control the individual. The reins of technology must also remain in government hands, lest technology serve as a prosthetic which empowers the individual beyond the government's desired level of control. Naturally, firearms cannot be left in the hands of the citizenry, otherwise they may have the wherewithal to resist government. Only by cowering together under the aegis of paternal government, albeit in mutual suspicion, can we as a society progress.
Technology, slowly but surely, has been undermining the paradigm of centralized government and its attendant hierarchies. No aspect of technology has contributed more to this than advances in communication. Since the first printing press helped to erode the church's monopoly on the interpretation of spiritual texts, communication technology has served to empower the individual to an extraordinary degree. It enables the skills and insights of the individual to become available to all. In effect, it enables the "collectivization" of the knowledge pool; the hierarchy of knowledge is demolished and becomes horizontal, rather than vertical.
Old media, occupied largely by defenders of the Establishment Left, is addicted to the outdated vision of centralized government and the hierarchical world of knowledge. This is evident in the arrogance of CBS in presenting such obviously questionable documents to the public as if they were gospel. It is also evident in the howling of many media commentators, such as Walter Cronkite, over the encroachment of the blogosphere on their inviolate turf. It can even be seen in the thinking of Gerald Levin in his disastrous merger of Time Warner with AOL. The hierarchy is toast.
There are whispers that the source of the forged documents is the Kerry campaign itself. It is much too early to know for sure, and CBS is remaining mum on the issue. If Kerry's Kampaign Klowns are the source, then there will be some serious reprecussions. Frankly, it would not surprise me one bit. The hysterical hatred for Bush felt by so many on the Left would not only render them capable of such a crime, but also of believing it. Conservatives certainly got in a lather over Clinton, but this type of craziness never went beyind the fringe; no best-sellers or Palmes d'Or from the Cannes Film Festival. Passing on the forgeries would also jive with the Kerry Kamp's view of the Swiftboat accusations as mere mud-slinging. They have no clue of the still raw wounds of Vietnam, and how they have lost the culture war over that conflict despite a barrage of self-congratulatory rhetoric.
UPDATE: Lileks makes an excellent point about the state of Old Media,
"But I think the number of people who regard the evening news as straight truth delivered by disinterested observers, can be numbered in the high dozens. Blogs haven’t toppled old media. The foundations of Old Media were rotten already. The new media came along at the right time."
Sure Do, That's For Sure!!!!:-)
D2
bump
An excellent summation of what is happening to Old Maid Media.
Don't they just hate it when the little people think for themselves?
They like it much better when we just listen to what They Tell Us To Think.
Now, it's karma time.
This is great. The "man" cant keep us down anymore!
I think this is the future. Just think what a bunch of 60+year old men (CBS Damage control) are doing right now. Looking for a phone number of somebody(that is the fastest way to communicate right?). The news shows are used to dealines hours apart.
Freepublic in an hour might have 20-50 new threads, now that is speed. The CBS creww are still wondering what the hell hit them and how it happened so fast(Bagdad Bob Syndrome)
There you have it CBS and Dan Blather are officially diagnosed with BBS(What?) Or maybe it is BBDS (Bagdad Bob's Denial Syndrome)
Way to go to the small guy the Blogger. How about a cartoonist drawing a super hero that is The Blogger. The Blogger like to crush The Dan's of the world.
Isn't this sort of where the communists wanted us to get to. The means of knowledge and information are owned by us "peasants." Ironic, isn't it. Perhaps we are the new New Left.
The irony is, as you point out, that capitalism does a better job of improving the world than socialism. However, the frustrated lust for power which drives most Leftists prevents them from aclmowledging this. They simply cannot stand the idea that there is something that they cannot control by virtue of their self-proclaimed moral superiority.
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