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Show Editorial WWW.WSUSIGNPOST.COM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 3 The Signpost Viewpoint Politics have become mere entertainment In the wake of both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, much attention seemed to be paid to how entertaining the conventions were to watch. News sites seemed to care less and less about what the candidates were actually saying and more and more about when Nielsen ratings (the television audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research) spiked, or when social media mentions seemed to hit their highest marks. Could it be that, in the televised mixing bowl of bachelorettes, survivors, master chefs, glorified karaoke singers and Honey Boo Boos, the newest reality TV show is just politics? We live in an era when President Obama slow-jams the news with Jimmy Fallon, when Michelle Obama shows up on The Biggest Loser and iCarly, when the mostly irrelevant Palin family can't seem to stay off of television, and when a large chunk of the candidates who were running for the Republican nomination were former Fox News analysts. Politicians, traditionally, are not at their most candid when in front of large audiences. This is true, and always will be, and that's OK. Elected officials and, more specifically, candidates-inthe-running shouldn't be expected to launch into politically specific speeches filled with jargon or policy-rich dialogue while in front of large crowds. Crowds can be easily distracted or, more importantly, turn the channel. But instead of just simplifying their doctrines, politicians' speeches tend instead to be endless strings of harmless one-liners, strung together by happy, thoughtless applause. These oneliners are constructed by speech-writers who reach their hands into the Great Big Jar of Obviously Inspiring Statements, and usually sound like "We need a stronger America now!" or "Less talk and more walk!" Ironically, the idea of politicians "standing behind what they've said" and "keeping the promises they've made" is a sound one because candidates never actually need to say things or make promises to be telling the truth. Complaints against politicians and their song-and-dancing are as old as time, but this old problem has become a confusing illness, nearing epidemic levels, by the 24-hour news cycle. Candidates rarely say anything really important, and when they do, the opposition uses those few words as ammunition in an arms race to blow words out of proportion. Intelligent men and women running for office construct sharp and complex platforms, yet they do not seem to trust the American public (or their opposition) with these platforms as public knowledge. Instead, they rally behind singularly obvious ideals like gun control, education (both sides say it's "all about the kids") and "the economy;" these subjects are all too large or too po- litically charged to ever actually be touched by representatives from either side of the aisle, yet they make wonderful rallying cries and bumper stickers. Obama is often criticized for winning the 2008 election by riding his marvelous speaking abilities, and in what might be the most telling microcosm of this politics- as- entertainment issue, Gov. Romney's speech at last week's Republican National Convention referenced a speech Obama gave during his first election. According to Romney, Obama, in paraphrase, said something about "promis (ing) to begin to slow the rise of the oceans . . . and to heal the planet." Romney poked fun at this immeasurably ideological wordage by saying that, if he were elected, he would just want to "help you and your family." So, in this case, we have a politician saying something overly broad and translucent, then being criticized for saying it four years later by his opponent, who does not himself offer any actual remarks on what his opponent (or he himself) means by saying it. Neither issue really can be changed by one man, nor does either opinion really negate the other. Our planet can heal, and our families can be helped. These things are not mutually exclusive. Things are said for the sake of saying things. More bumper stickers, more applause and better Nielsen ratings. Comment on this column al wsusignpost.com The Bungle Years Help for the stylistically challenged glI/ivy /7101-ifIli !frailmult ogigi % 61/01144 Iiii104141111I I) Issac Thomas • #4,011, The Signpost columnist FOREWARNED E. 4WD 4 SHENEMAN • TRIBUNE MERIA SERVICES SAID YOU HAD A BEAUTIFUL BODY WOULD YOU LET ME MAKE SWEEPING DECISIONS ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH? PICK UP LINES I NEK FDA; ago To REP $35 MILLION EXCTIC-ANIMAI:PRI5OK EAST dr =NUS Editor-in-Chief Digital Content Opinion Editor News Editor Sports Editor Photo Editor Business Editor Cozette Jenkins Corie Holmes Kory Wood Raychel Johnson Nick Wood Tyler Brown Brandon Arnett 626-7121 626-8071 626-7614 626-7655 626-7983 626-8071 626-7624 1 I'm really glad that I got married, because I really needed a stylist. I was picking out an outfit for a job interview a couple of weeks ago, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out which shirts matched which pants. I kept wondering, "Does my blue shirt clash with my blue jeans or does it complement them? Is it possible to clash with blue jeans? Is it possible to complement them? Brett Favre looks good in blue jeans. Maybe I should tell them at the interview that I played in the NFL?" I've always felt that how I dressed didn't really matter, until now I remember my junior year in high school my mom gave me $50 to go backto-school shopping. She told me I should use the money to go pick out an "exciting" new outfit for school. "Mom," I said, "I'm a boy in high school. I don't wear outfits; I wear T-shirts." I ended up just pocketing the money and never going shopping. But now that I think of it, the boys in high school who did wear Features Editor A&E Editor Copy Editor Adviser Ad Manager Office Manager outfits got significantly more attention from the ladies. I think there was a Taylor Swift song about that. How did it go? "He wears outfits; I wear T-shirts. He's always matching, and I look like a homeless street preacher. Dreamin' 'bout the day when you wake up and find that the outfit guy was gay the whole time . . ." Something like that. Both in high school and now in college, I've served on student councils that put on activities. Both then and now, whenever we planned a dance, we first picked the date, hired a DJ and reserved the room. After that was done, all of the guys were always of the attitude that, well, meeting adjourned. But the girls always panicked and screamed, "Wait! We haven't decided the most important part!" "What in the world could be more important than hiring the DJ and reserving the ballroom?" we wondered. "Hello!" they'd say, as they look at us as if we all have a brain the size of a pea. "We need to pick a theme so we know how to decorate and know what to wear!" Girls pick out their outfits based on the theme? I don't care Tucker Garrett Jerrica Archibald Stephanie Simonson Shane Farver Shelley Hart Georgia Edwards whether it's a '50s sock hop or an '80s neon dance or hillbilly hootin' n' hollerin' hayride, I always wear the exact same thing to every dance: blue jeans with that one shirt that I have that's nice enough to look like I dressed up, but cheap enough that if it gets kind of sweaty while I am jumping around, it's not a big deal. Whenever I was asked what I was looking for in a girl, I would simply say that my only criteria was that she has to be able to match and accessorize men's clothing. I know other people will look for things like compatibility, shared beliefs and attractiveness. Not me. In fact, I took this so seriously that when I would go to pick up a date, I would bring an assortment of men's clothing with me so I could judge her skills. "Before we hop in the car, I was just wondering if I could get your opinion about how this tie matches this suit jacket." "Why is your trunk full of old clothes? And why is there a homeless street preacher sitting in the back seat?" "Don't worry about it. Just answer the question." Comment on this column at wsusignpost.com 626-7621 626-7105 626-7659 626-7526 626-6359 626-7974 The Signpost is a student publication, written, edited and drafted by Weber State University The Signpost reserves the right to edit for reasons of space and libel and also reserves the right students. Student fees fund the printing of this publication. Opinions or positions voiced to refuse to print any letter. Letters should be submitted online to thesignpost@weber.edu are not necessarily endorsed by the university. and read Letter to the Editor in the subject box. Letters should not exceed 350 words. |