A Free Lunch and 10 Second Sound Bite: Difference between pages

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(Created page with "A Free Lunch: There are two countervailing trends in American culture that define a divide so deep it is probably unbridgeable. There's the part of America that declares [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_ain%27t_no_such_thing_as_a_free_lunch "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch!"], and then there's the part that insists that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_meal#United_States every child in school be provided with a free lunch]. Generation after generation,...")
 
(Created page with "10 Second Sound Bite: One of the chief techniques, in the toolkit of postmodern professional journalists, for grabbing the attention of viewers and/or listeners to a broadcast, cable or streaming news program and for providing an opportunity to influence or shape the opinions thereof. (See [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_bite sound bite] for further details.) The 10 second sound bite is a technical improvement over the 15 second sound bite. The latter already ena...")
 
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A Free Lunch:
10 Second Sound Bite:
There are two countervailing trends in American culture that define a divide so deep it is probably unbridgeable.  There's the part of America that declares [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_ain%27t_no_such_thing_as_a_free_lunch "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch!"], and then there's the part that insists that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_meal#United_States every child in school be provided with a free lunch].  Generation after generation, the first part of America diminishes and the second part increases.  It's inevitable that, eventually, the first part will be a distant memory, the stuff of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trivial_Pursuit ''Trivial Pursuit''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!''] or obscure academic discussions, while the second becomes as commonplace as the air we breath.
One of the chief techniques, in the toolkit of postmodern professional journalists, for grabbing the attention of viewers and/or listeners to a broadcast, cable or streaming news program and for providing an opportunity to influence or shape the opinions thereof.  (See [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_bite sound bite] for further details.)


You might wonder, then, why haven't the members of Congress ensured themselves a free lunch?  Apparently, there's an issue about quality and financial viability.  See [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/08/AR2008060801765.html "Senate Votes To Privatize Its Failing Restaurants."]
The 10 second sound bite is a technical improvement over the 15 second sound bite.  The latter already enabled burying context and nuance from the original source of the clip in favor of a preferred narrative, but the shorter clip


Fortunately for people who live on the margins of the economy, however, the President, who always eats for free, and for whom the cost of fine dining is no object, believes in sharing the wealth.  Ergo, the Federal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supplemental_Nutrition_Assistance_Program Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)] is always [http://www.kansascity.com/2012/11/19/3925948/more-people-using-food-stamps.html growing in scope] (along with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_School_Lunch_Act National School Lunch Act] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WIC WIC]).
* more reliably holds the attention of audience members by demanding 5 seconds less of that attention.
* improves the opportunity of the news anchor and fellow journalists and commentators to shape the impression of the meaning and significance of the clip.


The issue regarding "a free lunch," however, goes much deeper than a mere question of supplementing the nutrition of the indigent.  Ultimately, it comes down to the definition of the word [[Family]].
Once used only in political campaigns to demonize opponents, postmodern journalistic enterprises can hop on the bandwagon, or even get the bandwagon going, for their preferred party or candidate by elevating them in the esteem of their audience and by demonizing those they oppose.
 
Unfortunately, this can have the undesired side-effect of giving the unavoidable impression of naked political bias, with the even more undesirable side-effect of shrinking the potential audience.  Furthermore, a steady diet of such journalistic practices can potentially reduce the impact of audience members in family or community discussions, making them appear foolish or naive when challenged by those who can replay the wider context of the clip.

Latest revision as of 20:23, 5 March 2023

10 Second Sound Bite: One of the chief techniques, in the toolkit of postmodern professional journalists, for grabbing the attention of viewers and/or listeners to a broadcast, cable or streaming news program and for providing an opportunity to influence or shape the opinions thereof. (See sound bite for further details.)

The 10 second sound bite is a technical improvement over the 15 second sound bite. The latter already enabled burying context and nuance from the original source of the clip in favor of a preferred narrative, but the shorter clip

  • more reliably holds the attention of audience members by demanding 5 seconds less of that attention.
  • improves the opportunity of the news anchor and fellow journalists and commentators to shape the impression of the meaning and significance of the clip.

Once used only in political campaigns to demonize opponents, postmodern journalistic enterprises can hop on the bandwagon, or even get the bandwagon going, for their preferred party or candidate by elevating them in the esteem of their audience and by demonizing those they oppose.

Unfortunately, this can have the undesired side-effect of giving the unavoidable impression of naked political bias, with the even more undesirable side-effect of shrinking the potential audience. Furthermore, a steady diet of such journalistic practices can potentially reduce the impact of audience members in family or community discussions, making them appear foolish or naive when challenged by those who can replay the wider context of the clip.

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