Media Spin about "Black Out" Starting to Get on My Nerves! Sheeple!

[KoKo]

I've been watching everything I could find about "Great NE Blackout!" And, tonight I did a "scan" of the "Networks" which all the "old folks watch."

Here's what's bothering me: It's all about how "WonderfullyPeople Behaved; No Looting; People Having Parties with Flash Lights.....Communing With Neighbors; Folks who walked miles in the heat....but were thankful; People getting back to their Normal Lives..inspite of the minor difficulties; It's Over and NE America are back to their lives, now that the TV's and Air Conditioning are on....; Passive folks who walk for miles...and are living in the "shadow of 9/11" but are valliant and vigilant....but perservering!"

This Media Garbage Spin......portrays all these folks as "Sheeple!" Willing "compliants" with the "New World Terrorist Order."

People who will give up their "freedoms...and democracy" just to "get BACK TO NORMAL."

People "who breath a sigh of relief" when "power has been restored so they can get back to their local WalMart, Best Buy, and Sam's Club!

People who are "looking for answers.......but can wait until Chimp delivers the answeres.....People who are "Used to Adversity" but can rise above it all.

After September 11th......Americans are compliant....and expecting the worst.....but "lawfull and abiding" and "know that their LEADERS only have their best interests at heart"..........Sheeple! Compliant.......Willing to go through any adversity .....no matter how harsh...to "get on with their lives....return to their children and families....but "rechared and aware" after 9/11.......and all the "Freedoms we've Lost!"

That's the Media Spin.......I heard...........Is there something "different" that you heard???

[TennesseeWalker]

1. Well, I get your point...but

folks being calm and rational about something they thought was a temporary situation is a good thing, IMO. Look, if power outages cause massive riots and looting, it gives Ashcroft ammo to push for martial law. I can make a counterpoint that the fascist wannabes are a little disappointed that nothing really bad happened.

[Sticky]

2. The good thing about the black-out

is that the media hasn't had the time to focus on Hambali's arrest which would have (or could have) been spun for bush.

[ComerPerro]

8. Just wait, they will make time for that

Ever notice that whoever the US ends up capturing is always "The most dangerous and highest ranking" blah blah?

[inthecorneroverhere]

4. check

Right on!

[robbedvoter]

3. In relity, this was different that the 1977 blackout (looting, chaos)

and people were (mostly) great. Nothing wrong with it. Not about compliancy, but about better coping with s*. We partied out all throughout the blackout - people emptying their fridges on day 1, freezers on day 2. My roof, our community garden were places to come together. What is wrong with the fact that there was no looting?

[NYC]

5. But it wasn't different from the 1965 (?) blackout.

KoKo may have a point about spin. Why should 9/11 be mentioned in conjunction with this blackout at all? It is totally unrelated.

The first really big blackout was around 1965. I don't remember the year, but I think it was November. People behaved well.

That people rioted and looted in 1977 probably had more to do with other things, and the blackout just triggered it.

As far as no looting goes, there is a delicatessen near me in midtown. One of the employees slept there, and locked the front doors (glass). Twice during the night, people tried to break in. Does it count as looting or theft? No. But a crime was attempted.

Are we grateful it ended? Certainly. It's hot, and we all had food rot. That doesn't mean we are grateful to the government, or whatever other spin they are trying to put on this.

Despite the fact that this was a far reaching blackout, the local problems were handled locally. It made me cringe when I heard Bush say the federal government was offering the locals "help". If it is anything other than money, we would likely be better off without it.

P.S. The looting & rioting of the 1977 blackout was not everywhere. I lived in midtown then, too. I went out several times late at night, and all was calm and pleasant.

[KoKo]

6. But! 1965 Didn't have looting and destruction......it was like you say....

so you are focussing on one year...in contrast to '65.........

[NYC]

9. Worse than focusing on one year (1977), it seems they

are dragging in 9/11.

We've had blackouts before. They usually don't affect the whole city, and they usually don't bring riots and looting.

My friend in Florida called me shortly after the blackout started. She said they were "wondering" on television, whether in the "post 9/11 atmosphere" we would "bond" as in 1965, or "loot" as in 1977.

I wondered why they hadn't considered the possibility of bonding & looting combined. "Hi, why don't you help me carry my large, heavy loot, then I'll help you carry yours?"

I think the general societal factors lead to rioting and looting and are simply triggered by a blackout. Actually, that's a good reason for them to fear rioting and looting this time. The economy is circling the drain.

Edit: For anyone confused (like me). KoKo spelled focussing with 2 "s", and I spelled it with one "s". I looked it up. Both are in my dictionary.

[BiggJawn]

7. Brave People! No "Survivor", No "Squarebob"...

How did they ever COPE without their glass titties for more'n 24 hours?

Do you suppose the nets could be worried? Over 24 hours without constant consumption of their video DREK and the world didn't fall apart? Hmmmmm....And no Chimpy, trying to act sober, either...

Rooftop parties! Yeah, that's the spirit!

[Kellanved]

10. somehow different (European Media)

There were extended reports about looting in Brookly(very minor) and Ottawa (not so minor), and the sorry state of the US power grid.
Of course there were comparisons to the French/German/EU grid, and how a clusterfuck like that couldn't possibly happen.
There were talks about failed privatization.

There was symphaty for people sleeping on the streets, sometimes far from home and fear for patients in hospitals not sporting working emergency generators.

[rusty charly]

11. bush, not stopping lunch

tiny little speech, filled with lengthy and numerous um's and uh's.

got terms wrong: the cascade that happened is not a rolling blackout, a term he used, which is power on and off in different areas to dole out supply. he re-used the "getting back to their normal lives" phrase from 9/11. 'wake -up' call' thanks, george... 'as i've always said'... at least i saw one news shoe talk about THAT lie

my question: did he address the blackout in his saturday radio address in any way?

[Starpass]

12. The reports that disturb me are the ones

that try to convince us that things were as "great" as they were because of all the things in place by Ridge and Homeland Security and that's a total lie. One governor said they got some dumb call from the feds that told them they didn't think it was terrorism and that that was about all the direction they got. I also heard one report that "men in narrow black ties were awaiting to whisked out by copters" but that no one requested them. That is how one of the major news anchors put it. There is a difference between "emergency" services and men in "narrow black ties"---the Ashcroft brigade was poised and ready to take over..........frightening, huh????

[KoKo]

21. Yes, Starpass.....like Bush was taking credit for the way folks behaved...

That's the coverage I heard today.....

[hippywife]

13. What I find totally odd...

is the fact that they are reporting that in the case of the first and third lines to fail it was likely a tree falling on them. They think that is what happened to the second line, as well, but aren't too sure. Now I ask you, isn't it rather odd that all the ice storms that were isolated to certain areas the past two to three winters didn't manage to bring down the entire grid but in one fell swoop, three mythical trees seem to have brought down all of the northeast?

Yeah...uh, huh...right! :eyes:

[Cocoa]

14. New Yorkers are relishing their freedom

they understand that deregulation is messy, but they're grateful the evil dictator -- the federal govt. -- is gone.

[HalfManHalfBiscuit]

15. What the hell are you whining about?

No major disaster happened. That is a good thing.

Mabye you could skip breakfast to protest the lack of chaos. Or write your congressman.

[KoKo]

19. Half Man H..B! I'm not whining, I'm saying the media whooped up "Docile."

I certainly wasn't saying that New Yorkers should have done anything differently than the way they behaved.....they were wonderful......as they always are.....except for that time in the late 70's.

I felt the Media's portrayal was that "No one will be too upset if there aren't any answers about what happened until "bush is darn ready to give them.....because the portrayal is of a docile and innocent people....who are so well behaved after 9/11 that they have just "gotten back to business" and they will forget all about this little incident in their lives.

It was the spin......that only the politicians will ask questions......the people are happy. It's the media's portrayal of everything being fine....and so therefore they will wait for an investigation no matter how long it takes, that was just so over the top to me.

New Yorkers, and everyone in all the other states and Canada are going to be wondering from Mr. Chimp......just what the hell went on! The media "spin" is that all is well in "Pleasantville" and no one but the "Politicians" are asking any questions about the worst blackout in our history. They will try to cover it over like they have 9/11....is what I think.

That was what I was trying to point out.

[HalfManHalfBiscuit]

22. I see what you are saying

But I basically see it as a power blackout. These things happen.

Of course, I am a simple bastard.

[oostevo]

16. An Interesting Article on Slashdot ...

... about how power deregulation may have caused this (who would have thought??? :) ).

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/14/2213252&mode=thread&tid=187

[NWHarkness]

18. Even the head of DTE

the power company here in Michigan, said that deregulation was at least partly to blame for the situation.

[NWHarkness]

17. I don't know about the national media

because I was, ya know, one of those blacked out sheeple.

But the local media in Michigan, throughout the blackout, at least what I could get on my battery operated radio and TV, was focused on what a great job DEMOCRATIC governor Jennifer Granholm and DEMOCRATIC mayor Kwame Kilpatrick did of making the government work for the people.

[KoKo]

20. I was being sarcastic about the Media. People were wonderful through this

My point was that the media portrayed it tonight as thought it was all over and done with and people should go back to their lives after behaving wonderfully and not ask any more questions leaving the investigation up to the Bush Team........Like 9/11 was investigated.

I'm not talking about during the blackout .........but the "wind up coverage' today.....as if the story is over.

I wasn't clear in my post......sorry. :-(