Then and Now a lesson in FICKLE

[walldude]

Jon Stewart- Then: Hero, Now: Outcast

Keith Olbermann- Then: Outcast, Hero, Outcast Now: Hero

Bill Mahr- Then: Outcast, Hero, Outcast Now: Hero

Glenn Greenwald: Then: HERO big time Now: Total Outcast

Jane Hamsher- Then: Hero Now: Outcast.

Marcos Musolitas- Then: Hero Now: Well not sure what he is this week. Maybe DU can tell me.

My question: Have you ever met anyone in your entire life that you agreed with 100% of the time? A single fucking person? Do you divorce your spouse when they want the toast darker than you or they leave the toilet seat up? Do you get rid of your kids when they wreck the car? Do you dump your friends every time they say something stupid?

This lesson in FICKLE has been brought to you by the letter "D". Oh and the number... "420".

[howaboutme]

1. Interesting - I get your point

and agree somewhat. Americans are much more susceptible to group think (which is at the core of fickleness) than I ever would have imagined. We are ripe for manipulation.

My attempt at avoiding this is to not listen to or watch political pundits, and instead form my own opinion based upon developed knowledge, my own value and belief system. I watch CSPAN regularly, read internet news and enjoy reading and writing comments. I rarely if ever watch the cable networks and Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow or any of the other pundits or comedians left or right. They are entertainers not informers and their role is to sway opinion. I sway my own opinion using raw facts.

[PDJane]

2. Instead of calling it groupthink, call it what it is.

Americans are, for the most part, brainwhashed. Completely and absolutely brainwashed, from grade school onward. Nothing can compare to the United States, we're the best, #1, we're fighting for freedom all around the globe (we don't mention that it's the freedom to take other countries' resources), we're special.

Constant messages promoting spending every time you turn on the TV, and everyone watches hours and hours of it every week, if you read it's most often fiction, y'all have to have the best and the newest and the fashionable colors......and the serious stuff gets shoved off the TV in favour of fluff and entertainment and the latest gossip.

You are taught to believe in God and Christ from childhood, and belief is held up as a shining glory....and then we all wonder when people live in their own little insulated world of belief, where everyone knows them and the bible wouldn't know itself.

Yes, all the things you do are the right things to give yourself an informed view and make an informed opinion. How many people can or will do that? How many people have the know-how and the access to the internet to get that informed opinion...particularly if you read foreign news. I've found that some of the best American news comes from Britain and der Speigel!

The very best thing for America would be to become a social democracy....that is what the brainwashing is intended to prevent.

[butterfly77]

3. Jane Hamsher..`

forever OUTCAST...

[Swede]

4. You know,DU were one person,you'd have a point.

But there is a spectrum of DUers in the tens of thousands.

[walldude]

6. Well, DU is made up of many "one persons"

and many of them are FICKLE. If Olbermann got his gig back and went on Monday and said something bad about Obama, like say discussed his recent "outsourcing" speech, he'd be right back under the bus. I just think this whole thing is one big joke, and yet I keep coming back for more.

Not sure what that says about me.

[spanone]

5. bill press made a good point on m$nbc earlier...

he said americans want to change their politicians like they click and change their teevee channels these days....i think he had a point

it's a reality teevee world