Editor, The Times:
Reality is consumed by spectacle: Marcus Tullus Cicero, Roman orator, statesman and man of letters, 106-43 B.C.
Cicero was referring of course to the bloody spectacle of the Roman Coliseum - the pomp and pagentry of triumphant armies returning with much booty and slaves. Spectacles served to cover up the serious flaws within the Roman Empire - fool the peasants, one might say.
I use the radio very much for a source of information. After all TV is such a dreadful wasteland unless one invests a lot of money for the ultimate package (and then you get 40 identical repeats) so radio is the least expensive way to go.
However, on a clear cold night when reception is at its best as I’m rolling through the dial I have counted up to eight non-stop sports-talk programs. Count them. What exactly do we need with non-stop chatter about Roberto Luongo on any other sports idol?
Like Cicero’s Rome we seem to be part of a plot to decoy the populace from reality - from the things that actually matter.
Beside Robert Fisk two of my favorite commentators are Christopher Hedges and Matt Tiabbi.
Christopher Hedges, like Robert Fisk, has put his life on the line reporting from hot spots around the globe. He just made this observation, “Whenever the United States screws up there is a 10-year lag then Canada follows suit.” Look at that tough on crime bill C-10 nonsense.
Matt Taibbe writes on economic things for rolling Stone. He has waged a relentless and sometime very lonely war on Wall Street corruption which as he has pointed out bankrupted the country.
Lewis Lapham wrote that a successful democracy need a properly informed populace to function right.
Dead lions, chopped up gladiators or non-stop sports talks do not provide any of this.
We really do deserve better.
Dennis Peacock
Clearwater, B.C.