May 29, 2012

An Entreaty to the Radicalized Middle, or Another Tired Film Reference...

[Editor's Note: First of all, if you haven't seen the 1976 classic film, Networkand committed this monologue to memory, or the millions of parodies thereof, then you aren't going to get the joke.  Also, we aren't sure we can still be friends with you if you haven't seen, Network.  And, just because it was made 35 or 36 years ago is no excuse.  It came out before we were born, too.  We will also be using the "editorial we" to refer to ourselves in the plural first person.  This is also known as the "royal we" and the "patronizing we."  You decide.]


"I don't have to tell you things are bad.  Everybody knows things are bad...I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot.  I don't want you to write to your congressman, because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write...So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it. Stick your head out, and yell, 'I am sufficiently disturbed by the poor quality of information available to me from for-profit media that I will now be sure to be more discerning in my consumption of information vis-a-vis public affairs.  Sorry to bother you.'"
-Paraphrasing Howard Beale


[Attention MGM lawyers, this is fair use.  Suck it.  No, actually don't suck it.  Just go back to suing your customers and claiming more in damages than there is money in the world.]



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