Board index › Topical Discussion › Politics, Philosophy, and Religion

Why America embarresses me, and is doomed...

Page 1 of 2 [ 20 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

Previous topic | Next topic

shrox
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Aug 2011
Age: 60
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,295
Location: OK let's go.

27 Nov 2011, 6:58 pm

Head in the sand or what?

[img][800:405]http://www.jcrichman.com/gallery/time_magazine_december_5_2011_small.jpg[/img]

[img][800:404]http://www.jcrichman.com/gallery/time_magazine_october_3_2011_small.jpg[/img]



snapcap
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Oct 2011
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,328

27 Nov 2011, 7:02 pm

It's Ok. Time magazine subscription is down so much that most people only see it in their doctor's office.



Circle989898
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Oct 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,955

27 Nov 2011, 7:35 pm

Damn I didn't know Time magazine was everywhere and Time was spelt Time in Asian.



TerminallyContent
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

User avatar

Joined: 10 Nov 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 3

27 Nov 2011, 7:54 pm

Circle989898 wrote:
Damn I didn't know Time magazine was everywhere and Time was spelt Time in Asian.


"In Asian"

...


Anyway. We can't really blame Time for catering to the American public's desires.



blauSamstag
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 5 Apr 2011
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,026

28 Nov 2011, 10:39 am

snapcap wrote:
It's Ok. Time magazine subscription is down so much that most people only see it in their doctor's office.


Pretty much this



Ragtime
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Nov 2006
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,927
Location: Dallas, Texas

28 Nov 2011, 11:35 am

Why is America doomed?

O.ne B.ig A.ss M.istake A.merica

(And you thought it was a Kenyan name.)


_________________
Christianity is different than Judaism only in people's minds -- not in the Bible.


1000Knives
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 8 Jul 2011
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,036
Location: CT, USA

28 Nov 2011, 1:48 pm

Ragtime wrote:
Why is America doomed?

O.ne B.ig A.ss M.istake A.merica

(And you thought it was a Kenyan name.)


He's just finishing the job of his predecessor.



shrox
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Aug 2011
Age: 60
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,295
Location: OK let's go.

28 Nov 2011, 3:19 pm

Ragtime wrote:
Why is America doomed?

O.ne B.ig A.ss M.istake A.merica

(And you thought it was a Kenyan name.)


Hardly, Obama sees the writing on the wall. America is not #1, it hasn't been since the Berlin Wall came down. We rested on our laurels for too long. The best we can do is try not to piss of the rest of the world we treated as second class for so long, until we can get our act together.

Jesus treated no one as second class.

Did you see the covers? The rest of the world sees a topic of real importance, America is shown a cover about why mom likes you best. If that's not narcissism, I don't know what is...



Ragtime
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Nov 2006
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,927
Location: Dallas, Texas

28 Nov 2011, 3:52 pm

shrox wrote:
Ragtime wrote:
Why is America doomed?

O.ne B.ig A.ss M.istake A.merica

(And you thought it was a Kenyan name.)


Hardly, Obama sees the writing on the wall. America is not #1, it hasn't been since the Berlin Wall came down. We rested on our laurels for too long. The best we can do is try not to piss of the rest of the world we treated as second class for so long, until we can get our act together.

Jesus treated no one as second class.

Did you see the covers? The rest of the world sees a topic of real importance, America is shown a cover about why mom likes you best. If that's not narcissism, I don't know what is...


There are worse countries than the United States. Not that I don't have problems with it, but I don't take joy in beating it up either.


_________________
Christianity is different than Judaism only in people's minds -- not in the Bible.


shrox
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Aug 2011
Age: 60
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,295
Location: OK let's go.

28 Nov 2011, 3:59 pm

Ragtime wrote:
shrox wrote:
Ragtime wrote:
Why is America doomed?

O.ne B.ig A.ss M.istake A.merica

(And you thought it was a Kenyan name.)


Hardly, Obama sees the writing on the wall. America is not #1, it hasn't been since the Berlin Wall came down. We rested on our laurels for too long. The best we can do is try not to piss of the rest of the world we treated as second class for so long, until we can get our act together.

Jesus treated no one as second class.

Did you see the covers? The rest of the world sees a topic of real importance, America is shown a cover about why mom likes you best. If that's not narcissism, I don't know what is...


There are worse countries than the United States. Not that I don't have problems with it, but I don't take joy in beating it up either.


So, what is your opinion then on the contrast in covers, especially the Oct. 3rd edition?



Ragtime
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Nov 2006
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,927
Location: Dallas, Texas

28 Nov 2011, 4:10 pm

shrox wrote:
Ragtime wrote:
shrox wrote:
Ragtime wrote:
Why is America doomed?

O.ne B.ig A.ss M.istake A.merica

(And you thought it was a Kenyan name.)


Hardly, Obama sees the writing on the wall. America is not #1, it hasn't been since the Berlin Wall came down. We rested on our laurels for too long. The best we can do is try not to piss of the rest of the world we treated as second class for so long, until we can get our act together.

Jesus treated no one as second class.

Did you see the covers? The rest of the world sees a topic of real importance, America is shown a cover about why mom likes you best. If that's not narcissism, I don't know what is...


There are worse countries than the United States. Not that I don't have problems with it, but I don't take joy in beating it up either.


So, what is your opinion then on the contrast in covers, especially the Oct. 3rd edition?


You'll find tabloid-styled nonsense in nearly every country. Mindless escapism reigns in this day and age.
As for your covers example, Time has been anti-American for a long time, so I see those differing covers as following through with their bias in insulting American intelligence. I'm a lifelong American who never got swept up by, to quote Nixon, "short-term, frivolous b_lls__t". For some reason, the media (and, as I said, not just in America) love to feed the people cheap entertainment all the livelong day -- I've always been sick of it, and I still am. Solomon's Ecclesiates writings on the perpetual "vanity" of man's foolishness, and also a little Shakespeare, often spring to mind when I encounter the media's "sound and fury signifying nothing".

In short, the populace is not as dumb as the media treats them, and makes them out to be. But, sadly, the media does have a long-term "dumbing-down" effect on the populace -- and, again, not only in America. I applaud serious individuals wherever I find them -- both here and abroad.


_________________
Christianity is different than Judaism only in people's minds -- not in the Bible.


Janissy
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 5 May 2009
Age: 58
Gender: Female
Posts: 6,450
Location: x

28 Nov 2011, 5:37 pm

shrox wrote:
Head in the sand or what?



Yes, those two sets of covers do show an American tendency to focus on our own personal lives rather than global politics. The rest of the world is more informed about the rest of the world and Time caters to that. While this ostrich mentality isn't the best thing for us, I don't also think it spells literal doom. We are very insular and these covers show that but I think we've always tended that way and yet have managed to keep moving forward anyway. I know you can pull up covers from previous eras that show global events on the cover of magazines. But simultaneously, in those same eras there are also magazines with fluff on the cover and right now there are also magazines showcasing world events.

Keep in mind that Time magazine published in other countries isn't just or even primarily for citizens of those countries. It's also, and possibly primarily, for Americans abroad. If you pulled up the most recent issues of magazines local to those areas, they might appear just as insular.



blauSamstag
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 5 Apr 2011
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,026

28 Nov 2011, 8:50 pm

Janissy wrote:
shrox wrote:
Head in the sand or what?



Yes, those two sets of covers do show an American tendency to focus on our own personal lives rather than global politics. The rest of the world is more informed about the rest of the world and Time caters to that. While this ostrich mentality isn't the best thing for us, I don't also think it spells literal doom. We are very insular and these covers show that but I think we've always tended that way and yet have managed to keep moving forward anyway. I know you can pull up covers from previous eras that show global events on the cover of magazines. But simultaneously, in those same eras there are also magazines with fluff on the cover and right now there are also magazines showcasing world events.

Keep in mind that Time magazine published in other countries isn't just or even primarily for citizens of those countries. It's also, and possibly primarily, for Americans abroad. If you pulled up the most recent issues of magazines local to those areas, they might appear just as insular.


No i think that Time realizes that the last vestige of their USA subscriber base is waiting rooms, primarily of the medical variety.

That's why both of those cover stories are sciencey human interest pieces.



ruveyn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Age: 88
Gender: Male
Posts: 31,502
Location: New Jersey

29 Nov 2011, 5:18 am

Why should one put general interests ahead of personal and particulars interests? Our first order of business has to be paying the bills we incur.

ruveyn



Janissy
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 5 May 2009
Age: 58
Gender: Female
Posts: 6,450
Location: x

29 Nov 2011, 8:14 am

blauSamstag wrote:
Janissy wrote:
shrox wrote:
Head in the sand or what?



Yes, those two sets of covers do show an American tendency to focus on our own personal lives rather than global politics. The rest of the world is more informed about the rest of the world and Time caters to that. While this ostrich mentality isn't the best thing for us, I don't also think it spells literal doom. We are very insular and these covers show that but I think we've always tended that way and yet have managed to keep moving forward anyway. I know you can pull up covers from previous eras that show global events on the cover of magazines. But simultaneously, in those same eras there are also magazines with fluff on the cover and right now there are also magazines showcasing world events.

Keep in mind that Time magazine published in other countries isn't just or even primarily for citizens of those countries. It's also, and possibly primarily, for Americans abroad. If you pulled up the most recent issues of magazines local to those areas, they might appear just as insular.


No i think that Time realizes that the last vestige of their USA subscriber base is waiting rooms, primarily of the medical variety.

That's why both of those cover stories are sciencey human interest pieces.


To be honest, I recently read Time in my dentist's waiting room. Now that you bring this up, it does seem like the most plausible explanation.



zer0netgain
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Mar 2009
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,613

29 Nov 2011, 8:31 am

Janissy wrote:
Yes, those two sets of covers do show an American tendency to focus on our own personal lives rather than global politics.


And that makes no sense when you consider if you don't want to read about international issues, buy a different magazine, or Time could make a "Time Lite" for those who want easy, breezy reading. Don't make a perversion of your flagship periodical to cater to a specific audience.