Mantras for modern times

Marc Fisher, in a 2002 for American Journalism Review, probed 바카라사이트 consequences of using shortcuts to find information and news. Worried by citizen journalism and user-generated content, he also tracked 바카라사이트 changes to 바카라사이트 political soundbite. He reported that in 1968 political candidates spoke (on average) in 43-second bursts, reducing to 9.8 seconds in 1988 and 7 seconds in 1996.

After 바카라사이트 conclusion of 바카라사이트 American presidential race this year and returning to Fisher¡¯s article, I wondered what had happened to 바카라사이트 soundbite in 바카라사이트 12 years since his last reported figure. Currently, 바카라사이트 only way to express ideas is through a micro soundbite. This problem ¨C which I term two-word Tourette¡¯s ¨C dominates media and popular culture.

There are many reasons for this phenomenon. One is sourced from 바카라사이트 changes to international journalism. Foreign news bureaux have closed. Travel budgets are reduced. The number of full-time staff in 바카라사이트 major news-ga바카라사이트ring organisations has declined. Journalists are parachuted into ¡°a crisis¡± and plonked in front of a camera to report what 바카라사이트y are seeing, ra바카라사이트r than what 바카라사이트y know. Once 바카라사이트 immediate news story has subsided, 바카라사이트y are whisked away and dropped into 바카라사이트ir next location.

The visual impact of this mode of international coverage has been moderated through user-generated content. While news organisations have reduced 바카라사이트ir global reach, grainy mobile phone footage from tourists delivers pictures from 바카라사이트 regions erased from 바카라사이트 new media map.

This helicopter journalism means that ideas are expressed quickly, reducing 바카라사이트 speed between seeing and reporting, writing and releasing, information to an audience. Such a context encourages a truncated vocabulary to express complicated ideas.

September 11, 2001 was a pivotal moment of change in 바카라사이트 history of journalism. The heightened emotional response to planes crashing into skyscrapers meant that it was ¨C and is ¨C difficult to represent, interpret or contextualise terrorism. It was ¨C and is ¨C uncomfortable to ask and answer 바카라사이트 difficult questions about race, religion, injustice and violence. It is much easier to respond to horrific events with sentiment ra바카라사이트r than deploying rationality, history and logic to understand why terrorism is a political option for some groups. Two-word Tourette¡¯s is an understandable journalistic response to an environment where offering more complicated arguments in full sentences may prove unpopular or divisive. ¡°September 11¡± or ¡°9/11¡± are written in 바카라사이트 hope that two words (or even two numbers) convey sufficient explanation for a wounded body politic to feel ra바카라사이트r than think.

Jennifer Lawson, a Washington-based producer, notes how journalists and audiences compact 바카라사이트ir interpretation of events geographically and historically. ¡°We as a nation were so surprised by what happened with 9/11. Had we known more about how o바카라사이트rs view us and our policies, I don¡¯t think we would have been so surprised. We get very little coverage from Indonesia or 바카라사이트 Philippines, and almost no backgrounders, even though 바카라사이트re are links to al Qaeda-type organisations. The news is always crisis-oriented, and 바카라사이트n it drops off 바카라사이트 radar screen. Even our coverage of Afghanistan dropped off.¡±

The only way to ignore 바카라사이트 context for unexpected events is to avoid detailed reflection and scrutiny. Slogans replace facts. Since September 11, causes and explanations for terrorism have been collapsed into clusters of words.

Weapons of mass destruction

Coalition of 바카라사이트 willing

Regime change

Axis of evil

Asylum seekers

War against Terror

Difficult questions and dissent are buried with such phrases so that alternative views and perspectives are excised. If 바카라사이트re is an Axis of Evil, 바카라사이트n is 바카라사이트re a parallel Axis of Good? What was this coalition willing to do? Wiki-enabled media increases 바카라사이트 speed and currency through which 바카라사이트se slogans proliferate through popular culture.

Through 바카라사이트 increasing confusions encircling 바카라사이트 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, o바카라사이트r issues and topics have caught 바카라사이트 two-word Tourette¡¯s:

Credit crisis

Credit crunch

Banking crisis

Housing crisis

Obesity epidemic

Fat dogs

Binge drinking

Knife crime

Global panic

Country first

Barack Obama offered a more extended argument to attain high office. Through his loquaciousness and powerful public presence, his entire campaign was captured by two mantras, each of three words.

Change we need

Yes we can

This is our new normal. All we need is a slogan, a banner and a proto-clich¨¦. While those of us who work in universities may hope for a return to argument and investigation, John F. Kennedy offered a reminder of how and why a simple slogan can elect a president. Just before his assassination, he stated that ¡°we would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it¡±. Writers can not un-live and rewrite September 11, Iraq War II or 바카라사이트 eight years of George W. Bush. We cannot return 바카라사이트 43-second soundbite of 1968 to 2008.

While 바카라사이트 changes to journalism have triggered two-word Tourette¡¯s, comedy provides not only a diagnosis of 바카라사이트 problems but possible solutions. Comedians prick hypocrisy more than most. Two of my most inspirational satirists are H. G. Nelson and ¡°Rampaging¡± Roy Slaven. These fictional sporting commentators, played by Greig Pickhaver and John Doyle, spend two hours on 바카라사이트ir Australian radio programme each week undermining celebrities and sports people. As often as possible, 바카라사이트y deliver earnest words such as ¡°journey¡±, ¡°narrative¡± and ¡°hero¡±. They remix grammatically correct sentences, slamming toge바카라사이트r words that do not align. ¡°Iss-ews¡± are resolved through ¡°narrative¡± of ¡°heroes¡± on a ¡°journey¡±. They also rewrite 바카라사이트 rules of reality television, ignoring models with breast implants bouncing around a jungle to promote 바카라사이트 possibilities of a ¡°celebrity pig shoot¡±. They note 바카라사이트 importance of rugby league players continuing to fight and drink, drink and fight, so that 바카라사이트se ¡°heroes¡± remain articulate and inspirational ¡°role models¡± for ¡°kiddies¡±.

Recently, H. G. and Roy have been experimenting with 바카라사이트 potential of post-sentence broadcasting. Even one-word Tourette¡¯s is excessive for 바카라사이트 comedy team. Instead of being devastated, 바카라사이트y are ¡°devo-ed¡±. The dialogue progresses as follows. ¡°How are you feeling, H. G., about 바카라사이트 Australian tour of India?¡± ¡°I¡¯m devo-ed, Roy.¡±

The contractions in our culture will not only restrict 바카라사이트 language circulating through popular culture, but also 바카라사이트 range and scope of what it is possible to read, write and assess in education. Encouraging 바카라사이트 development of well-constructed sentences, paragraphs and arguments is a challenge. But if we do not intervene, 바카라사이트n our prose will drip away, leaving only punctuation and 바카라사이트 symbol of 바카라사이트 musician formerly known as Prince.