Scarborough Goes All Howard Beale
You remember the movie, Network from 1976, yes? If you don’t, go find it and watch it. It’s about a major network anchor, Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch), who suddenly experiences enlightenment (or just goes stark raving mad) about the negligence of network television feeding bullshit to its audiences in a continuous stream. Here’s one of the best rants from Howard:
https://youtu.be/3HQTNZRmJdg
Well, it’s happened again, for real this time, on MSNBC this morning. Joe Scarborough went all Howard Beale on Mark Zuckerberg, pointing out his gross negligence in allowing bullshit to proliferate on Facebook that is now endangering lives and democracies all over the world. This is mass media platinum, folks, not to be missed, though you do have to turn it down a bit when Joe loses control about halfway through the rant. It would have been better if he collapsed on stage in a Bealeian finale. Got to watch this:
“The World is a Corporation” (Network, 1976)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35DSdw7dHjs
1I’m gobsmacked.
2HOLY SHIT.
3I mean seriously, HOLY SHIT.
I’ve talked s**t about Joe in here And I’m not saying I take it all back. But DAMN. I did like that.
I don’t know how it could’ve been said any better.
I imagine I still won’t agree with him all the time (although more than not), but on this one he knocked it out of the park.
And it wasn’t just the righteous indignation, which was awesome. It was the call for Congress to do something about it.
4I’ve said repeatedly that freedom of speech has been our greatest strength. Which is why it was first in our Bill of Rights. But the manipulation of it through social media is liable to make it our downfall.
You go Joe.
WOW!
5My nephew was woken up by Joe this morning. He asked me who the man was who was screaming. I told him it was a man who only recently realized that most of his life may have truly been misspent.
Being three, he yawned, then asked for a yogurt.
6Could be a seed for a revolution.
7Next, no anonymity on the internet.
Abuse it and lose it.
Everything will have to be real names.
Won’t bother me.
May I suggest a mass migration to MeWe.
I dropped FB and started up over there several weeks ago.
If we all just move, en masse, it will send Mark a message he won’t be able to miss.
https://mewe.com
8Still waiting for a conservative cry fest duet. Scarborough and Newt Gingrich would be a good start to a chorus of “we were so wrong.” Howl as he might, Joe is still a distance away from convincing as to any reform of his conservative soapery.
9Jane & PKM@9:
Newtie will never admit he was wrong about anything. He is Needy Amin’s soulmate in that regard.
10BarbinDC, until Joe has his kumbaya moment with Newt, I will continue to distrust Republicons/conservatives. Idi? As evil as he was, he was at least less self serving dishonest than Republicons.
Hope Joe has room in his otherwise empty head for Zbigz to continue haunting him. “Stunningly superficial,” that has to burn each and every time Joe has a marital inclination.
11@Ormond Otvos be careful what you wish for. To buy a phone SIM card in China, you must register it in your name using government ID and letting them scan your face for the government database. As much as I hate all of the foreign and bot accounts on-line, I still worry about not being able to hide from the government if need be.
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