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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
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To: Dennis O'Bell who wrote (57883)11/19/2002 8:59:51 PM
From: The Philosopher  Read Replies (1) of 281500
 
Concern over the short attention span of modern audiences may seem like a trivial complaint, and one unrelated to this thread's issues, but I think it has serious implications that are worth mentioning here.

Too many of today's voters just don't have the attention spans to understand complex issues. Thoughtful and thorough analysis is being replaced by sound bites and thirty second news "coverage." The world and national news has to be covered in 22 minutes of actual air time. This conditions viewers to think that these issues can actually be understood in 70 or 80 second segments.

Newspapers are the best repository of thoughtful analysis, but they are declining in readership, and the serious papers are being replaced by McPaper and its kin. News shows are now managed not by veteran newmen and women but by entertainment specialists.

And competition for voters attention is being challenged from all sorts of new activities and distractions.

Some of the issues facing the world are enormously complex, and some of the decisions the voters must make deserve serious thinking. But fewer and fewer voters are capable of taking the time to understand the complexities and think through the implications of candidates' positions.

And an uninformed and ignorant voter cannot make the choices that are needed to keep our country strong and free.
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