Cultural Chaos, Divisiveness, and CNN

Ever get the idea that intelligent people are in complete agreement with America's dominant culture? And that the few uneducated slobs who aren't are beset with psychological problems and inadequate communication skills?

Maybe not. On the other hand, it does sometimes seem as if reader reactions to online news fall into at least two categories:

• Apparently-sane, articulate, insightful people who
  • Agree, at least in principle, with the underlying philosophies of the article
  • Share the article's general attitude toward social and cultural phenomena
• Zealots in need of a remedial writing course who
  • Disagree with the article's outlooks and assumptions
  • Spout wild generalizations like
    • You liberals are all alike!
    • Foreigners smell funny!

An exaggeration? A little. On the other hand - - -

I had my attention drawn to a post which may reveal a very interesting policy on the part of established American news media:

• "The Liberal Media Attacking the Church"
  Thomas Pringle Vocation Blog (March 31, 2010)

The post makes excellent points about celibacy, by the way. I suggest reading the entire thing. This excerpt, I think, may explain a great deal about what we see - and don't see - in mainstream news media here in America.

"...After I made the comment, my remarks appeared on the CNN blog in question with a message that read: 'Awaiting moderation.' When I returned to the blog, comments made after mine had been added while mine was no where in sight. This only reveals to me the length the liberal news media will go to keep the story regarding the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church one-sided. I am becoming more and more aware that the purpose of the attacks on the Catholic Church is to solely 'discredit the public moral witness of the Church, that "inconvenient voice" of truth in our time.'..."
(Thomas Pringle)

I've done time in American higher education, so I'm predisposed to assume that unwanted views will be suppressed by the established order. Sadly, the situation in academia doesn't seem to have changed much. One of my kids, whose views are as politically incorrect as mine are, made the dean's list, got pushed into one of those discussion classes, and got shouted down routinely. She dropped out: which is okay by me. Getting a degree is fine, but it shouldn't interfere with learning. Which is another topic. Sort of.

With my background, I'm not at all surprised to learn that, in at least one case, CNN decided to block a comment from someone with politically incorrect views - who is fairly sharp and has a decent command of the English language.

I'm sure that, in some circles, nobody wants to hear from that sort of person.

• "Pedophile Priests, Those Confused Catholics, and the Tolerant Press"
  (April 1, 2010)
• "Pedophile Priests, 'Evil Pope' and The New York Times"
  (March 31, 2010)
• "Clerical Narcissism - Something You Aren't Likely to See in the Washington Post"
  (February 4, 2010)
• "Tony Alamo, 'Those Evangelists,' and Labels"
  (November 13, 2009)
• "What is an Information Gatekeeper?"
  Another War-on-Terror Blog (August 14, 2009)
  Particularly
  • Cultural Chaos! Divisiveness! I Like It!
• "Medjugorje: "Pope defrocks priest" (Fr. Tomislav Vlasic Laicized)"
  (July 29, 2009)
• "The Pope, Angola, and the News: No Wonder 'Everybody Knows' What Those Catholics Are Like"
  (March 22, 2009)

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More:

• "Pedophile Priests, Ephebophilia, and Facing Facts