[Avoiding politics is a lot harder than it sounds. I’m just sayin’.]
My continuing half-assed and ineffective effort to avoid politics and procrasting while completing the Squirrel saga has painted me into a corner. I wish to write about something. Yet how does one avoid politics the day after President Cheeto addresses a joint session of Congress? (Unavoidable but abbreviated reporting: People wore white for reasons while looking constipated, Trump spoke without flinging feces which continues to surprise his detractors, and the press sustained its period of hyperventilation. Meanwhile the sky is still blue and the sun rose again the following day. There, I’ve covered the entire event in 41 words. You’ve been a great audience, pick up a CD in the lobby, have a safe drive home.)
A sustained drive in my truck forced me to address an interesting (though unfortunately political but at least removed-from-current-events) question: “Given that NPR has probably always been propaganda, why do I find it so repugnant now?” It’s an honest question. I used to listen to NPR with a grain of salt and that was enough. For example, I listened to them call the seven month Gulf War a “quagmire” in ’91 and cheer the election of Chavez in ’99. (How’d that work out for ya?)
Reporting on both events was biased as hell. Yet I didn’t feel like driving into a ditch to make them shut up. What happened? Did it always suck this much or have I changed?”
As part of my research I unearthed this. It’s only 8 minutes. It’s completely non-political. It’s hilarious:
For those of you who don’t know, “Ask Dr. Science” was on NPR back in the stone age. It remains as funny today as always. I loved it. Can you imagine a time when they had humor?
I think this answers my question; there’s a huge leap from propaganda to humorless propaganda. I just couldn’t cross the gulf.
I keep looking for a dash radio that picks up shortwave. Anyone heard of one that’s cheap and easy to cram into a Dodge? I miss Ask Dr. Science and something like that has to be out there still.
In the meantime I can reminisce; “It’s time for Ask Dr. Science, remember, he knows more than you…”