oooh, controversy   (movie, opinion, random re me)

i watched The Reagans on Showtime last night. i can see what all the fuss is about, because it's not a pleasant picture that gets painted. Ronald as a naive, well-meaning, easily manipulated actor, and Nancy as a pouty control freak who ironically cedes control to her "psychic friend."

the problem with the "Information Age" is that there's just so much gosh darn information, which makes it easy enough to say or write whatever you want to be true, with grains of truth, or even a whole lot of truth, while leaving out or fabricating that one key thing that would (or does) turn the whole story on its ear. someone might notice, or it might be accepted as gospel truth.

i understand that history has been and is written by the victors and all that, but the process has sped up so much that it has become possible to alter reality within one's lifetime, decidedly to one's advantage by altering the public's perceptions. i'm a big believer in responsibility and the honor in taking responsibility for something (like the media, along with so many other people with wide public influence doesn't). without that trait, people become like the shells of people in Atlas Shrugged whose mantra is "It couldn't be helped." they repeat that saying over and over until it is defeated by the people who aren't afraid to be seen for what they really are, whose strengths and shortcomings flap in the breeze like so many standards (pun intended) proudly carried, announcing the presence of a conquering force.

grandiose metaphors are awesome.