Tabloiditis--Huxley's "Brave New World" continues evolution to nonfiction

[HuckleB]

Tabloiditis -- Everywhere, broadsheets are shrinking

http://www.economist.com/business/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2709603

"TABLOID newspapers in many countries are full of topless women, celebrity gossip and xenophobia. But they also boast another attraction: women and younger people find their smaller pages easier to manage, especially on public transport. Broadsheets that usually look down on tabloids are now rushing to downsize. In Britain, both the Independent and the Times have launched small editions, and the Telegraph has a dummy waiting in the wings. This week, Axel Springer, a German publisher, launched a trial run of Welt Kompakt, a tabloid version of Die Welt.

The reason? Broadsheets are mostly seeing their circulation slowly dwindle as older readers die and young people choose other sources for news and entertainment. They are also facing tough new competition from free commuter tabloids such as those published by Metro International, a Swedish firm. The trend is not entirely new. Spain has no broadsheets left at all, and in Italy Monrif Group switched its three leading papers, in Milan, Florence and Bologna, to tabloid format in 2001."

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Another day, another dollar, I suppose. But it's also another step in the creeping evolution of Huxley's prophetic "Brave New World" from fiction to nonfiction. It's not as if the Bush* administration hasn't worked incredibly hard toward this end, but, apparently, the public itself is "demanding" this end. Or so we're told.

Here's Neil Postman's famous forward to "Amusing Ourselves To Death" regarding the Huxley phenomenon:
http://www.serendipity.li/jsmill/post_1.html

I think I'm going to spend the day reading a book, which, alas, puts me in the hopeless minority. And I admit to be thoroughly devoid of genuine ideas/strategies that might halt the evolution or -- may miracles happen -- turn it around.

[Nlighten1]

1. It is all a big mind fuck.

This non-stop barrage of media culture is killing our collective minds. The whole culture of celebrity has become so big that even the "reporters" who report on the celebrities have become celebrities themselves.

All this does is produce more mind-clutter for people to be distracted.

[HuckleB]

2. It does make one wonder why this wasn't brought forward earlier.

Ruling points to command responsibility

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/robert_landauer/index.ssf?/base/editorial/10858320499300.xml

[HuckleB]

3. Anyone, anyone?