There was a time when we used to laugh at what passed for "news" from the

[KlatooBNikto]

old Soviet Union. They were all written in the most dreary prose,probably by the same copy cat editors at Pravda and Tass.They took their cues from the Soviet Commissars and nopbody believed a word they said.

Unfortunately, two decades later, the shoe is on the other foot although I suspect some of that same copycat drivel has been around for a long time in our media too. Now it has become a round the clock trivia peddling by kewpie doll clones giggling and spouting nonsense at even the most serious issues.

The result is near unanimity in the views of all newscasters or newswriters or op-ed columnists.Not one dissenting voice is heard among this thundering herd of rhinos.No sirreee, you tell us what to say, and we do it pronto!

On such servility do totalitarians feed.

[cornermouse]

1. Not only that.

Remember all those long lines whenever the Soviets tried to buy anything? Lack of variety in goods to buy? Our own choices have been decreasing.

[KlatooBNikto]

2. Our choices in opinions or news are practically nonexistent.

Look at the chorus.Even the selection of topics has been reduced to a dreary uniformity that can only be called totalitarian.

The lack of choices you point out in material goods is the symptom of the greater malaise of lack of individuality in personal opinions.

[AP]

3. So true. When the gov't is all about increasing profits for a handful of

...very large corporations and the media is dominated by a handful of very large corporations, the result is not much different from Pravda: you only hear one side of the issue, and it's alwasy the corp gov'ts. You never hear any argument against unlimited consumption or for labor or consumer rights.

[randr]

4. There was a noted quote from a soviet dignitary

during the collapse of the SU that essentially said:
Both sides use propoganda. The difference is that our people no longer belive ours and yours still do.
If anyone can remember the author and exact quote please post it.

[KlatooBNikto]

5. That is a good one.

[KlatooBNikto]

6. I have a feeling that might have been Anatoly Dobrynin, who used to be

the Soviet Ambassador in Washington in the dying days of the Soviet Union.

[BiggJawn]

7. Let's see...what do we want to watch tonight?

Amber Frye? Or maybe Amber Frye? Or-Hey! Amber Frye's gonna be on Larry King!

Eh, let's watch "Now!" with Bill Moyers....What? He's not on anymore?

[pss]

8. One of my favorite games...

... is to watch the local news. (New York City)

Channel 2 is doing the cat in the tree story. Flip around the channels - Oh! now channel 7 is doing the cat in the tree story! Now it's on channel 4 too! OK, now channel 7 is doing the bad dark skinned criminal story... wait for it... now the same story is on channels 2 and 4! What a coincidence! Happens on the network broadcasts too, just not QUITE as predictable.

Same thing, day in, day out. Choices, my ass!

[Vidar]

9. There's a large Pravda forum (in English ) which isn't half bad.