Bin-Laden Rap and the New Commerce

The clip below comes from the film "Network," and it rings cold, clear, and true, even though it was made in 1976.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTN3s2iVKKI

Uncomfortable? Yes. True? Absolutely.

In Thomas Friedman's wonderful book "The World is Flat" , he describes a trip into China where Bill Gates was about to speak. Young students were hawking tickets and hanging from the rafters to get a glimpse of the man. As a Chinese-American official puts it in his book:

"In China, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America, Britney Spears is Britney Spears. This is the problem."

What do you say about an America that made millionaires out of the likes of Spears, Snoop-Dog, Eminem, the writers and actors of Sex and the City, Tabloid News, and countless other frauds?

I say that it's an America which has gone tragically blind.

If you want evidence of this, simply look at how the more negative aspects of our culture -- say, reality television or hip-hop culture -- have seeped into cultures around the world, while our more noble American characteristics are woefully ignored.

Somewhere out in the world, an Al-Queda terrorist is probably sitting in a cave, listening to gangsta-rap on an ipod.

Now that we have the internet, the entire world is reading again. Or is it? The greatest communication tool is now the new wave of shallowness -- the information is at your fingertips, but do you care to look? Do you even know enough to care?

It's not a matter of opinion, my friends: it's a matter of turning off the tube, clearing your mind, and opening your own eyes.

A sobering thought to end this rant: Do you realize that in a system governed by commerce, the single greatest product is YOU? Your reactions, tastes, fears, and predilections all translate into profit -- or lackthereof. You are being trained. You are being manipulated. The people in charge have a vested interest in keeping your individual thoughts in check.

You are being lead into an intellectual grave. Will you go willingly?