Uppity Wisconsin

I'll leave this conference with feelings of hope and helplessness. My hope comes from the fact that this conference is even happening. That people are spending time and money to connect with each other and figure out what the hell has happened in this county. The media is supposed to represent what's happening in this country. And it doesn't. It represents what sells. And therein lies my feelings of helplessness. If people didn't buy the crap, it'd stop selling. Right?

When I was in college, I went to a "student radio initiative" meeting. I realized once I got there that these meetings had been going on for years. And it was still just an initiative. I was at the first Conference on Media Reform and here I am again, years later. The sessions are different and there has been success. But ultimately. We're still fighting the same battle.

At the heart of this problem is DEPENDENCE. This was echoed several times during the conference and it's stuck with me. Until we (Yep. I'm using the "royal we" here.) break from our dependence, nothing will change. This doesn't just apply to our problems with the media. It's our problems with oil, the way we eat...the list goes on. We have created the very monster we sit around and bitch about. And a lot of us are living double standards because we've created a society where we must use the very things we're struggling to change.

I get pissed about the price of gas as I fill up my car again. I get pissed about the lazy media as I watch MSNBC. I complain about the obesity crisis in this county as I sit in line at the drive-through.

What I'm trying to say here is that we ALL must change. 3000 people at a powerful conference in Minneapolis isn't going to do it. Yeah. It's a ripple in the ocean. But it's going to require those ripples to reach out and grab everyone before we're sucked completely down the drain.

Until there is a fundamental shift in attitude and behavior in this county, all the conferences on media reform in the world aren't really going to do a thing. We'll be having these same conferences for years and talking about essentially the same stuff. This isn't about getting a Democrat in office and thinking life will suddenly be better. WE have to do something. We've gotten so used to the quick fix. We've forgotten what it's like to really do the footwork.

We need to turn off the TV. Demand more out of our politicians, our journalists, and ourselves. Get some self-awareness already. What can you change in YOUR life? Don't think everyone else is going to pick up the slack because you aren't doing your part. Guess what? Most people are thinking that same thing!

I wish I had more faith in people. I have seen change and it makes me think we can get there. The "green" movement has finally gone mainstream, thanks to Oprah and trendy recyclable shopping bags. (please note my sarcasm there) We've got to stop waiting for things to become trendy before we decide to do them.

The state of media in this country is only one symptom of our deeper issues. I don't have the answers here. I don't know everything (or much, really) but I do know the attitude in this country sucks. Our dependence on STUFF needs to move to a dependence on EACH OTHER. Once we start caring again and doing things for the better of all (rather than just for the better of US), maybe things like a media that reflects the will of people will exist. Because right now the media is just reflecting what the majority of people are willing to accept.