Adam Curtis is one of my favorite contemporary thinkers. The conclusion he has drawn in this documentary seems to be that telling the news with complex details is essential if an intelligent and truthful picture of the situation is to be known. This means people need to be able to shift their emotional satisfaction preferences, as far as news is concerned, away from the polarity of black and white thinking or the victim-abuser mindset. It means being able to sustain interest in comprehending complexity, not just a simple cartoon-version of real life. It means not having only sound bites but becoming familiar with a many-faceted narrative. Complexity may be tedious to some but unless it is included in telling the whole story, the narrative may be falsely appealing in a black and white, good versus evil way. I do not think this is a hippie issue at all. I am biased as a former hippie. However, it is my observation of humanity that wanting a narrative to be told with emotions painted in simplistic, boldly

Author: Cosmonaut
Keywords: Adam Curtis, documentary, BBC4, Charlie Brooker, Power, of, nightmares, news, 
Added: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:56:09