Friday 30th August 2002
Newsjam
Sensationalist reporting of current events is wrecking society says Ted
Discussion
Well said Ted.
Personally I think we should replace the term 'political corectness' with the term 'thought facism' because that's what it is.
We need to make a stand for freedom of speach and tell those self righteous c**ts who think they have a right to tell us what to say and think that they can shove it right up their f***ing politically correct arses.
And if anybody disagrees...
Personally I think we should replace the term 'political corectness' with the term 'thought facism' because that's what it is.
We need to make a stand for freedom of speach and tell those self righteous c**ts who think they have a right to tell us what to say and think that they can shove it right up their f***ing politically correct arses.
And if anybody disagrees...
Totally agree.
What pi$$es me off is the sensational and shock tactic use of statistics e.g.
The risk of blah causing blah to blah has doubled - shock horror!
On the front page in 4 inch high red letters.
But by page 25 you find the fact that it is has doubled from 1 in 25 squizillion chance to 2 in 25 squizillion chance. Whilst the headline is strictly correct in reality if you double 1 in fcuk all chance you still have really got fcuk all chance!
>> Edited by cmdar on Friday 30th August 10:20
What pi$$es me off is the sensational and shock tactic use of statistics e.g.
The risk of blah causing blah to blah has doubled - shock horror!
On the front page in 4 inch high red letters.
But by page 25 you find the fact that it is has doubled from 1 in 25 squizillion chance to 2 in 25 squizillion chance. Whilst the headline is strictly correct in reality if you double 1 in fcuk all chance you still have really got fcuk all chance!
>> Edited by cmdar on Friday 30th August 10:20
Top rant, Ted. Couldn't agree more about the media in general. But it IS the responsibility of the reader to think carefully about the motivations of the writer whilst interpreting what they've said.
For the most part I just don't believe what I read anymore - at all. Especially if I don't agree with it.
CarZee - LOL...
For the most part I just don't believe what I read anymore - at all. Especially if I don't agree with it.
CarZee - LOL...
Case in point the airline survey of a few weeks ago which highlighted the worst airlines for complaints and that figures had risen significantly. When you actually worked out the results there was only 1 complaint for every 27000 customers. If I had a satisfaction rate like that i would be shouting it from the rooftops.
Spot-on Ted. Seems England is no better than this little hole of left-wing socialism the world likes to call "New Zealand". Sensationalism sucks, no longer are the whole facts presented to the consumer on a plate..... noooooooooo we're not smart enough to deal with that are we? Instead, we're given the fact's after they've been chewed up, digested and regurgitated in some form that completely mis-represents what the actual findings are. Over here at the moment, speeding has come under intense scrutiny, to the fact that if you're doing 105km/h in a 100 zone along a deserted stretch of straight highway at 3am you're punished with the same wrath that a serial rapist would never be likely to see (of course because it's not the rapist's fault, his victims were begging for it anyway, and the way he was raised means that it's society's fault, not the rapist's, we should be pointing the finger at ourselves, not them!..... WHAT UTTER HAIRY BOLLOCKS).
Millions of $NZ are poured each year into anti-speeding campaigns more than any other aspect of road safety (including designing better roading too I'll wager) based on recent statistics that 82% of fatal road deaths involve excessive speed (that is to say, over the speed limit). On the face of it, we thing "Gosh, that's bad.... If we all obeyed the speed limit, then 82% of road deaths would be avoided" But that's not true at all..... what they kindly neglect to tell us is that of that 82% that 76% also involve being under the influence of alcohol or drugs of some kind. Which do you think is the MAJOR contributing factor here? the speed or the alcohol? I somehow doubt every time the needle creeps above 100km/h that some obscure organ in our bodt starts pumping raw ethanol wholesale into our bloodstream now does it? Well, it must be the ALCOHOL then! The anti-drink drive message is still broadcast, sure, albeit with less than half the gusto of the anti-speeding campaign. According to the LTSA (Land Transport Safety Authority) chances are that if you drink/drive then you WILL be caught. Really? I'm a 18-25 year old male (the most at-risk group) and I've been driving now for 7 years, and am out driving most friday and saturday nights as well (the most at-risk times) and I have been stopped thrice and breathtested during this time, once was because I had my Hillman Avenger fully sideways around a corner past a cop car, so that's two random stops in 7 years. That means that if i was pissed every time I drive then that's over 2 years of full driving I could have done as pissed as a newt!
Now, let's look at this logically, this leaves about 20% of all road deaths which are speed-related and NOT related to drug or alcohol's influence. Of these, almost certainly other factors would be involved, such as poor road conditions, mechanical failure, driver fatigue etc etc. so say maybe 10% of all road deaths are attributable to speed alone. If this is true then why is the majority of the road safety budget being spent on slowing drivers down? Make sense? Not to me it doesn't.
Anyway I've ranted on long enough, I'd better say no more ot else this message will be
Millions of $NZ are poured each year into anti-speeding campaigns more than any other aspect of road safety (including designing better roading too I'll wager) based on recent statistics that 82% of fatal road deaths involve excessive speed (that is to say, over the speed limit). On the face of it, we thing "Gosh, that's bad.... If we all obeyed the speed limit, then 82% of road deaths would be avoided" But that's not true at all..... what they kindly neglect to tell us is that of that 82% that 76% also involve being under the influence of alcohol or drugs of some kind. Which do you think is the MAJOR contributing factor here? the speed or the alcohol? I somehow doubt every time the needle creeps above 100km/h that some obscure organ in our bodt starts pumping raw ethanol wholesale into our bloodstream now does it? Well, it must be the ALCOHOL then! The anti-drink drive message is still broadcast, sure, albeit with less than half the gusto of the anti-speeding campaign. According to the LTSA (Land Transport Safety Authority) chances are that if you drink/drive then you WILL be caught. Really? I'm a 18-25 year old male (the most at-risk group) and I've been driving now for 7 years, and am out driving most friday and saturday nights as well (the most at-risk times) and I have been stopped thrice and breathtested during this time, once was because I had my Hillman Avenger fully sideways around a corner past a cop car, so that's two random stops in 7 years. That means that if i was pissed every time I drive then that's over 2 years of full driving I could have done as pissed as a newt!
Now, let's look at this logically, this leaves about 20% of all road deaths which are speed-related and NOT related to drug or alcohol's influence. Of these, almost certainly other factors would be involved, such as poor road conditions, mechanical failure, driver fatigue etc etc. so say maybe 10% of all road deaths are attributable to speed alone. If this is true then why is the majority of the road safety budget being spent on slowing drivers down? Make sense? Not to me it doesn't.
Anyway I've ranted on long enough, I'd better say no more ot else this message will be
Not only do the media sensationalize but they brand anyone who thinks outside of their narrow, centrist, 'approved' views as 'extreme' and treats them either as either a joke or as if they are dangerous.
It's almost impossible for an opinion such as building more roads or cutting taxes to be given a considered hearing by the press.
It's almost impossible for an opinion such as building more roads or cutting taxes to be given a considered hearing by the press.
You make a good point Ted. There's an insidious process of dumbing down going on in the UK - in my view this is media-led. It's eroding the ability of educated people to make a choice to turn off the TV, fold up the newspaper rag and walk away. Unfortunately as long as tens of millions of people are prepared to regularly sit for hours in front of no-value programs like "Big Brother" I doubt there's any way of getting back to a society that's able to exert its collective power of discrimination against the media.
So your rant's spot on, but in the UK at the moment it's a lost cause. There's only one-way from here and that's down. I'm concerned enough about the degeneration of society and devaluation of standards in the UK to be seriously considering leaving it.
Hutch
So your rant's spot on, but in the UK at the moment it's a lost cause. There's only one-way from here and that's down. I'm concerned enough about the degeneration of society and devaluation of standards in the UK to be seriously considering leaving it.
Hutch
I gave up reading a daily newspaper years ago. I refuse to even look at a copy of the Stun after they bought Biggs back so that he could receive medical care at the taxpayer's expense. It is so hard to get to the bottom of many stories and find out the truth. The one that really got me recently were the people who were sent to jail for 'cutting down a hedge'. Yer Right
I'm with BigM on this (and spot on Ted, but a depressing rant nonetheless). In fact I haven't bought a newspaper in years, there is much better fiction available in WH Smiths. Anything vaguely smacking of "Reality TV" gets turned off. I can't watch the news on TV without passing comment on every article (which re-enforces my wifes opinion of me as a Meldrew!) - there is always more to the story that you don't get told, and the bias is ludicrously obvious to anyone with half a brain.
Unfortunately that rules out 90% of the lager swilling get-pissed-on-friday-and-dont-stop-till-monday youf 'culture' of today, and their brain dead scrounging sue-the-b*stids-and-wheres-me-giro parents.
It is unfashionable to be educated (and no I'm not referring to how many grade A GCSE's you turned up for) or to think for yourself. The mob rules, and it has a voice - the media.
Unfortunately that rules out 90% of the lager swilling get-pissed-on-friday-and-dont-stop-till-monday youf 'culture' of today, and their brain dead scrounging sue-the-b*stids-and-wheres-me-giro parents.
It is unfashionable to be educated (and no I'm not referring to how many grade A GCSE's you turned up for) or to think for yourself. The mob rules, and it has a voice - the media.
It has a voice because as a product it meets the demand. You'll find that the people responsible for mob aimed media are far from being part of the mob they entertain.
Take FHM and Loaded, both are extremely popular with squaddies (no disrespect) and convicts (disrespect). They pay out good money so a bunch of coke snorting Londoner Nathan Barley's can travel round the world writing half cocked shite about shagging, meeting beautiful women and having an absolute whale of a time. Talk about the joke being on the reader.
Take FHM and Loaded, both are extremely popular with squaddies (no disrespect) and convicts (disrespect). They pay out good money so a bunch of coke snorting Londoner Nathan Barley's can travel round the world writing half cocked shite about shagging, meeting beautiful women and having an absolute whale of a time. Talk about the joke being on the reader.
Ted - Excellent!! The country is ruled by the media, and is an outlet for all those anti establishment, shit raking b******ds that call themselves journalists. All the time we continue buying newspapers,and watching the TV, the cancer of society will continue to spread and dominate us.The trouble is you can't get away from it.And now I must go and have a drink to releave the depression!!
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