Monday, November 25, 2019

The Oppenheimer Report 11/25/19


I woke up the other day, and as I often do, the first thing I did was to consult my cell phone for messages. Lately, it seems as if the phone, the computer, and the television are taking up a larger and larger chunk of my free time. I regret this. When I picked up my phone, and sleepily swiped the touch screen, the first thing I saw was some “news” feed about the new moon in November. The gist of the message was that, astrologically speaking, we’re all screwed for the next 30 days. The stars are aligned for a chaotic month. Great.

A friend from Florida sent me an interesting link the other day, of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen addressing an audience at the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Leadership Awards. Normally, I don’t have the patience to watch such speeches, because I have the attention span of a three-year-old, but because it was Sacha Baron Cohen, I was intrigued. Best known for his over-the-top comedic characters, like Ali G and Borat, Cohen’s comedy is risqué. I’ve always suspected he was intelligent, and in much the same way that I appreciated the guerrilla comedy of Andy Kaufman, I think Cohen’s outrageous characters are hilarious. Ostensibly puerile and offensive, much of Cohen’s comedy ridicules hatred and bigotry. Like so many of the great comics I have admired, including Rickles, Pryor, and Kinison, he exposes the secret prejudices that many of us unwittingly embrace.

Cohen’s eloquent speech really moved me, because it gave me some insight into my recent anxiousness, and that which I feel all around me. He spoke about the irresponsibility and unaccountability of various social media platforms, who routinely allow the dissemination of misinformation and propaganda. He was particularly indignant about multi-billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who argues that any attempt to censor misinformation is somehow an impingement upon free speech. When that free speech negatively impacts a race or ethnicity, is it still our “right”? Cohen asks us to imagine what would have happened if Hitler could have used the internet to spread his toxic messages. Social media is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it facilitates almost instant communication between family and friends, but at the same time, it allows corrosive, nefarious manipulators to spread hateful lies with the same immediacy. It is very likely the reason an oaf like Rump was elected President of the United States. Cohen suggests that social media platforms should be held accountable and liable for all the disinformation that it allows to spread unpoliced. In most of the civilized world there are laws in place to punish people who commit hate crimes, be they physical, libelous, or slanderous. Why then are these social media platforms virtually unregulated? Where do we draw the line on this issue of free speech? I’m not sure, but I think things are getting out of control. Maybe it’s the new moon.

This Thursday marks the American Thanksgiving, and I usually celebrate by re-connecting with some of my family. Going back to my earliest childhood, our Thanksgivings in Buffalo were always my favorite holiday of the year. Mom and Dad, or one of my other relatives, hosted a big dinner, and the underlying spirit at those gatherings was one of acceptance, goodwill, inclusiveness, and kindness. I miss those genuine celebrations of thankfulness, and as the years pass, I have become more and more thankful.

So, as we approach this coming month of “new moon” chaos and uncertainty, it might be a good time for me to take a Facebook holiday. I’m already well aware of my unhealthy dependence on cell phones, computers, and televisions. As much as my intention is to limit their influence on me, clearly this is easier said than done. So far, I’ve only reduced my exposure by about fifteen minutes per day. More music, less video; that’s the plan. I am beginning to realize that much of my anxiousness is attributable to the sense that there is less and less justice or accountability for bad behavior. Exactly the things that have oppressed minorities for centuries are now beginning to oppress the rest of the world as well. Many of us don’t even know it’s happening to us; we simply feel things are getting worse. I can’t fix the world’s problems; I wouldn’t know where to begin, but I’m no longer naïve enough to think it is somebody else’s problem. I know that pulling away from the barrage of spin, disinformation, bad news, and negativity is a start. As this Thursday approaches, I will be thinking of my late mom and dad, and all the good lessons they taught me. I will always be thankful for them. I’m going to try and to stay off Facebook for the day, or even for part of the day. Baby steps. I would say I won’t watch television, but I can’t miss the Macy’s Day Parade.

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer ©2019
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
jamieoppenheimersongwriter@gmail.com
Jamie Oppenheimer, Songwriter, Author, Blogger, Radio Producer, & Host has been writing THE OPPENHEIMER REPORT every MONDAY since 1992 and has published the articles on his blog since 2006. We are including Jamie's weekly reports, as a feature of #HuntersBayRadio, The Bay 88.7FM.




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