More at Eleven
Watching the news is not enough if you want to be an effective citizen.
“The frog is splashing happily in warm water. More at eleven.”
That doesn’t sound like news. At eleven, “The frog is lazing in slightly warmer water.” Still not news, at least as the entertainment/news industry does their reporting.
There may be a climax in the offing, “boiled frog” excitement, but until then, as a daily news briefing would attest, more paint drying. The moral is that 24/7 cable news, social media or even your morning newspaper is not good preparation for true citizenship.
The tectonic plates of social change are moving, perhaps even accelerating, but it’s not yet a headline.
Of course, the frog is in plain sight. The water is getting hotter. But who is marching in the street, carrying signs for the frog?
And who is able to judge the rate of change and the persistence of change and the potential reasons for change. Oh, and also the risk of change.
The simple answer? You and I, if we aspire to one of the hardest jobs on earth—being informed. We can read in-depth science reporting, thoughtful articles analyzing events, scholars writing as public intellectuals. And then judge the merits of different arguments by talking with each other and finding common ground for action.
Always the day’s work. Rewarding, if you have as I suppose most of us do, a taste for relevance. It’s the job description for a citizen in a democracy. Also, good for frogs.