The excerpt from Al Gore's The Assault on Reason seemed to correlate EXACTLY with my thesis, only that it took a completely opposite stance on the subject. Gore voiced his opinion that the Internet is a savior for democracy, allowing people to get their news from a much more varied source, and presumably one that is unflinching in its neutrality and allowance of multiple points of view.
The problem with this, of course, was well paraphrased by David Brooks in his Editorial about the book, saying: "Has Gore ever actually looked at the Internet? He spends much of this book praising cold, dispassionate logic, but is that really waht he finds on most political blogs or in his e-mail folder?"
The problem with this, of course, was well paraphrased by David Brooks in his Editorial about the book, saying: "Has Gore ever actually looked at the Internet? He spends much of this book praising cold, dispassionate logic, but is that really waht he finds on most political blogs or in his e-mail folder?"
Anyone who has looked at blogs or opinions on the Internet in general knows that there is raw, unfiltered stupidity with often very little to back it up. (Note that this very blog post has no real proof, unless you use your own judgment with the author) Many blog entries are misleading or downright untrue, and there is no fact-checking like with major news publications.
I don't disagree with Gore on the fact that often, it would appear that some news sources are more concerned with money than the real news, and that America is being "Dumbed Down", but I think the Internet and some of the news found there is actually one of the bigger culprits for "Dumbing Down" America.
I don't disagree with Gore on the fact that often, it would appear that some news sources are more concerned with money than the real news, and that America is being "Dumbed Down", but I think the Internet and some of the news found there is actually one of the bigger culprits for "Dumbing Down" America.
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