CRITIQUE FATIGUE

This is how they get us. Who can keep up? In any given week, we have stories of corporate corruption (in the current climate, this translates into a sexual scandal, e.g., Boeing); religious and reactionary political appointments (Wolfs in poverty-reduction clothing; torturers as legal czars - hey, it is the Attorney General, afterall); roll-backs in rights, protections, and regulations (bankruptcy laws); give-aways to corporations (bankruptcy laws); and advances in the culture wars.

I need a specialization. Shall it be corporate malfeasance? Or the subcategory of erotic -malfeasance as stand-in for corporate corruption? Newspeak about entitlements?

From seeing the daily triumverate of news on AOL recently, I can better comprehend the state of the public sphere. There's one haiku on entertainment, one on health/life, and one of "news." These are accompanied by phrases that give a sense of participation through the hyperlink-blue choice, an opinion, a "vote." Participation in the three is equivalent, horizontal. ("What made audience fave drop out of Idol?") The brevity of these truncations betrays pain-staking labor and accumulated experience, a full-time position.

Left, photo of Condoleeza Rice.
Is it too soon to rule out 2008?
Rice rules out White House bid.
Vote: Tell us who should run.