Some advice from those of us at Weekly World Central. Because, y’know, we care.

• If you’re putting together a panel titled “The Performing Arts and Arts Journalism in Tucson,” you should probably invite arts journalists from more than one media source. A local theater company and the morning daily teamed up to create such a “discussion” last weekend, and oddly enough, the only two working “arts journalists” who were on the panel were scribes from the morning daily. Arts journalists—with more experience—from other area media sources oddly were not asked to participate. Well … if the panel organizers really cared about having an accurate, robust discussion, you think they would have included knowledgeable people from media genres that aren’t dying. Dontchathink?

• If you hear or see a politician engaging in name-calling, hysterics or obstructive behavior because federal health-care reform passed, please recognize that said politician is full of shit. Look, there are plenty of good, honest, logical arguments to make against the reform efforts as they stand. Being opposed to it is a-OK. However, referring to the Democrats who pushed the legislation as “socialists” is divisive, inaccurate and utterly moronic. So is whining about the fact that “reconciliation” was used to pass the reform. It’s a perfectly acceptable, oft-used legislative procedure. Also, claiming that health-care reform will bankrupt the nation or otherwise lead to horrible, horrible things is just plain silly. It won’t. Really. And while we’re at it, the United States does not have the best overall health-care system in the world, according to any objective measurement.

Let’s be educated, reasonable and respectful, everyone. OK?

This article appears in Mar 25-31, 2010.

2 replies on “Free Advice!”

  1. Jimmy,

    What if deep down, inside your under educated paranoid brain, you really really believe that we are in a class war and as Warren Buffett says, “his side is winning”.

    Fascisti is an appropriate descriptor of those funded by, and acting at the behest of corporations wittingly (politicians), or otherwise (tea party members).

    So, is truth and accuracy too inflammatory for civil discourse if you hail from the far left?
    Maybe its time for some “flammatory” before its too late. At best it is going to be many years, maybe a generation, before we can make right the damage being done to our beloved Arizona currently. Not to mention, I don’t know about you, but I’m just embarrassed by it all.

    Robert Alexander Dumas

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