Saturday, May 28, 2016

Media Grandstanding

It has now come to the point that it has become routine that the media will sensationalize and blow things out of proportion to make a buck.  I guess we all know that it's just sorta distressing when it hits close to home.  Trump came to town yesterday.  He had a big rally at the convention center that drew about 10,000 people.  He gave his usual bombastic presentation that included a fair amount of self-aggrandizement, blaming others and vague promises to "make America great again".    I've said before in this space that he is a jackass, is not my guy, and if some other more reasonable Republican were in the lead, they'd get my vote. But that's not the case so I'll vote for him over the criminal or the Socialist.  

In the course of the day there and in what has become routine, there were a bunch of protesters outside the convention center.  I suspect many of them were either paid or professional agitators, but whatever the case, there were about 1000 of them.  The SDPD and the Sherriff's Department did a masterful job of controlling these knuckleheads.  They had a massive presence, a great plan to contain their shenanigans, and when things got a little dicey, arrested about 35 folks and dispersed the rest.  It really, really wasn't that big of a deal to the average San Diegan.  If you were down by the convention center, I suspect there was a bit of a show, but that's about it.  Oh, there were the usual blowhards shouting and throwing things.  But we've come to expect that.

But if you read or heard any news on the subject, you'd think it was a riot of major proportion.  You'd think it was a major disruptive event in the city.  You'd think there was major damage downtown.  I and many others I know are incredulous at the coverage.  I saw a lot of hyperbole, and really could have picked any, but you can read/see a typical report here.  Like I said, this report and so many others aren't close to reality.  So that makes me wonder about all the other reports we hear about every day.  Are they filing sensational stories because they are accurate or because they sell.  Hmmmm....you decide for yourself.

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