Culture

Noteworthy lines from books, movies, online educational courses, or any form of entertainment that I find particularly revealing.

“Scoping” the Media?

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Screen Shot 2015-05-07 at 8.27.46 AMPeriscoping, that is . . . I watched with mild amusement recently as the trio on “CBS This Morning” interviewed the CEO of “Periscope”, a months old live-stream app.  It has recently come under fire when some 60-odd of its users streamed the copyrighted Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.  It was said to add fuel to the fire when Twitter co-founder Dick Costolo tweeted:  “And the winner is . . . @periscopeco” apparently in reference to “all the amazing content leading up to the fight.  Watching Manny Pacquiao in his locker room”, proudly beamed CEO Kayvon Beykpour.  (Twitter reportedly bought the app for around $100 million before its launch on March 26. Within 10 days following the launch, it acquired 1 million users.)    In other words, not something you could or would see on television.  Unscripted or unedited – raw data/facts – the real story as it unfolds in real time.  Brian Williams beware.  The interviewers’ unease was palpable as Beykpour continued:

“there’s a huge potential for it to change journalism.”

“We were watching Paul Lewis on the ground in Baltimore sharing the important things that were happening there in the most raw and unfettered way that I’ve experienced from a journalism standpoint. That’s the sort of thing that’s exciting to me,” he said.

And terrifying to the media who choose and chronicle the daily narrative today.  But Beykpour wasn’t finished.  In relaying how he came up the idea for the Periscope app Beykpour told a personal story about planning a trip to Istanbul and trying to decided whether it was safe to continue with his travel plans.  “I remember thinking to myself, ‘Is it safe for me to go? I want to see what’s happening on the ground.’ And you watch the news or you even look at Twitter and you get a very sensationalized account of what’s happening, and I wanted to see a live feed of the street that my hotel was on — that would be the perfect articulation to me of whether it was safe or not,” Beykpour said. “‘There are thousands of people who walk around every day with smartphones and high-speed network connections. Why can’t I see through their eyes?'”

Good question!  This was once the hallmark of the purported “fourth branch of government”.  Journalism done well or at its best.  Just the facts so viewers could form their own opinions on content.  Nature abhors a vacuum and will fill the void . . . with a periscope?

Doctors use various scopes for diagnostic and surgical procedures because they are often safer and more cost effective than more invasive procedures.  Maybe we SHOULD begin (peri)scoping the media?!

A Lesser of Two Injustices?

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Screen Shot 2015-02-12 at 9.53.46 AMI caught a segment on CBS This Morning that paid tribute to the late, 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon.  His prolific career at CBS spanned almost fifty years before his life ended at the age of seventy-three in a car crash on the West Side highway.  As a personal associate and self-described “understudy” of Mr. Simon, Scott Pelley was invited to profile the man.  Of Mr. Simon Pelley noted, he had “a sharp intolerance for injustice.  And he had equal opportunity rage for every injustice committed in every corner of this earth.”  This was the source of the man’s immense courage.  Pelley then recalled Simon’s interview with an Israeli general in which he baited the general by proclaiming “you’re one of greatest generals Israel has ever produced . . .” before delivering “a Bob Simon (’roundhouse’) punch” in the form of a question:  “so why are you killing children?”  This was followed by all three anchors simultaneously sighing and nodding knowingly.

It is curious but telling that of all the world’s injustices Pelley chose this example.  Admittedly, it’s challenging to imagine a scenario that justifies killing children but no context was given.  I hardly think of Jews – the moral exemplars of society according to the Bible – as the poster kids for bad behavior or “tripping the intolerance meter.”  While Jews have certainly suffered horrible injustice as part of their heritage (#RememberTheHolocaust?), they do not embrace violence in their culture. In fact, their story is one of the great epic stories of the human spirit overcoming injustice that was allegedly Bob Simon’s trademark.  No disrespect to Mr. Simon but the segment substantiates the premise that narrative advancement passes for news or journalism today.  That the supposed fourth branch of government (the news media) has dissolved into this is an injustice – in and of itself – to the viewers who tune in for objective news.

A Heartfelt and Worthy Vow

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DSC_0092Two weeks in a row, the topic of the American Sniper has landed on the pages of People Magazine – this week gracing its cover.  To date, the film, starring Bradley Cooper and based on Chris Kyle’s bestselling 2012 autobiography, is a $200 million “box office smash” that has scored six Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Cooper – who confides “It’s been life-changing”.  Cooper admits that he “thinks I had an appreciation for veterans before this, but what I definitely did not know is the toll that it takes on the family.” (Light bulb moment, Hollywood?!)  In an interview with Chris’s widow, Taya Kyle reveals she and Chris exchanged self-written vows at their wedding that included the line “I will remind you who you are when you forget.”

At The Liberty Brand Co. we share this heartfelt and worthy vow.  In fact this is precisely what The Liberty Brand is designed to do:  “Remind. Inform. Inspire.”   We want to remind Americans who we are, especially when it seems we no longer have any idea who we are nor any sense of our exceptional history as a nation.  Let us be your memory.  Visit us @ http://www.TheLibertyBrand.com.

My Promise to The American Sniper

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DSC_0092The entire family (a rarity) went to see the movie American Sniper last night.  Initially I was hesitant to go because I knew Chris Kyle’s fate.  Then I kept hearing the rave reviews and buzz about how confounded Hollywood was because of its success.  My kids’ eagerness to see it and my wanting “show Hollywood” by voting with my feet was enough to get me to go.  And I’m so glad that I did.  I thought Kyle’s story was well told and media interviews with his wife corroborate its accuracy.  It provided a firsthand, behind the scenes look at the the lives of the American military, particularly special forces, and their families.  I am humbled and grateful for their service, dedication to duty, and devotion to our country.  It also inspired me to rededicate myself to my work:  The Liberty Brand.  If they can confront the tremendous challenges of their work then the least I can do is attempt to tackle my own challenges – real or imagined.  I promise The American Sniper that from this moment on I will personally thank any veteran I encounter for their service to our citizens and country.  Thank you Chris Kyle for giving the “last full measure of devotion”.  #RIPAmerican Sniper – you earned it!

#FastFame via the “Branded Vine” (with a little help from American capitalism)

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Screen Shot 2015-01-29 at 9.35.02 AMI caught a segment on the CBS Morning News that fascinated me.  A young French immigrant – Jerome Jarre – arrived in New York City just over a year ago with a mere $400 in his pocket.  In a quintessential American Dream story, Jerome has achieved literal overnight success with his 6 second viral videos on Vine.  His knack for capturing the notoriously short attention span of millennials – apparently the “holy grail” in the advertising world – has raised the eyebrows of corporate executives from Sony and General Electric, to name a few. He even reportedly refused a million dollar deal to create a “Vine-branded” video for a food manufacturer because he thought their product was unhealthy!  Wow, it DOES exist – a capitalist (albeit reluctant and French, to boot) with a conscience!!  By the way, a Vine-branded video is 4 times more successful than your standard, run-of-the-meal video.  The metric was not divulged in the news segment as it was likely deemed too much detail for the viewers.

There is only one thing that stuck in my craw about the story.  In closing, the anchors (King and Rose) attributed Jerome’s success to his good looks, French accent, and the randomness of the videos – the fact that they could happen to anyone.  A teachable moment squandered.  No mention was made of the fact that Jerome left socialist-leaning France for America, where capitalism is still alive – albeit on life support – to pursue his dream.  In fact, it is the free market – where the consumer drives demand – that in turn drives demand for his particular skill/talent/service, allowing Jerome to not only command a premium price for his labor but to reap its fruit (or at least half of it, after taxes).  But I guess that, too, was deemed too much detail for the viewers or at least does not fit the liberal media’s narrative.  The devil IS in details, right Ms. King?!