Let's play "Deconstruct the media!" -- America's new subprime shanty-towns

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

________________________________________
From: Michael Gurstein [gurstein () gmail com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 5:44 AM
To: bmeeks () cox net; David Farber
Subject: RE: [IP] Let's play "Deconstruct the media!" -- America's new subprime  shanty-towns

And its clear that the US media have taken Brock's lessons to heart and are
only dealing with issues where the possibility of "deconstruction" is
reduced to a figure approaching zero and where, rather than make "news out
of nothing", the overwehelming intention is in fact to make nothing into
news.

Google: CNN + Britney = 650,000
Google: CNN + homeless = 619,000

Google: ABC + Britney = 761,000
Google: ABC + homeless = 492,000

Google: CBS + Britney = 689,000
Google" CBS + homeless = 352,000

Google: NBC + Britney = 671,000
Google: NBC + homeless = 344,000

Google: "USA Today" + Britney = 514,00
Google: "USA Today" + homeless = 211,000

Google: "NY Times" + Britney = 176,000
Google" "NY Times" + Britney = 229,000

Thank god for a "clueful" media

Mike Gurstein

-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Daul [mailto:bdaul () pacbell net]
Sent: March 19, 2008 2:14 AM
To: bmeeks () cox net; gurstein () gmail com
Subject: Fwd: [IP] Let's play "Deconstruct the media!" -- America's new
subprime shanty-towns

> From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
> To: "ip" <ip () v2 listbox com>
>
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Brock N. Meeks [bmeeks () cox net]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 12:52 AM
> To: David Farber
> Subject: Re: [IP] America's new subprime shanty-towns
>
> Someone below wonders why he "found out about this [story] from the BCC
> and not US media?"  Here's one possible answer:  it's a ginned up
> report by a clueless BBC reporter, trying to make news from nothing.
>
> Let's play "Deconstruct the media!"
>
> First, the title, below it says, "America's new sub-prime shanty-towns"
> as in plural.  But the piece referenced only shows one "shanty-town"
> and makes no reference, whatsoever, to others.  On the YouTube clip it
> says "Tent Cities," and of course, as mentioned, only one "tent city"
> is shown.
>
> This is incredibly sloppy and just plain lazy journalism.  This is like
> quoting one expert in a story and writing, "expertS claim..."  Bah.
>
> Next, a number is tossed out--ohhhh, we like numbers!--"in the last
> month some 60,000 houses were repossessed."  And then the reporter
> says, "...now they shower in a local church and get by on handouts..."
> To this I say, "That must be a damn big church to handle 60,000
> households wanting to shower, just think of the lines!"  Specious, of
> course.  The reporter makes it sound like all 60,000 households are now
> homeless and living in the tent city.  B.S. -- again, incredibly sloppy
> journalism.
>
> Next, the first woman interviewed talks about how she hopes to get a
> full time job instead of her one-day a week job... she wants to save up to
buy a
> car to get to work easier.   Sheesh, were to start?!
>
> First, are we to assume she's a victim of the sub-prime meltdown?  I
> guess, because there's absolutely no clue that she is.  She has a
> one-day a week job, umm.... perhaps her job status is the reason for
> her homelessness? Perhaps she lost a good paying job and couldn't make
> the mortgage payments, could happen, DOES happen, every day.  But
> falling victim to a LOUSY LABOR MARKET has no connection to the
> sub-prime fiasco.
>
> Second interview, an older couple, now living in an RV, forced from
> their home when they could no longer make the payments.  It's a tragic
> story, a sad story and I'm not making light of ANYONE'S plight here,
> remember, it's the shabby  journalism I'm poking a sharp stick at.
>
> In the same breath that we learn this couple have lost their house, we
> learn
> why:  the husband fell ill and they couldn't make the payments on the
house.
> I'll repeat it, the husband FELL ILL and the mortgage couldn't be paid.
> Again, NOTHING to do with the sub-prime crisis, this is a health related
> tragic story.  And again, it happens hundreds or thousands of times a day.
> And the story there, perhaps, is the lack of affordable health care or...
> ??? But not "this poor couple was forced to live in this RV because of the
> sub-prime crisis."
>
> The last interview is with a guy that says he sold his house "for a lot
> less than I paid for it."  But he didn't take a bath on it, or so it
> seems, because he tells the reporter that after the sale, "I settled
> all my bills and now I'm homeless."  You don't "settle all your bills"
> if don't have equity in the house.
>
> And we can do some arm chair financial planning here and question his
> choices.  Um... pay off my bills and become homeless or take that
> money, rent a miserably small apartment, thus giving me a valid address
> which is critical when applying for a job, for pubic assistance, etc.,
> etc.  And then while living in the crappy apartment (but infinitely
> better than living in a tent city) he could pay minimums on his
> remaining bills with what money he has left or try and work out some
> lower payments with the creditors -- a standard procedure now happening
> more and more.
>
> But no, this guy chooses Option A and goes homeless.  Again, tragic
> story and again, we are left to assume this guy is a victim of the
> sub-prime mess, were as, I'm thinking, doesn't he have a job??  Why
> would he be homeless if he had a job?  Oh... I see, he lost his job,
> which probably means he couldn't pay his mortgage.  Ah, see, a victim
> of the LABOR MARKET, not the sub-prime crisis.
>
> I'm just saying...
>
>
>
> On 3/18/08 1:14 PM, "David Farber" <dave () farber net> wrote:
>  ________________________________________
>  > From: Michael Gurstein [gurstein () gmail com]
> >  Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 12:20 PM
> >  To: David Farber
> >  Subject: FW: [Futurework] America's new subprime shanty-towns
> >
> >  Might be of interest to IP...
> >
> >  MG
> >
> >
> >  -----Original Message-----
> >  From: futurework-bounces () fesmail uwaterloo ca
> >  [mailto:futurework-bounces () fesmail uwaterloo ca] On Behalf Of
> > M.Blackmore
> >  Sent: March 18, 2008 7:50 AM
> >  To: futurework () fesmail uwaterloo ca
> >  Subject: [Futurework] America's new subprime shanty-towns
> >
> >
> >  America's new subprime shanty-towns
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnnOOo6tRs8
> >
> >  Posted by Cory Doctorow, March 17, 2008 9:07 PM | permalink  In this
> > chilling BBC clip, a newsteam ventures to one of LA's new
> > shantytowns made up of people who've lost their homes in the subprime
> > meltdown and now live in tents, improvised shacks or RVs on abandoned
> > land.  It's the contemporary Hooverville, and, as the Subliterate
> > Cinephile notes,  I wonder why I found out about this from the BBC
> > and not US media. Link (via  The Subliterate Cinephile
>
>
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