“I don’t think any of us can do much about the rapid growth of new technology. However, it is possible for us to learn how to control our own uses of technology. The ‘forum’ that I think is best suited for this is our educational system. If students get a sound education in the history, social effects and psychological biases of technology, they may grow to be adults who use technology rather than be used by it.”
–Neil Postman (1931-2003)
In today’s “Washington Calling” section of the Journal Star, Scripps Howard News Service writer Lance Gay states, “As energy price increases soak through the economy, look for the Federal Reserve to change course to battle the horrors of stagflation, which last was seen during the Nixon administration.”
Um, try the Carter administration, Mr. Gay. Look it up.
I know this is old news, but I didn’t get a chance to comment on this at the time, and B.J.’s recent post about Ann Coulter reminded me of it again….
The Journal Star was all out of sorts on Thursday when syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts said in his column that Ann Coulter’s book “plays in Peoria.” They were so incensed, you would have thought the guy personally called up the editorial board and told them, “eh, your mother wears army boots.”
My advice to the PJS: let it go. He wasn’t talking about Peoria, Illinois, or the fine people who live here. The Miami-based Pitts probably can’t even readily locate Peoria on a map. “Does it play in Peoria?” is just a generic phrase that means “does it appeal to mainstream America?”
The JS said, “We tried to reach Pitts, without success.” Thank goodness! I hope they stopped trying. Can we please stop embarrassing ourselves by attempting to cleanse the English language of this phrase? Does the Indianapolis Star get incensed every time someone in Missouri uses “Hoosier” in a derogatory manner?
Pitts isn’t hurting Peoria’s reputation. Journal Star columnist Phil Luciano did more to embarrass Peoria when he appeared on the nationally-broadcast “Michael Feldman’s Whad’Ya Know” program on NPR in 2000 (“Peoria is 20 road houses and a strip joint”), but I don’t remember any hue and cry over that in the editorial page….