declineoftheempire | George Carlin thought religion was the greatest bullshit story of
all time, and that's probably true. But in contemporary times, I think
National "Public" Radio is the greatest bullshit story.
Get this — Not only does NPR consistently represent
"establishment" interests while pretending to serve public interests,
but it also gets the public (through its local affiliates) to pay for
it! My local affiliate tells me every single day just how great "public"
radio is. How could I possibly live without it?
These earnest local boosters know of course that some time soon now
they will be begging for their jobs, and at that time they will
repeatedly remind me that the outstanding, in-depth NPR programming they provide to the Pittsburgh area is very, very expensive.
And you know what? People do pay for it. I think that's a great bullshit story.
Today I will deconstruct some "free trade" bullshit from National "Public" Radio. I enjoy doing this kind of thing and it passes the time. This story is ostensibly
about those Carrier air conditioning layoffs which made a political
splash in February. I've included the video in the deconstruction.
Over the past month, millions of YouTube viewers have watched what happens when a U.S. manufacturer announces a move to Mexico.
Click on the unsteady cellphone video,
shot at a factory that makes air conditioning, heating and related
equipment in Indianapolis, and you will see workers listening to a man
in a suit.
Watch it now.
He's telling them that their paychecks are headed to Mexico. "I want
to be clear, this is strictly a business decision," the man says. An
agonized, collective cry goes up. People swear, shout and look away.
Turns out, moving manufacturing jobs to Monterrey, Mexico, is more
than strictly business. It's also very personal, painful — and
political.
