Journalists are either true politicians or just good at PR. (it's silly that they both mean the same thing)
I am in love with Max Weber. LOVE. Come Christmas break, he and I are spending lots of time together.
Ok. Done with the gush. Let me address journalists and power for two reasons: I actually know something about it and I currently work for a “boss.”
I was surprised at how much Weber really speaks to the present. If I hadn’t been warned that he was dead, I would have considered this book as a more modern text. Universal, yes, surprisingly. I found myself writing current events in the margins:
“Around one hundred thousand offices are no longer objects for booty after each election but are pensionable and dependent upon a candidate’s qualifications. (72)” This reminded me of the few offices left that are theoretically not dependent specifically on qualifications but rather on nominations. The Miers drama of the past few weeks, and the latest admonitions of the new nominee, is what Weber (what a god) seems to be talking about. I was surprised how fast the media was the first to point out her complete lack of qualifications. I was also surprised at how a dear friend of mine told me that he had only voted for Bush because he wanted a Supreme Court justice who would overthrow Roe v. Wade. The residuals of the monarchical system that have turned bureaucratic, in the US have left us with one leader who still has a little of the nomination/appointment power. Though the machine runs the system, he can put whosoever he wishes up for this appointment – and I was almost floored that my friend (a bright kid) voted for him only because of this particular power. People seem to know that the government and political machine are run by careerists who take the side they’re given, or who just work to make things work – the concepts on page 47 about what makes the American political system different from England’s still hold true (VERY true) today.
Back to my theme. I’m currently interning for a polling/strategic research firm. In my menial labor (which is actually really cool), I watch how the mastermind (the “boss,” or what have you), tries out nuances of language to figure out what works…not what works to promote his particular ideals, but what works to get the audience to agree with what his advisee wants them to agree with. It is almost disquieting to watch a non-politician (an advisor) hone exactly what will make people who didn’t initially agree with a point agree with it…without telling untruths. While I was reading, “The boss has no firm political “principles”; he is completely without convictions and is interested only in how to attract votes,” I couldn’t help but think about my internship. Crazy.
Finally, and briefly, I am still boggled that Weber wasn’t there for Hitler’s propaganda and for the terrible turn of the word propaganda. That he sees and states these fundamentals of modern media that are still so prevalent today. The universality of the Politics as a Vocation lecture apply directly to the likes of Joe Alsop (my favorite establishment columnist) and the propaganda war that would happen throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s, even after propaganda was so “taboo.” He really puts his finger on the role of journalists – not as the bearers of necessary truth, but as people who will tell it like the highest buyer wants it to be heard.
Ok. Done with the gush. Let me address journalists and power for two reasons: I actually know something about it and I currently work for a “boss.”
I was surprised at how much Weber really speaks to the present. If I hadn’t been warned that he was dead, I would have considered this book as a more modern text. Universal, yes, surprisingly. I found myself writing current events in the margins:
“Around one hundred thousand offices are no longer objects for booty after each election but are pensionable and dependent upon a candidate’s qualifications. (72)” This reminded me of the few offices left that are theoretically not dependent specifically on qualifications but rather on nominations. The Miers drama of the past few weeks, and the latest admonitions of the new nominee, is what Weber (what a god) seems to be talking about. I was surprised how fast the media was the first to point out her complete lack of qualifications. I was also surprised at how a dear friend of mine told me that he had only voted for Bush because he wanted a Supreme Court justice who would overthrow Roe v. Wade. The residuals of the monarchical system that have turned bureaucratic, in the US have left us with one leader who still has a little of the nomination/appointment power. Though the machine runs the system, he can put whosoever he wishes up for this appointment – and I was almost floored that my friend (a bright kid) voted for him only because of this particular power. People seem to know that the government and political machine are run by careerists who take the side they’re given, or who just work to make things work – the concepts on page 47 about what makes the American political system different from England’s still hold true (VERY true) today.
Back to my theme. I’m currently interning for a polling/strategic research firm. In my menial labor (which is actually really cool), I watch how the mastermind (the “boss,” or what have you), tries out nuances of language to figure out what works…not what works to promote his particular ideals, but what works to get the audience to agree with what his advisee wants them to agree with. It is almost disquieting to watch a non-politician (an advisor) hone exactly what will make people who didn’t initially agree with a point agree with it…without telling untruths. While I was reading, “The boss has no firm political “principles”; he is completely without convictions and is interested only in how to attract votes,” I couldn’t help but think about my internship. Crazy.
Finally, and briefly, I am still boggled that Weber wasn’t there for Hitler’s propaganda and for the terrible turn of the word propaganda. That he sees and states these fundamentals of modern media that are still so prevalent today. The universality of the Politics as a Vocation lecture apply directly to the likes of Joe Alsop (my favorite establishment columnist) and the propaganda war that would happen throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s, even after propaganda was so “taboo.” He really puts his finger on the role of journalists – not as the bearers of necessary truth, but as people who will tell it like the highest buyer wants it to be heard.
posted by Rebecca at 4:58 PM
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