|
It's not an inaccurate statement. Political voices in media have to be sponsored, i.e. they have to be popular enough with the people who vote with their wallets for advertisers to want to pay for airtime. Fame is fickle and even I've taken weak steps to ensure that what I say on the forums doesn't come back to bite me (although it'd be simple enough here to realize the company I co-own but harder to realize the other company I co-own). I don't talk politics with my clients. Don't want to bite the hand that feeds you? Don't open your mouth. Very few people need our voices; they may need our contributions to the argument, sure, but that can be done entirely anonymously. We want to be heard, for our opinion to matter, but fact drives the world.
I've helped by contributing to the side conversations, by adding noise that people have to filter for signal. I've voted for Republicans just because they had an R next to their name, knowing nothing, and I've voted for Republicans just because they weren't Democrats. That's a problem, and I'm sorry for it.
|