“Ego trips by coteries of self-exalting people are treated in the media as idealism, rather than the petty tyranny it is.”

Ego trips by coteries of self-exalting people are treated as idealism by coteries of self exalting petty tyrants of the media to whom earnest idealism is utterly alien.

Self-evident to those working behind the 'scenes.' The lust for power and influence are driving factors. When people talk about campaign financing, they are literally talking about media financing -- all those millions upon millions raised get spent in the media. Professionals in producing 'the narrative' direct the talking heads to "get into character" -- it is a 'program', with a narration consumers are encouraged to adopt as their own inner voice. The 'actors' embrace their roles with a dollop of self-delusion, treating the script as gospel, and believing their own twist of the truth. The invention of new words and the changing of the meaning of old words fashions a false reality full of hobgoblins to war upon. I turned off broadcast TV many years ago, and it has been very liberating. I was embarrassed to discover how much I was merely parroting things I heard on TV -- even I did not believe myself as soon as I caught myself saying them. What other BS have I consumed?!