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Get a Clue

Edgy MD Oct 02 2014 08:01 AM

When Steve Jobs died, The Onion ran a story headed "Last American Who Knew What The Fuck He Was Doing Dies." Like most Onion articles, the headline was the funniest bit. The Onion, itself, may these days be just another institution that has lost their grip on their basic competency. I'm thinking about this a lot these days, living in Charm City, setting for The Wire and that show's general theme of institutional dysfunction everywhere you looked --- cops, City Hall, unions, schools, media. But the week of reading revelations about the Secret Service has been a real punch in the face. Every day you think THAT'S INCREDIBLE! I HOPE IT'S AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, and then bam! pow! another black eye the next day for the elitist of elite forces. THEY DIDN'T RELEASE THE ATTACK DOG BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID HE WOULD ATTACK OTHER AGENTS?! SERIOUSLY?! What's the point of having a dog at all? Thinking about this plague of not-knowing-what-the-fuck-we-are-doing this morning as I am a media guy, covering international health in part, and reading about the first case of ebola diagnosed in the US, and the fucking Centers for Disease Control, who you would hope runs a tight ship, release the news through a release headed this way: For Immediate Release Tuesday, September 30, 2014 Embargoed until 5:30 pm ET (4:30 p.m. CT) Now you can bold and color line three all you want. It's blatantly contradicted by line one, and so OF COURSE the media went with the story, and information about a potential plague was leaked before it's time. That's not CONTROL! No massive panic, but... how do you fuck this up? Just a PSA, for us all to challenge our institutions to stop fucking around.

cooby Oct 02 2014 08:04 AM Re: Get a Clue

Robin Cook will use this in his next book

Ceetar Oct 02 2014 08:07 AM Re: Get a Clue

information leaks. That would've gotten out anyway but they should've held the release longer. Personally I think this general dysfunction and police abuse and racist hiring practices and all of it are not new. They're just...exposed. I think we're in the transition period where we're separating the bad from the merely "this is the way we've always done it" and finding the right* way to do it. *surely the right way will be found in 20-30 years to be ignorant and misguiding, and I wish people would realize that possibility when they get on their high horses about reform.

Edgy MD Oct 03 2014 07:41 AM Re: Get a Clue

I'm wondering about our bitter cultural divide. If we assume malice is behind every failure, rather than stupidity, we perhaps allow stupidity to flourish.

Ceetar Oct 03 2014 07:51 AM Re: Get a Clue

Edgy MD wrote: I'm wondering about our bitter cultural divide. If we assume malice is behind every failure, rather than stupidity, we perhaps allow stupidity to flourish. I think there's a little bit of squeaky wheel to the 'bitter cultural divide'. The Internet magnifies things and those of us that are ardently wishy-washy or reserved in opinion and judgement get shouted down.

Edgy MD Oct 03 2014 07:58 AM Re: Get a Clue

No doubt.

Ceetar Oct 03 2014 08:08 AM Re: Get a Clue

Edgy MD wrote: No doubt. see? even you're doing it. so conclusive. so final! ;-)

Edgy MD Oct 03 2014 08:43 AM Re: Get a Clue

Another Secret Service fuck-up reported this morning.

Edgy MD Oct 03 2014 11:25 AM Re: Get a Clue

Here's a big "Nobody Has a Clue What They Are Doing" story breaking today in The Times. It's about a teacher/physical therapist suspended for doing too good a job. Hits home because she's my nephew's teacher/physical therapist.