I am disheartened by the continuing destruction of media in America. My primary interest is print, and the related consigns, but much is the same across all disciplines. Publishing, books, poetry, magazines, newspapers, photography, art, have been my loves almost from the time I left the cradle.
I remember the few books I had during childhood as treasures. The photographs came back after weeks, and were a surprise, did I get the shot or something other? Humpty Dumpty magazine was read repeatedly and the puzzles all done. School newspapers on pink paper smelling of mimeograph ink with a poem or two of my own were the height of achievement. Reading about the health hazards of smoking, in Reader’s Digest, and other concerns kept me somewhat abreast of the world. Having to get the AJC because we did current events once a week, was a pleasure, otherwise, I would never have seen a newspaper.
There is a great deal of media on offer these days for no cost if one knows how to circumnavigate the paywalls. I understand the desire to save money, I acknowledge spending on media may seem unwarranted, unnecessary, and even a luxury. There is an unfortunate lack of vision in that attitude.
For writers, artists, photographers, editors, any creatives to continue in their respective fields they must be paid. Living costs money for them just as for executives, health-care professionals, teachers, legal representatives, politicians, engineers, and any other profession we might name.
If media outlets are not receiving money through advertising, subscriptions, or sale of publications, the compensation paid to creatives continues to shrink. The more talented creatives seek other avenues to make revenue and the overall quality of media available degrades until there is little veracity in what is produced.
Generally, if a creative produces intellectual property, there is an expectation of payment. If as creatives, we are not investing in the properties of others, how are we to expect others to finance us?
Invest in media for the future of media, the fewer funds go into media, the more significant the lack of truth presented will become. The people, particularly creatives, need to save the press through an infusion of time, talent, and money. If we don’t, who will? If not now, when? There is a tipping point where a downward spiral cannot be stopped. Let us never reach that point.
© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
I am grateful:
- I have recently realized that one of the groups I listened to when younger have a more extensive repertoire than I was aware.
- Reading continues to carry me places I never would go, introduces me to characters I would never know, teaches me things I would otherwise fail to learn.
- Writing continues to be a pleasure in my life, though I have doubts about the worth of my expressions.
- There is currently food in the house.
- The dogs are doing tolerably well.
Blessings…
Computers connect worlds of people who never knew they needed one another but give each other hope.
Books can transport us from the mundane to the fantastic, or teach us how to love one another.
Phones can bring the voice of a loved one from far off, up close and personal.
Music can lift the spirit when everything seems to have fallen apart.
Video can show us things we might not discern without its illumination.
Art can bring us joy and teach us strength.
People, God places in our lives to teach us to love, give, believe, grow, hope, become who we are.
The Cuckoo Clock
It was a gift
From my son
When he was
A Marine,
Brought authentic
From Germany
Early in his enlistment.
It stayed in its box,
A fateful bird caged,
Because mother
Would not deign
To have it on a wall
In our common areas;
My encroachment.
Freed, I brought
It to a wall, hung
It where it might
Arbitrate day and night,
The hours which
Pass with sylphlike
Swiftness away.
Now, it seems
I am ill-equipped
To keep it enlivened
Because the chains,
I often fail to pull,
And it stops
A jarring silence.
Still, as often as
I may, I set it
In motion, loving
Its ticking,
Its cuckooing,
The comfort of
Its company.
© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Sunday, March 3, 2019
As a prompt: Explore your relationship with media and evaluate whether you should make changes in your expenditures on consumption to bring you goals for creative compensation in line with your desires for quality. Perhaps, a written Pro vs. Con evaluation would help you come to a valid conclusion.
But my smile still stays on… – Freddie Mercury of Queen The Show Must Go On
