Saw Mr. Bernstein towards the end on ABC, when I learned about his latest come-of-age memoir: Chasing History. In it he weaved through events, both personal and national, at the Star newsroom at age of 16, typing at 90 WPM ( WPM is now a bygone acronym) while his Dad himself used to work at the Washington Star.
His debut in the newsroom brought back memories: of my own interning i.e. working for free, at an ABC-affiliate, with UPI and AP coverage through the wire – that printer ran left to right and back- teletype and typewriters plus 3 monitors up in the corner (President Johnson used to watch those 3 networks side-by-side in the Oval Office) served as guardrails of Democracy. Mr Bernstein recalled the moment of silence (except for that very noise in the newsroom) when Kennedy’s casket was moved for the last time to become Camelot, eternal memory.
Mr Bernstein alludes to American changing culture, which he coins “Cold Civil War” slowly brewed during the past 30 years, and that DJT happened to come along as an ignitor. In other words, DJT took too much credits for all the work of Ralph Reed and the likes before him (he was in Moscow paying call girls to pee on Obama’s bed, in Ireland golf course etc.. not Lynchburg, or North Carolina to tout Culture War (L’Abri) like the Schaeffers’ “How Should We Then Live series”.)
At work, in the School of Journalism library on weekends, I noticed Ad Age as the most checked out ( it’s where the bucks stop) and writers/anchors kept editing until it’s time to be on-air (one can always find a better copy on the teleprompter at the last minute). It’s the same place where Mr Bernstein’s first love (almost married to) finally ended back up: State College.
Mr Bernstein urged our ABC audience to consider the context whereby “news” were determined. If we viewed news as a concentric circle, then the outer circles would be our tribes and our cultures at large. In short, viewers are people of the system (technological and industrial complex). He mentioned Nixon. And how at the time (of him and Woodward) a nucleus of GOP folks (Goldwater?) drew a line the sand (today’s Liz) and media coverage which forced Nixon to finally realize it would be pointless to erase those tapes without consequences (prison terms, like Colson and other cohorts).
Today, we saw Cohen, our new Colson, and soon Trump’s co-conspirators e.g. from Meadows to Giuliani in handcuffs (Could you please wipe the sweats for me?).
Can’t wait for a long hot hearing, with key witnesses and key (and- soft- and- back ) lights, exactly where earlier last year, insurrectionists stormed and ransacked while hunting down number 2 and 3 in line for succession. If succeeded, America would have taken after the USSR and North Korea.
No more discussions. No more debates. And no more deals.
Just a hand-me down verdict, fake and forged, from the one who would be King “because I said so”.
America has always envied of Britain. Deep down, it still wants to “worship” royalty and autocracy, even after its ancestors had fled and sworn never to return. Then the Red Coats invaded. Then J6 insurrectionists. A manifestation of self-enslavement in the absence of Monarchy and ignorance of Modern History (and its trajectory).
We keep fumble, keep “Hail Mary”. We rush and are always in a hurry …to nowhere (ask our Sec of Transportation). 5G for quick download and upload. Grounding those regional planes. The “Hurried Child” has “Amused herself to death” (with Television and now Twitter) to the tune of 4-9 hours in front of some screens. How many can type 90 WPM, or need to, when we can scroll 90 pages per minute?
We live without context and consistency. On campus, we used to jeer at ROTC, and now we want to shop Army and Navy surplus (to keep our Oaths, but not our promises).
We used to grow hair (like Neil Young) and look at life from Both Sides Now. And now, we couldn’t even button up our pants (like Falwell Jr – once nominated for Sec of Ed , always apprehensive for fear of be walked on in the middle of an orgy).
Culture war? Cold War? Civil war? Let’s mix them all up while we chase history, on the beat or in the news room, with AP wires that churn out raw products 24/7. “Copy” and copyboys were “dispensable” (per Vicky, my 6 0′ clock news producer). But in her rare and softer moment, her Sears’ side, she let it slide and my two-minute news piece (on Scranton trash strike) got aired. For my gag reel, for school. For the team. For God and Country.
We keep pledging our Allegiance to the Flag…one Nation, Omicron, under God…then of to couch surf. Even couch surfing is now a bygone phrase, just like Mr. Bernstein’s WPM and my 3/4-inch demo tapes. All those are now history we used to chase, at a personal or national level. His last pages show us just that, where everyone ended up, most are now buried underground, having left behind great pieces of journalistic endeavours.
Thang Nguyen 555 