Fraser Valley – Robert Linden retired from an illustrious broadcasting career in 2009. His resume includes News1130 Vancouver, CJIB Vernon, Standard Broadcast News and he was the News Director for CFVR Abbotsford, CHWK Chilliwack and CKGO Hope and their transition in the 90’s to Radio Max (along with the original Star FM now KiSS Radio).
In a Facebook posting, Linden reflects on the first anniversary of the January 6 political uprising in Washington DC. A “demonstration” orchestrated by the remarks of then US President Donald Trump.
His concern is blunt, it could happen here… and we are losing respect.
“On this, the eve of January 6th…
From decades of being an Editor and a News Director….I have a pretty good perspective on how North American public perceptions have changed about the world around us…and ourselves.
Instead of observers and readers, we have now become constant “participants” in media. Little did Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan realize his 1967 axiom “The Media Is The Message” and coining of the phrase “Global Village” would become amplified by our invention of and interaction with the Internet.
In recent years, as the entire world is now open to interpretation through the screen of the phone, our interaction with it has been simplified to the constant and immediate binary response of like and don’t like, agree and disagree, subscribe and don’t subscribe.
As a result, we have become seduced into valuing and exercising our own opinion FIRST, often with no thought required….just soliciting how you FEEL about it.
I say this because democracy is now under threat. Almost every issue has been reduced to black and white views of opposing sides, making months, if not years, of respectful debate and compromise unthinkable.
Fear has become tribal. Worse still, any opposition to a point of view is now “personal,” resulting in an angry reaction.
We are losing our experience of interacting with others: when to speak, when to listen, how to come to a solution that most of us can live with. Most of all, we are losing … respect.”
