Tweeting...and why you shouldn't.

Have you noticed that the entire journalism landscape here in America has changed dramatically over the past few years?

Time was when journalists were held in high regard.  There were only three TV stations, CBS (2), NBC (4) and ABC (7).  Yes, there were a couple of others, 9 and 11, and maybe 13, but they were predominately local in nature, and thus didn't carry national news.

Each of the above behemoth networks had their own featured news anchor, such as Cronkite, Brokaw and Jennings, who sat in the main chair when 5:00 p.m. came around.  Five O'clock was when the national news out of New York City went on the air.  It lasted one-half hour, and everything of national import was discussed, in depth, during that period.  That was all there was.  Nothing more, nor less.  One-half hour.  

I'm experiencing waves of nostalgia - and regret - wash over me about now...

And now?  There are more than 500 cable channels.  And at least 25 cable news channels which hold themselves out as supplying you, the CUSTOMER, with what they say is the "news."  And you know their names:  In addition to the three listed above, there's Yahoo News, Breitbart, Daily Caller, MSNBC, CNN, NPR, the Weekly Standard, Google, OAN, Hot Air, the Wall Street Journal, MSN, and, of course, the cable news leader, in all respects, Fox News.  And many, many more.

Oh wait, lest I forget, there's MediaMatters.org and MoveOn.org.  Life was breathed into these last two during the Billy Jeff "Blue Dress" Clinton impeachment trials by Uber-Left-Wing billionaire George Soros.  Like Tom Steyer, Bloomberg and Zuckerberg, these lefty deep pockets are all about buying elections for their redistributionist, Progressive  buddies.  We're talking more than $300 million in donations among them during the last General Election. 

But what you may not have noticed, nor thought about during that same period, is that journalism is no longer for journalists.  Now, EVERYBODY is a journalist!  Everybody with a phone or a computer can create a blog and weigh in with their opinion on anything and everything by offering up thoughts on Instagram, SnapChat, Facebook, and, of course, Twitter.  On a right-now basis.  And I personally believe they can be a corrosive influence on our relationships, our careers, our reputations and our lives... 

Just think:  Twitter gives you the opportunity to tweet real-time a picture of the burrito you just got at "Jose's."  Or is that "JoseB's?" Anyway, it seems you must believe that your friends, and just about everybody on Earth, for that matter,  cares about what you are having to eat.  But that's not the worst part.  Celebrities, politicians, educators, activists, terrorists and ordinary citizens like you and me are able to let the world know what we are thinking.  As if they care.  But it appears there's some basic, innate need for us to communicate with others, even when there's nothing of import to pass along.  It seems we just HAVE to do it!

And the trouble we get ourselves into by so doing can be monumental!  This past week a gigando female Muslim LGBTQMTBWPTSDZWX activist professor at Fresno State University here in Commiefornia let loose with several choice tweets about our recently passed former First Lady Barbara Bush.  Her tweet accused Mrs. Bush of being an "amazing racist" among other things. She offered up several other insults, none of which were appropriate.  She then opined that, because she was tenured, nobody, NOBODY could do anything about her terribly offensive tweets.  

Looks like the President of her school, who has seen his alum donations dry up, has a different opinion on her job security, as they are looking into separating her from her paycheck ASAP.  

Other celebritards, like Cher (and share alike?), DeNiro, Baldwin, Schumer and dozens of others are famous tweeters.  And they garner their fair share of enemies thereby.  Charise Theron tweeted last week that she might have to leave and go back home to South Africa because America has become so racist.  She seems to not know that South Africa is endeavoring to grab the property from the Whites who own it and redistribute it to Blacks who don't as a form of reparations.  Or something.  And that's not racist?  

She's kind of like the uninvited (but uber-welcome!) visitors from down south who come here, work, and then take their money and go home...

Let's look at our POTUS, one Mr. Donald J. Trump.  I would guess that fully 2 out of 3 tweets he pumps out gets him in some sort of trouble.  Trouble of such consequence that his press secretary and other staff and Cabinet members must spend the entire day cleaning it up.  I would offer that foregoing two out of three of those tweets might improve his favorability polls, deprive his enemies of something to bash him with, and maybe even cause a few on the fence to want to vote for him.  

The good news, however, is that his doing so pisses the LameStreamMedia off amazingly!  He's figured out how to bypass them and their biases, which drives them batty.  But yes, his foregoing some tweets might be the very best thing he could do.  For himself, and for the Country.  

You see, nobody knew what Babbsie Streisand's politics were until she told them.  And when she did, she automatically pissed off half of America.  And that half listens to music and buys records, too.  But no longer do they buy hers.  And when DeNiro shoots off his mouth, telling the world that he'd like to punch Trump in the face, he automatically forgoes the future revenue and fan support of the half of America that thinks his form of politics is abhorrent, ignorant, stupid, foolish and wasteful.   

Ummmm, like me. 

I don't care much for Tom Cruise.  But he's smart enough that, when asked once about his politics, answered:  "I'm an actor.  I don't have an opinion about politics."  Smart guy.  

One great thing about the spontaneous growth and acceptance of Citizen Journalism of late is that the Professional Journalist has been found out.  They in the main DO NOT hide their politics, as we've become so painfully aware over the past couple of years or so.  And they are not always that terribly talented, either.  I can name a dozen or more CJ's who have stepped up out of the shadows to make a name for themselves without the benefit (burden?) of a Journo degree.  Talent, as they say, will out...

So, even though I, The Chuckmeister, have a little unassuming blog, and opine frequently on all matters large and small, and even occasionally on those subjects about which I have some knowledge, I have chosen not to fire up a Twitter account.  Because I know that because of my mercurial nature, fast-draw lip and a tendency to do some of that "ready, fire, aim" stuff, I'm smart enough to limit myself to a more reasoned, thoughtful and comprehensive commentary.  Others should consider doing the same.  

How about this:  You keep your burrito, I'll keep my sanity?