My default view of RTE [1] is that it is there to serve a purpose. It has a very specific function. It is there to interpret local, national and international events for us and keep us on message.
Let us imagine ourselves as Flann O’Brien did, the plain people of Ireland (PPOI) uncertain what to think in these confusing troubled times. The state has a definitive line which they want us to follow. RTE is the State broadcaster so both the content and the method in whic
h we are informed usually illustrates what the line is from the State. The State has a message. RTE is paid for by the State so they insure that the information is often sandwiched in between the message in order to keep their pay masters happy. Of course RTE is paid for by us the tax payers and we might want a free independent media to ask the hard questions and to investigate the dirty deeds done cheap behind closed doors that the dogs in the street know about, but that is both a different post.
The assumption is that the PPOI are a bit deaf to the message so all our information has to be sandwiched in the message. RTE acts like an ear trumpet for us. On the other end of that Ear trumpet is all sorts of messages being poured in. A lot of the message is poisonous and leads to a feeling of helplessness.
Examples of this are
‘We are where we are’ – which is like a mantra message at this stage and if you listen to it you will find it being said a lot by various people in the STATE broadcaster.
‘Given the current economic reality’ – which is an excuse to take more cuts and shut up.
Joe Duffy is the ring master in the circus of reaction that is live line.
The State, Iago like is pouring that poison and we are there at the other end letting it seep right into our cerebrum. RTE is the carrier – try and get the information without the message.
About the only thing that was true that I heard on RTE in the last few years was Enda Kenny’s line ‘Let me say this, you are not responsible for this crisis’.
Therefore, I thought it was interesting that the two films which they choose to screen for our entertainment over the recent festive season.
On Christmas Day we had ‘The Baader Meinhof Complex’ the cinematic story of the Red Army Fracktion which was a bit of a sex & drugs & revolutionary bank jobs of a film. The message in case you might miss it is that this is what crazy ultra left wing groups are like; they are lead by sociopaths, and hanging out with young ideologues on the left will get you jailed at best, and killed at worst.
St. Stephen’s day our exploration of German cinema on RTE brought us ‘Downfall’ – the story of Hitler’s last days in der bunker. The message could be, cheer up at least it’s only Angela Merkel that we are under and the Frankfurt group and not this bunch of mental fascist gangsters.
RTE just gave us a crash course in some German history of the 20th century.
Goodbye Lenin – a film about a young man’s attempt to keep Capitalism out of his sick mother’s perfect world of the GDR as the wall came down, didn’t make it onto our screens. (By the Way I am not a fan of the GDR or any State for that matter) My guess is that there is no clear message here to be learned here except that it is not possible to keep Capitalism at bay.
Sure, we are where we are and it’s the only way out of our current mess (created by the markets which are the hound dogs of ………..Capitalism).
So put your back into it, stop being a Hardy Buck, and starting thinking about making a buck. Create your own jobs, show some initiative because this Government isn’t doing either.
Let us turn the FÁS offices into Leprechaun museums. Oh wait, that’s been done already. Think of something else.
[1] The State Broadcaster Radio Telefís Eireann or phonetically speaking ‘ARRR Tee Eee’ – as they all sign off with on their news reports, listen out for it, This is Kieran Mullooley up to his neck in water near Ballynaheglish, for Arr Tee Eee.
