I was downstairs having dinner with my family while watching CNN. The half an hour I spent watching CNN during dinner served as a microcosm for CNN’s coverage over the last few months; little or nothing was said about education, the economy, or healthcare. Instead, I was treated to non-stop coverage of the various US presidential candidates, including an in-depth breakdown of their body language (Hillary’s pointing and clapping vs. Barack’s mild wave vs. Mccain’s Vietnam-injury-encumbered two-handed half raise).

What punctuated this inane deluge of presidential campaign information? Scary facts about the Enemy! China is recruiting American-Chinese people to work as spies to steal American technology! Russia is up to their usual devious no-good ways! And then Hugo - I had no idea what Chavez was up to at this point as I was helping myself to more roast pork, but big close ups of scary Hugo in customary menacing red shirt accompanied by the threatening tone of the CNN news anchor sure worked me up good!

Had I been living under a rock for the last 22 years of my life, or stuck on a deserted island with a volleyball as my sole companion, and were I to have sat down to watch the last half hour (last few months’) CNN broadcasts, I would know of only two things in the world today:

1. US presidential candidates are the centre of the universe and it is imperative that I educate myself about the intricacies of their body language.

2. No other countries matter (Kenya, East Timor, Darfur), except vile enemy nations (China, Russia, Venezuela) who’re always up to dastardly deeds like stealing US technology.

Put one and two together; what message are we being shown? A combination of fear mongering and an overexposure toward the various presidential candidates. Something’s amiss. Switch on the TV and just leave it on CNN for 15 minutes, and think hard about the picture that’s being painted.

PS. My laptop has been dead for 2 weeks now. It doesn’t even switch on now. I will have to try to fix it again - for GOOD this time - during reading week ahead. Sparse blogposts until then.