"From beacon of change to crabby curmudgeon"

Those are Insty's words he used to describe Obama's commencement speech at nearby Hampton University:

US President Barack Obama lamented Sunday that in the iPad and Xbox era, information had become a diversion that was imposing new strains on democracy, in his latest critique of modern media.

Obama, who often chides journalists and cable news outlets for obsessing with political horse race coverage rather than serious issues, told a class of graduating university students that education was the key to progress.

"You're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank all that high on the truth meter," Obama said at Hampton University, Virginia.

"With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation," Obama said.

He bemoaned the fact that "some of the craziest claims can quickly claim traction," in the clamor of certain blogs and talk radio outlets.

"All of this is not only putting new pressures on you, it is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy."

Damn those outlets with information that distracts, that diverts, that make crazy quick traction claims.

They're hurting our democracy.  

And apparently, all these Americans are falling for it.

I guess we're so... gullible.

Crossposted at Wizbang.

Comments

[tim aka The Godless Heathen]

"You're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank all that high on the truth meter," Obama said at Hampton University, Virginia.

Yea, ya’ gott’a watch out for “all kinds of content and…kinds of arguments”.

Anyone who worries about the availability of information is someone to be very leery of. Most especially if that person is our president.

So much for the typical commencement address of ‘go forth and prosper’, ‘help your fellow man’, blah, blah…now we get President Strawman argument, ‘watch out for this, which I just pulled out’a my backside’.

Well who the freak are you? Let me be perfectly clear, we’re bright enough to figure this stuff out on our own. You aren’t the only one who can decipher bad information from good. Go play some more golf or practice your bow.

[Anya]

Part of his campaign strategy was to make full use of the new communications technology to quickly rally his supporters to action against the opposition. I particularly remember an instance when Milt Rosenberg had, as a guest on his radio program, an author who raised serious questions about Obama's link to Bill Ayers and his show was flooded with calls from Obama supporters which effectively canceled out any possibility of intelligent public discourse on the topic. Looks like this strategy didn't have much staying power as something he could control beyond the idealistic excitement of the campaign.