Barack Obama lamented Sunday that “with iPads and iPods,” information has become a distraction that is putting new pressures on the U.S.A. and “democracy.”
“‘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,” AFP reports. “‘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.”
MacDailyNews Note: During the 2008 election, KCAL-TV covered Candidate Obama’s advertisements placed inside eighteen of Microsoft’s Xbox video games:
Direct link via YouTube here.
AFP continues, “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… We can’t stop these changes… but we can adapt to them,’ Obama said, adding that US workers were in a battle with well-educated foreign workers. ‘Education… can fortify you, as it did earlier generations, to meet the tests of your own time,’ he said.”
Full article here.
Obama’s commencement address at Hampton University:
Direct link via YouTube here.
[Update: 2:08pm EDT. Pulled the Take because the point we were attempting to make seems to have been either too satirical or not satirical enough. Our fault, not yours. We blame the weekend help.]
[Update: 11:37pm EDT. Added link to 2008 report on Obama campaign’s ads in Xbox video games. Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
[Update: 11:59pm EDT. Added link to Obama’s commencement address at Hampton University. Thanks to MacDailyNews reader “Algr” for the heads up and the nice compliment.]
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “TowerTone” for the AFP article heads up.]
I’m done with MDN. MDN, you are a bunch of stupid assholes who don’t allow freedom of speech. Complete dickheads — you just write shit in order to get hits.
Shit for hits. That’s what you’re about and that is what Obama is trying to say.
Shit for hits. Fsck you MDN.
The point BO was making was information outside of the mainstream must be suspect. Only the collective ideology espoused by the elite liberal media is true. Wake up populace, don’t delude yourselves with non mainstream media, they are indeed wrong. Only through proper “balanced” university propaganda can you think straight! Only the Europeans, Indians, Chinese, Mexicans etc. who have the “correct” education, can understand the complexity of the president’s and current legislature’s dogma.
I think the one of the biggest dangers now is that people will only accept news from outlets that agree with their position. On the other side of the coin; what media outlet provide the just the facts and not a distorted editorial. None I’m afraid. They’re all biased and politically motivated.
Some MDN readers say they are shutting their minds and deleting their bookmarks.
Those celebrity-worshiping squacks won’t be missed here, but unfortunately, most of them will probably return anyway.
Kudos to MDN for posting this article.
Keep in mind this is the same Obama who is NOW criticizing electronic media overexposure that once advertised and campaigned using video game adverts.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/05/09/flashback_obama_advertises_in_video_games_during_2008_election.html
He’s a hypocrite and a one-termer.
i agree with the president a little. small lies do get bigger with our new media. I also agree with the distraction principle. I really want to buy an iPad, but the more I review the reasons for wanting one – an e-book reader- the more I am leaning against it. Yes, it has all of the web, lots of apps etc, but if you really want to read a book, that’s a massive distraction.
Sometimes I shut everything off, TV, Radio, Stereo, computer, pager, iphone, other gadgets just to escape it all. He’s got a point. I think that was what he was saying rather than the political dribble that this always turns into.
Just my 2 cents.
So MDN, were finances down a little this quarter, with you stopping the pop unders? I am really trying to fathom why you posted this. Was it for Hits? Are you getting paid by the page or by the comment to show popularity? There seems to be a trend here. Every once in a while, some political dribble is introduced and the folks on the left or the right go nuts. It’s like stirring up a bunch of natives. What was your point here?
One other thought by a man whom I think has most of our respect – no matter your politics… but who knows…
“History is full of people who out of fear, ignorance, or lust of power have destroyed knowledge of immeasurable value which truly belongs to us all.
We must not let it happen again.”
– Carl Sagan
What happened to Mac only news? You post any article that has the slightest mention of ANY Apple product and you call this a Mac news site? I too am getting tired of all this unrelated/useless “Mac news”.
AppleInsider.com here we come!
OMG! MDN, what a load of inflammatory, purposefully misquoted, non-objective load of bull@##$.
I’ve read what’s here. I’ve read what was actually stated and the context of what was stated, and this is pure slanted crap writing at it’s best, just to appeal to those that already carry their prejudices in hand.
@TT:
“”By which you mean, “You’re not agreeing with me and I don’t understand why.”
No, I meant exactly what I said.
And I understand why you and other leftist believe what you do.
You see, I have an open and tolerant mind.
But I still don’t agree with most of you……”
I understand why you and other righties believe what you do, too.
I don’t agree with most of you either.
But I have an open and tolerant mind, too. You don’t think so, though, because you can’t accept that someone can be open-minded and tolerant and still hold opinions different than yours.
BTW, I’ve been a daily reader of MDN for several years now, but now that the “MacDailyNews Note:” red insertions are all suspect dribble, I think we can safely say, you’ve lost this reader.
Thanks for the previous good times… MDN. Feel free to post anything on AppleInsider.com, that’s where most of your old readers will be.
@islandgirl:
Tonight I spent some time with someone I know who is very religious and prone to conspiracy theories and the like. At one point in our conversation she started deriding Big Bang Theory as “just a theory.” I had the usual conversation one has with a Creationist over the different aspects of the word “theory,” interrupted by someone else with a scientific definition, and I expounded on scientific method. At last, she responded with, “I don’t have to believe it if I don’t want.”
There you have the foundation of today’s right wing. In their entitled way, they don’t think they have to believe certain things, despite facts disagreeing with them. Because they have Constitutional rights, they’ve taken that sense of entitlement to mean they have their own reality. They believe in what they want to believe, facts be damned, and if they don’t want to believe something, nothing can budge them. They’ll latch onto the least atom of support for any idea before giving it up.
This is why we still have birthers, people who think the President is a Communist who wants to destroy America, racists, and conspiracy theorists.
For people who lack intelligence,as always, it hurts to finally have a smarter president than they deserve…
“Think different”
@Macrelated
RDM is Roughly Drafted Mag. You claimed to read it, and I am letting you know it often reveals a political bend in the writer.
@Macrelated
“Also MacRumors,TUAW, MacNN and Roughly Drafted to name a few. It is refreshing to read these other sites w/o the political b*******.”
@John Gee
I think of roughly drafted by that name rather than it’s initials. So I wasn’t sure what you were referring to.
I recently began to read RDM and don’t specifically recall a strong political stance.
I also don’t seem to find comments by readers that devolve into vitriolic political statements.
As I recall none of the articles I have seen were aimed at any political figures. Most of the articles provide detailed analysis of Apple related items.
I think their is a difference between having a political bend but at least being correct on the facts and a consistent negative slant with twisted facts and embellished by vitriolic posters.
MDM should heed it’s own advice to advertisers using flash and apply it to it’s own promoting of vitriolic political attacks.
They apparently are less interested in boosting and keeping readership than in fomenting attacks on any person or idea that they deem to be on the “left”.
That is not a great way to get the maximum number of readers showing up and clicking on adds.
It is the duty of a responsible government to protect it’s people from the distraction of confusing and untrue information.
– Information Ministry of China
@Macrelated
What John Gee is trying to say is that –
Daniel Eran Dilger (aka Prince McLean) of Roughly Drafted Magazine (aka RDM) often politicalises his Apple related articles with small L liberal views that are critical of the Republican perspective.
Information has always been a “distraction” for dictators and tyrants.
The only information a tyrant likes, is the information he controls.
Look for federal control of the internet next … gotta control all that distracting information …
… and we wondered how Nazi Germany came to power?
A few quotes from Thomas Jefferson:
“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it.”
“I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion.”
“Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”
“Force is the vital principle and immediate parent of despotism.”
These efforts have been going on for years in the legislator, where liberals trying to silence dissent by introducing the “Fairness Doctrine”. A blatant attempt to silence successful conservative radio shows.
Since they could not compete with Rush, even after pumping in millions into Hot-Air America.
Obama says “‘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”.
The real issue is that Obama doesn’t want other arguments to distract you from his own arguments which don’t always rank all that high on the truth meter.
The real issue is that the MSM covers for him and technology allows others to let the sunshine in. Sunshine really bothers corrupt political officials.