The most influential mainstream media is close to ignorant of anything that happens outside their liberal bubble, and when they do venture out into hostile red territory, it’s with a mixture bewilderment and wonder, something I’ve referred to as “going on Safari.”
In April 2009, I wrote about the phenomenon, Looking At Tea Parties Through Binoculars, Like On Safari (emphasis added):
I attended the Tea Party in Corning, NY, yesterday. There was a good crowd in this relatively small town in western upstate NY (several hours from NY City), several hundred in total. Corning is home to Corning glass and Steuben glass. The entire region has been hit hard by the exodus of jobs to less tax intensive parts of the U.S. and abroad.I don’t remember which speaker said it, but one of them described how politicians from New York City come up to the region so that they can say they have visited the countryside, and stare at the inhabitants as if through binoculars, like on safari.And that description was a metaphor for what is motivating the Tea Parties and fueling the outrage. Taxes are the issue, but the problem is much deeper. There is a complete disconnect between the politicians who raise taxes to benefit people who do not pay taxes, and the people who pay taxes.And a complete lack of respect, epitomized by the derisive coverage of the Tea Parties by the mainstream media, and the phony campaign staged by Media Matters to dismiss the Tea Parties as a creature of Fox News. The truth is that the mainstream media and liberal elites don’t even try to hide their disdain for most of the people in America. And people understand that better than you think.
I followed up on the theme in January 2017, NY Times goes on safari to Texas, struggles to understand natives’ love for their “trucks”:
I remember traveling to Texas when I was in private practice, meeting a lawyer who was investigating a possible investment fraud case who wanted me to get involved.I’m pretty sure it was in San Antonio.What I remember most about the trip was the lawyer’s “truck,” or as we say in more refined circles, pickup truck. It was yuge. I don’t recall the specifications on it, but I’m guessing it had as many cylinders as could be had, had a full backseat with its own doors, and was yuge (but I repeat myself). Pretty sure I needed a ladder to get into the vehicle, though my memory might be a little hazy on that part.The other things I remember is that while we were driving, it began to hail. Not hail like we have in the Northeast. Hail the size of f-ing golf balls. He quickly headed for a parking area under an apartment building, and we waited it out….The NY Times went on safari to Texas, and it has an article about a peculiar love of the natives for trucks, Rodeo Offers a 90-M.P.H. Glimpse of Texans’ Truck Mania….
Politico once went on safari, in February 2020, and didn’t like what it found, Politico goes on safari to Trump rally, finds joy and celebration
We’ve all seen how the mainstream media lives in NY and DC bubbles. Regardless of where they came from, they often embody the shock at how people outside the coastal and liberal bubbles live.They *literally* didn’t know anyone who voted for Trump, so they were shocked that 60 million people did so. On campuses, which are feeding grounds for journo bubbles, there were crying circles on election night 2016.Media outlets like Politico are determined not to ignore the deplorables in 2020, so they are going on safaris to observe those strange Trump-supporting beings….It ran an article recently about The unexpected joy at a Trump rally in Iowa…If you have to ask, you’ll never understand Tea Party events were just as joyous, though portrayed in the media as a national security threat. You had to be there.If you find the joy “unexpected,” you are part of the problem.
Now The Washington Post wants to go on safari, to Texas, that strange whole other country. WaPo is advertising:
Job posting: The Washington Post is looking for an enterprising reporter based in Texas to document life in red state America and develop a new beat mapping the culture, public policies and politics in a region shaped by conservative ideology.
Here’s part of the Job Description (with my explainers in brackets):
The Washington Post is looking for an enterprising reporter [someone who can exaggerate and mislead] based in Texas to document life in red state America [the smelly part of America] and develop a new beat [gain alot of Twitter followers and get a blue check mark] mapping the culture, public policies and politics in a region shaped by conservative ideology [The Handmaid’s Tale].The ideal candidate is a seasoned journalist who will unearth revelatory stories [look at the freaks] about a part of the country that is governed largely by one political party [no, not California, New York, Illinois, or other blue states, the icky red ones]. We want a reporter who is a graceful writer [lol] and can deliver both intimate personal stories [doxx ’em] and high-elevation pieces that illuminate the forces driving political polarization. This reporter must have a quick metabolism [in time for the next election cycle to help Beto] and the ability to recognize news developments that shed light on the currents reshaping American culture.We are seeking someone who is enthusiastic about working cooperatively with colleagues who specialize in visual journalism, graphics and data reporting to elevate their coverage. As a member of the America team, this reporter would also be called upon to help cover major breaking news, such as weather-related disasters or mass-casualty events.
Short version: WaPo wants a seasoned journalist who can take a hatchet to people WaPo hates (most of Texas and red states), to mock them, and to do what was done to the Tea Party and Trump supporters, find some outlier and taint the entire state and movement with that person.
WaPo will get what it wants, it has sounded all the dog whistles in its job announcement.
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