Waggle

Kirn cites this short clip of Tom Wolfe interviewing McLuhan. They’re discussing the value of turning off mass media, which is unquestionable and unsurprising. I’ve been doing it for many years.

McLuhan says that all mass media is intentionally wrong, which is also unquestionable and unsurprising. Insiders have been telling us occasionally for centuries. If you compare “news” with your own experience, at points where the comparison is possible, you’ll realize that the “news” is always wrong.

Mac also says that in situations like prison camps with no media access, rumors spread wildly. Nope. Backwards as usual. What Mac calls rumors are just ACTUAL NEWS about topics that are ACTIONABLY INTERESTING to the people. Neurons seeking remote senses. Communities always trade gossip, just as bees do a waggle dance to point the direction to food. This is how GENUINE COMMUNICATION works when not manipulated by Deepstate.

What I find interesting in this clip is the extrovert/introvert contrast. I’ve seen Wolfe a few times but I’ve never seen McLuhan on film. Wolfe is the perfect extrovert. Dramatic colors on clothes, sprawling comfortably and easily in the lawn chair, owning the territory. Mac is the perfect introvert. Mousy colors, stiff and uncomfortable, not knowing where to put his hands or his face.