Fall from Innocence

I am learning that reclusive author J.D. Salinger, author of “Catcher in the Rye,” carried with him the first six chapters of his novel with him when he landed on Normandy Beach during World War Two. At the time he hadn’t come up with the title of the book and referred to it as “my Holden Caufield novel.” Apparently Salinger’s master-work was shaped and informed by the horrifying events he witnessed and lived through during the “Great War.” This is from a recent biography of the author, who died just about a year ago, written by Kenneth Slawenski. Interestingly, prior to writing this biography, Slawenski’s primary literary claim to fame was maintaining a blog on J.D. Salinger called “Dead Caufields” (deadcaufields.com).

Salinger’s story of the bitter and scalded Holden Caufield and his struggle to emerge from adolescence into adult-hood is one of the few novels I actually read during my sentence in the public education system. Most of the books, my hormonal, forming brain couldn’t get into, couldn’t wrap around. I’ve since gone back and read a lot of those books we were supposed to read, and a lot of them are really good and worth reading; but at the time, my brain couldn’t hold onto and understand he words. Holden though, that acerbic, sarcastic, vulgar voice – I could definitely get my head around that one. I still think of the final image of the book – Holden trying desperately to keep the children from going over the edge of the cliff – often, maybe on a monthly basis.

The Emergence of the “New Media”

The blogosphere is quickly becoming the new media. Some people are mystified by this shift away from trained journalists and towards “citizen journalists” who are not compelled by any particular code of ethics. I heard one fashion blogger today talking about her ethics essentially being composed of her duty to her readership. But what is that duty? Accurate information? Or entertainment? And is this really very much different than the current, ratings-based system of commercial television news?

Myself I welcome the shift. For one thing maybe it will get the far right-wingers to stop whining about the “liberal media.” Get over it already. On top of that the expanding blogosphere will, at least in the short-term, break down and disseminate the sources of information. I believe strongly in de-centralization of power: the closer we are to the sources of power, the more influence and access we have on it and to it. This break-down of the traditional media sources; the newspapers, print magazines, and television news broadcasts; affords us with an opportunity to rise up and form our own organizations. Knowledge is power, language is power, information is power. When we get that power from some media conglomerate we are removed from that power and we have no influence over it. If we can shape the power so that it is smaller, comes from more sources, acts more responsively, and comes from closer to home – then we have greater ability to use that power.