The Nose: Parallel Worlds Of Public Discourse

In the news this week, there were pyrotechnics from New York's combative Republican candidate for governor and a tragedy at Rutgers where the suicide of a young man was preceded by his roommate's use of a webcam to broadcast his private life. There was also the release of a movie about the somewhat ignoble origins of Facebook as a way for a young man to lash back at the women of Harvard, an online crusade against a gay student by a Michigan assistant attorney general, a CNN personality's vaguely anti-semitic response to Jon Stewart, and consternation in Congress about a committee appearance by Stephen Colbert.

Are there some common threads about public discourse, civility and authenticity? On the Nose, we think so. We think we see two parallel universes, one driven by TV and the internet where inauthenticity and vindictiveness win the day, and another, quieter place where people yearn for real conversation.

Do people forget, in certain situations, that what they're doing is real and not just a pose?  Leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.