Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Only men

A couple observations regarding the Day of Murdoch.

1. Watching and listening to father and son in front of British MPs, one can't help but sense the physical personification of the transnational corporatism and private power they represent and enable. Their accents are literally off-shore, with each sounding Australian, British, and American all at once. You couldn't easily place them if you didn't know where they were from.

2.They mightn't go to jail, or see their media empire crumble, but there they were, brought to heel by a state. All their wealth and power couldn't keep from a deeply embarrassing grilling by MPs. There was Rupert mumbling his way along, clearly very much wishing all this would go away and he could get back to whatever it is ancient billionaire moguls do with their time. And James, trying to be both humble and evasive all at once, obfu-chattering his way through simple questions like a student caught cheating but still thinking they might get away with it. 

All their wealth and power was set aside for a day and we got to see them as they are: Cowardly men caught in embarrassing scandal and making every excuse they can to avoid responsibility. 

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