Media Sophisticate

By Pam Lutrell
Now that Campaign 2008 has drawn to a close, one thing everyone can agree on is that CHANGE is in progress. American culture has changed… evangelicals have changed… and communications have changed. The results of these changes find us in a very polarized nation today with issues on the table no American president can zap away.

Near the end of the campaign first graders in San Francisco were on a field trip to witness the marriage ceremony of their lesbian teacher. Movies were released ridiculing Christianity (Religious), disrespecting President Bush (W), and with soft core porn scenes throughout (Sex in the City). More leaders were exposed for lack of good judgment in the area of morality (Rep. Tim Mahoney of Florida). A large number of Americans became more concerned about their bottom line than about a candidate’s associations with a number of people who hold extremist values. Socialism began to creep into the political system without notice or care from the populace.

Throughout the campaign, changes grew among those who identify themselves as evangelical Christians. Once solidly in the conservative camp, many younger evangelicals were drawn to the liberal messages in this election. In fact, one prominent son of a local evangelist spent hours online in an effort to sway his Christian counterparts to vote Barack Obama. His main reason for supporting Obama centered on global poverty. However, this particular young man seems to have grown weary of what he describes as grumpy, hateful words from conservative voices. Yes, the labels have changed. Obama, himself, said in a January 2007 Chicago Sun Times article, “Gosh, I’m not sure if labels are helpful here because the definition of an evangelical is so loose and subject to so many different interpretations. I came to Christianity through the black church tradition where the line between evangelical and non-evangelical is completely blurred. Nobody knows exactly what that means.”

The Christian Post reported from an Obama campaign event on March 27, 2008 in North Carolina that the candidate is blurred on at least one other key distinction. At this event, Obama said that there is a different way to heaven for Jews, Muslims, and well behaved non-believers.

No matter what he believes, Obama is an historical figure and how the media was utilized in this campaign was historical as well. He was able to outspend candidate John McCain three to one in television advertising which included a major purchase of the OBAMA channel on DISH 73….weeks of 24/7, wall-to-wall Barack. Major League Baseball was even willing to delay the first pitch of a World Series game in order to accommodate Obama advertising. Gamers were greeted consistently with Obama billboards embedded throughout the games. Face book groups… MySpace groups… constant emails… text messages…all intended to drive the youth of America to the polls. But, even with more communications than we have ever known, Americans appear to be less educated than when the daily newspaper was the best option for news. Surveys revealed that Americans went to the polls with less knowledge of what the candidates actually stood for and with less knowledge of the state of the world. Many voters even admitted that they were not exactly sure what the candidates meant by change. Most voters could not specifically tell the pollster what was in either candidate’s economic plans. Many simply voted on charisma and the ability to communicate rather than on principal.
But, nevertheless, to the victor comes the spoils and to the victims comes the CHANGE.