He Said She Said

Many long years ago, there was a show at the — think it was the Fringe Festival in Scotland — called, “Jerry Springer: the Opera.”

Backstory, as I recall it, was that some UK author watched US (uniquely American) daytime TV, and was shocked, appalled, amused, frightened, or, more likely, “train-wrecked.”

The term, “train-wrecked” refers to an event or action that’s, as a viewer, we know we shouldn’t watch, but we can’t turn our head away; can’t divert our eyes. “It’s like a train wreck, can’t not watch.”

I saw the show, two, three times at least, while in London, after it had translated from a fringe-festival type of setting to London’s West End.

In the opera itself, as I recall, and my memory isn’t reliable, there was a passage wherein one character was had a line about, “He Said She Said that they said,” and its chorus?

“It doesn’t really matter.”

Having been a lightening rod myself for smaller controversy, looking at the current astrological and political upheaval?

Reminds me of a scene from old Austin, back in the day.

He Said She Said

Then Gov. Ann Richards (D) was stumping against that upstart from Midland, George Junior (R), her looking for a second term (not really trying hard) and him looking to change employment. My own mother had flown into town for business, and we had breakfast at the old Magnolia Cafe on South Congress. Back before it was too cool. Mom brought a Dallas Morning News, at the time, an arch conservative voice in the Texas media landscape. I had an Austin American Statesman, rather more liberal in its leanings at the time, and both claimed to be objective journalism.

Both papers had a story about an appearance by Gov. Richards, the previous evening, in — fading memory — College Station. Both reports, maybe 500-1000 words, perhaps a few column inches on the front page of the second or third section? Same event. Same speech. Same location. Same location in the paper, apparently same coverage.

The Austin-American Statesman suggested it was a powerful, uplifting message, a strong speech.
The Dallas Morning News suggested is was a weak and dissembling talk. Accused her of mumbling.

Leftist-rightist, Austin liberal versus Dallas conservative?

Covering the exact same source, two very different conclusions.

He Said She Said

One of my buddies on Twitter — I follow his feed for tech material, not politics — his feed, in the sake transparency, I’m middle of the road liberal and he’s just short of jackboot thug fascist conservative, he suggested — alarmingly cogent — that the way “social media” reacted to the political storm? My buddy wanted to know if we were all watching the same hearing.

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