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‘Channel 5’ by Andrew Callaghan Is an Important Mirror for America
The lanky YouTuber in a purposefully-goofy suit might be more prescient than actual news networks
Living outside of America for the better part of a decade while being a massive critic of my home country’s politics, media, and government, I sometimes have a hard time explaining what a weird dumpster fire the US is in many ways.
The marketing of the country has been banging good. Decades of Hollywood movies have influenced the perception of every person on the planet. Many foreigners I talk to think there are some problems, but it is still mostly a country of white picket fences in nice suburbs and the quarterback-head-cheerleader couple leading pep rallies while super-fit doctors with incredible cheekbones are saving lives in an ultra-modern hospital ER before sneaking into a closet to continue their secret affair.
All that might exist somewhere, but it’s not reality for the average American. As they do in just about every nation, the media and cultural exports paint a much rosier picture than that of daily life.
The news can show slices of reality on the ground but in a hyper-focused and politically slanted way. Beyond acute natural disasters or protests, there are few places to see the side…
