Exiled in America...Pearl Jam compass
MK106165
Posts: 38
Hi guys,
I can't believe I've been a Pearl Jam fan since 1991 and this is my first post to the forum. What the hell is my problem? lol Anyway, as a long time fan I think I have a pretty good idea of the tastes and political views of the majority of PJ fans. So, I wanted to make a plea to you guys to support me and my book Exiled In America: A Gen-X Journalist's View on Life, Politics, Culture, Religion and Social Control in the 21st Century. This is not a corporately backed book (I guess I didn't scream loudly enough about mice having human brains to interest corporate houses). I really just chose to to say the hell with it after my 30th rejection letter stated in a handwritten note that circled two items in my proposal letter "world run by public relations persuasion specialists" and "right wing whack jobs" with the response "not for us" and "your criticisms seem inflammatory, not our style." I just decided to go unfiltered since it is an anti-corporate fascism and anti-media model. There is no synergy or corporate glad handing for these guys to promote. A little about me briefly: I worked as a journalist/editor for daily and weekly newspapers for a decade for companies like Gannett (Shreveport Times) and the Sun-Sentinel Community Newsgroup (Florida). I was also a national music journalist for publications like Metal Edge, Metal Hammer and Creative Loafing, among others. I quit in 2003 because I was tired of the corporate ethics trumping journalistic ethics. My experience in Shreveport, especially following 9/11 (you might recall Barksdale Air Force Base was where Bush first addressed the nation is in Shreveport) really was the final straw for me. So, decided to get my Master's in communication/rhetoric and I've been teaching rhetoric/persuasion/effective speech from the classical concepts of Cicero at Penn State ever since. My goal was help young students about to enter society gain the critical thinking skills they would need to defend themselves and really understand how rhetoric operates. Assessing credibility (ethos) and having what I call a BS detection kit is critical for a member of society not to become one of what Plato called the masses of asses who could not be trusted to know when they were being led astray by rhetoric.We teach our course from a civic engagement standpoint, so these skills are critical. I had been wanting to write a book for a long time, but it didn't all gel in my head until the Tea Bagger explosion at the town halls in Summer 2009. My book is a visceral response to that blending journalism and academics in the tone of George Carlin. I assure you it doesn't suck. I would not promote it here or anywhere if it was not something of which I could be proud. In addition to the political themes explored here which I know will be of interest to you guys, the music section is heavily, heavily grounded in my Pearl Jam experiences and their comments as well. I am using them as an example of what is RIGHT about music because they deliver "something sacred" to the audience. So, PJ fans there is definitely a huge Pearl Jam presence in this book. I did send a copy to the band a while back (an advance copy) and hope they enjoy it. I would love to hear any feedback from you guys as well. So, help a brother out will you? The platforms for voices unfiltered by corporate censorship are vanishing rapidly. There is a 1,000 word blurb on the Buy Books on the Web link (don't worry, this book is NOT another Super Size Me...it's just the intro to pervasive effects of advertising in the greater picture of the multi-pronged assault on us and our reasoning abilities). I have also included the link to it on Amazon (also available through Borders...Barnes and Noble in January). Anyway, thanks for reading. All those who value reason and facts....and like George Carlin and Bill Hicks will enjoy this book. Thanks again and take care.
Mark E. Kohler
Communication Arts and Sciences Penn State
http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/product ... 414-6176-5
http://www.amazon.com/Exiled-America-Ma ... 588&sr=1-1
I can't believe I've been a Pearl Jam fan since 1991 and this is my first post to the forum. What the hell is my problem? lol Anyway, as a long time fan I think I have a pretty good idea of the tastes and political views of the majority of PJ fans. So, I wanted to make a plea to you guys to support me and my book Exiled In America: A Gen-X Journalist's View on Life, Politics, Culture, Religion and Social Control in the 21st Century. This is not a corporately backed book (I guess I didn't scream loudly enough about mice having human brains to interest corporate houses). I really just chose to to say the hell with it after my 30th rejection letter stated in a handwritten note that circled two items in my proposal letter "world run by public relations persuasion specialists" and "right wing whack jobs" with the response "not for us" and "your criticisms seem inflammatory, not our style." I just decided to go unfiltered since it is an anti-corporate fascism and anti-media model. There is no synergy or corporate glad handing for these guys to promote. A little about me briefly: I worked as a journalist/editor for daily and weekly newspapers for a decade for companies like Gannett (Shreveport Times) and the Sun-Sentinel Community Newsgroup (Florida). I was also a national music journalist for publications like Metal Edge, Metal Hammer and Creative Loafing, among others. I quit in 2003 because I was tired of the corporate ethics trumping journalistic ethics. My experience in Shreveport, especially following 9/11 (you might recall Barksdale Air Force Base was where Bush first addressed the nation is in Shreveport) really was the final straw for me. So, decided to get my Master's in communication/rhetoric and I've been teaching rhetoric/persuasion/effective speech from the classical concepts of Cicero at Penn State ever since. My goal was help young students about to enter society gain the critical thinking skills they would need to defend themselves and really understand how rhetoric operates. Assessing credibility (ethos) and having what I call a BS detection kit is critical for a member of society not to become one of what Plato called the masses of asses who could not be trusted to know when they were being led astray by rhetoric.We teach our course from a civic engagement standpoint, so these skills are critical. I had been wanting to write a book for a long time, but it didn't all gel in my head until the Tea Bagger explosion at the town halls in Summer 2009. My book is a visceral response to that blending journalism and academics in the tone of George Carlin. I assure you it doesn't suck. I would not promote it here or anywhere if it was not something of which I could be proud. In addition to the political themes explored here which I know will be of interest to you guys, the music section is heavily, heavily grounded in my Pearl Jam experiences and their comments as well. I am using them as an example of what is RIGHT about music because they deliver "something sacred" to the audience. So, PJ fans there is definitely a huge Pearl Jam presence in this book. I did send a copy to the band a while back (an advance copy) and hope they enjoy it. I would love to hear any feedback from you guys as well. So, help a brother out will you? The platforms for voices unfiltered by corporate censorship are vanishing rapidly. There is a 1,000 word blurb on the Buy Books on the Web link (don't worry, this book is NOT another Super Size Me...it's just the intro to pervasive effects of advertising in the greater picture of the multi-pronged assault on us and our reasoning abilities). I have also included the link to it on Amazon (also available through Borders...Barnes and Noble in January). Anyway, thanks for reading. All those who value reason and facts....and like George Carlin and Bill Hicks will enjoy this book. Thanks again and take care.
Mark E. Kohler
Communication Arts and Sciences Penn State
http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/product ... 414-6176-5
http://www.amazon.com/Exiled-America-Ma ... 588&sr=1-1
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