The mainstream media's bullshit problem

@wwaycorrigan

[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click here.]

When presenting his popular mid-morning talk show on one of Ireland's independent radio stations, Today FM, Ray D'Arcy would let it be known when an issue truly annoyed him.

'Have you got a problem with my faecal matter?'

'I'm sick of hearing this shit again.' 'This is all fucked up.'

Phrases to that effect. They'd invariably come with a pained silence, a deep sigh. You get the idea.

D'Arcy left that gig in December 2014, moving to an afternoon slot on Radio One at Ireland's state broadcaster, RTÉ. From what I gather, these days he rarely if ever utters expletives on what some describe as a more highbrow channel.

For curse's sake

When D'Arcy used to do it, it made me uncomfortable, even though I enjoyed the show for a time and was on it once. This discomfort wasn't due to the important issue he was discussing, it was because I felt awkward hearing him talk in such a way.

It almost always felt contrived, as in 'I'll use a few "fucks" here so that listeners will get a stronger sense of how I feel.' Maybe he was genuinely that angry and the words just came out. Yet, for such an experienced, skilled broadcaster that's unlikely. He could display his emotions without reverting to swear words. (An Irish politician memorably used the F-word in parliament — and it's obvious that he knew he was going to use 'unparliamentary language', as you can witness here.)

You see, in general, hearing hosts or guests swear on Irish radio is a rarity. Most station bosses would reprimand a presenter for doing so. I'm pretty sure I never did in my presenting days. Nor have I cursed on my podcasts, as far as I can recall anyway. (Yes, I have done so here and in other audio blogs, but they're part of the story! I don't utter expletives on the radio 'just because'.)

'Remember, out of bullshit can grow the greatest of crops.'

In my everyday life, I do fire off unsavoury verbal volleys from time to time but these are on the odd occasions when I'm angry. Sure I've few reasons to be angry in Colombia.

My mild aversion to hearing somebody swear in what I'll call a more formal setting is down to my upbringing, I figure. Do note, I'm not saying this is a superior outlook to those who are more relaxed about using what some call 'agricultural language'. I believe the devil is in the deed, and to some extent the delivery, rather than the words themselves.

With that last point in mind, I wouldn't freak out if a guest on a show I was presenting cursed. And I'd expect listeners to be equally blasé.

Offending Auntie Beeb

So it was with some amusement that I listened to the BBC World Service's Nuala McGovern get a little flustered when an American political analyst said some US voters were 'pissed'. ('Pissed' as in annoyed, he meant, not drunk. Although, some are no doubt regularly the latter.)

I wager the remark went unnoticed by most listeners. Unnoticed until McGovern jumped in to apologise for his use of the word. For those tuning in with a playback facility, some probably rewound the segment to hear the analyst's offensive word.

The episode is a microcosm of a bigger, more pernicious problem with much of the legacy media. Claiming to be the voice of the masses, they then try to portray themselves as totally prim and proper. Holier-than-thou defenders of how they consider an upstanding society should think and operate.

The thing is, many who work in such media are far removed from those who they believe they represent. And their idea of an upstanding society is at best unrealistic and unworkable, at worst a mix of the most alarming aspects of communism and fascism.

Wake up and smell the bullshit

Donald J. Trump's return as president of the USA should force these media monoliths into a bit of introspection. Although, one isn't too optimistic that this will happen considering little seemed to have been learned from the first coming of Trump.

In fact, in the way they currently operate, they are incapable of change. As Albert Einstein put it, 'We can't solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.'

And the legacy media don't appear to realise that how they conduct themselves is the problem.

One quick fix? Stop trying to be the moral guardians of the masses — as much as they feel this is their calling.

Remember, out of bullshit can grow the greatest of crops.

So rather than the legacy media's often embarrassing efforts of trying to distance themselves from the offensive bullshit, they should embrace it. Take a good look at it rather than turn away in disgust.

That way, they'll be better placed to see what's fertilising the furore of the masses they abhor.
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Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast here.

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Ready to do my bit for Ireland — as ambassador to the US

@wwaycorrigan

I couldn't let Donald J. Trump's return as US president pass without making a comment about it.

Below is a screenshot of the online version of my letter on that theme, published in the Sunday Independent of 10 November 2024. It can be found buried in this webpage, https://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/letters-john-boyne-takes-a-novel-approach-in-face-of-literary-pretension/a777243096.html.

Able ambassador

With Ireland currently in its own general election campaign — the country goes to the polls on 29 November — I don't expect to receive a call about my credentials to be the next Irish ambassador in Washington DC until a new taoiseach (prime minister) is in place. But I do expect a call nonetheless. 

Now, I would be willing to accept a more minor role as consul. It doesn't have to be the top gig immediately. I'm somewhat flexible.

Washington DC: The right way for Wrong Way.

San José del Guaviare: Colombia's best department capital?

@wwaycorrigan

[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click here.]

Medellín, Bogotá, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Cali, Bucaramanga. In roughly that descending order, these are the top cities for immigrants to Colombia.

San José del Guaviare: It's far from a dull backwater.

As populous, fairly well-connected, and relatively cosmopolitan urban centres, it's not surprising that they attract foreigners from near and far.

When it comes to smaller towns, the likes of tourist-heavy Salento, San Gil, and Villa de Leyva are to the fore.

Outside of the aforementioned, plus perhaps about another dozen places, if immigrants settle elsewhere, it would most likely be by accident rather than design. Or employment or a relationship brought them there against their better judgment.

The Guaviare grind

Now, while San José del Guaviare, like Colombia in general, has seen the number of foreign tourists grow in recent years, few seem to stick around. (I'm not including Venezuelans — they're not really foreigners in Colombia, being from a país hermano/brother country as they are.)

That tourism in the Guaviare department is on the up is understandable. There are some stunning sites to be seen around San José, some of which I wrote about after my first, brief visit in 2018, and the town is not difficult to get to from Bogotá.

Yet, it's also understandable that few visitors stay longer than needs be. The town itself isn't quite in the quaint cohort.

Revved-up motorbikes and the coming and going of cargo trucks in the river port area mix with loud music from a stream of competing bars to ensure there's plenty of noise around the centre from dawn to early morning. Add in the stifling heat — often in the high 30s degrees Celsius — in the heavy, dusty air and it's easy to see why many may find it a bit too much.

Yes, it's on the banks of a majestic river, the Guaviare, but its murky waters aren't the most inviting for a refreshing dip.

'The barefooted Indigenous kids who enter some establishments looking for free treats can get a little annoying after a while — 'Ah, not again lads!' — but they're not going to pull a knife for non-compliance.'

The pristine waters that run into the impressive natural wells, pozos naturales, do offer aqua relief. But located 10 km from the town, they're not exactly a comfortable walk away. And as they are inside a protected park, there's also a 10,000 COP entrance fee to access them. OK, there are a few swimming pools in the town but it's nice to have natural, cost-free options.

Thus, why would one stay in San José del Guaviare when Colombia has so many other more attractive alternatives?

Outside of my penchant for finding delights in the drab, relishing the rough and ready, the town has what can be described as more pleasant pull factors, as I discovered after over two months there.

Safety first

For starters, as department capitals in Colombia go, it's surely one of the safest. One can wander about the place at any time pretty much assured that nothing untoward will happen. It's virtually free of delinquents. Fair enough, the barefooted Indigenous kids who enter some establishments looking for free treats can get a little annoying after a while — 'Ah, not again lads!' — but they're not going to pull a knife for non-compliance. I don't think they would, anyway.

So while it's not unique in having friendly, helpful residents, this lack of petty crime (petty for those who don't suffer it, that is) gives it an advantage over many other big towns and cities. (The reason for such lack of in-your-face crime may be due to darker forces behind the scenes, as I explained in my Pacific Puerto Asís story.)

Also, as a single guy, I found its women to be refreshingly free of this insidious idea that the white foreigner comes with riches to raid.

What's more, that hustle and bustle of the centre and adjacent river port area is balanced out by far quieter neighbourhoods in most other parts of the town, such as the Bello Horizonte and La Paz barrios.

In terms of accommodation, it's on the cheaper end of the scale compared to the bigger department capitals. I've been told furnished studio apartments can be rented for around 600,000 COP per month (that's roughly 120 euros).

Speaking of value for money, more-than-satisfactory, standard two-course lunches cost between 6,000 and 9,000 COP. The equivalent in most of Bogotá these days is about 12,000 COP. (I must note here, in similar-sized, similar-vibe Granada in the Meta department, from where I write these lines, such lunches are available for 5,000 COP and monthly accommodation is equally if not more cheaply priced. But Granada is not a department capital — that may play a part in pricing.)

Tax and vax haven

Guaviare is, however, one of the five Vat-free departments of Colombia — the others are Amazonas, Guainía, Vichada, and Vaupés.

So with a range of everyday products tax-exempt, one might expect the cost of living to be notably cheaper. Yes, some things are less expensive than Bogotá but others, such as beer, are not. One explanation, given to me by a tienda owner, is that the Vat-free status is cancelled out by having to pay protection money — a vacuna/vaccine, as they call it — to the real power-brokers in the region, the guerillas, the darker forces I referred to earlier.

It's generally just property owners and business people who are forced to pay this vacuna. So the likes of tenants and employees should see some benefit from the tax-free status.

I noticed that motorbikes, the preferred transport option in San José, are in the Vat-free category. I assume it's the same for bicycles. For if I were to return for another prolonged period, I'd look into buying a bike. I figure cycling would be a great way to visit the likes of the natural wells and the town of El Retorno, 30 km to the south. There are many other places to pedal to as well. The topography is fairly flat, after all. Although the heat makes up for the absence of crippling climbs.

I suspect this is the mental trade-off for me in San José del Guaviare. Because, as I've proclaimed before, I am a fan of altitude. Yet, I do also like climates where one can dress light 24/7 — it complements my minimalist outlook.

Now, if you're of a more cosmopolitan composition, San José is unlikely to excite you. But a dull, insular backwater it is not. And since my first visit over six years ago, its population and urban area have grown, making it a livelier spot, for better and for worse (it's more the former, for now at least, I feel).

In fact, if for some reason I had to base myself in one of Colombia's department capitals, from all those I know, San José del Guaviare would top my list.
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Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast here.

Facebook: Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog & IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz".