TRNN senior editor Paul Jays the top elite in society do not look at the world like the rest of us do
Story Transcript
PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR, TRNN: JAY: Well–. Well, the fact–and I think it is a fact–that there is an objective world doesn’t mean we don’t all view it subjectively. We all have interests. We all have personal gravitation, things we particularly want out of life. So when we look at this objective world we do look at it through a set of filters. So it’s not that we’re saying we’re beyond subjectivity. We’re just saying there is an objective world. We are trying to know what it is, how it operates. The second thing is everyone has interests, as I said. And we are ordinary people. We have pretty similar interests to most ordinary people. And we don’t think those interests are the same as very wealthy people. The top elites in the society do not look at the world the same way we do. Things are going pretty well for them. If you’ve been riding these stock market bubbles you’re doing extremely well. And there’s, as I said, there’s never been so much wealth in so few hands. If you happen to be those few hands, the way you look at the objectivity of the world is from the point of view of how to increase and keep your wealth, how to increase and keep your power. So we look at this objective world through our own subjective lens, sure. But that’s the lens that essentially is on the same side of ordinary people. Does it mean we always get it right? No. You can’t be, what’s the word, scientific about how to understand the objective world if you think you have some kind of absolute knowledge. And the only way to really know the objective world is to always be skeptical, always doubt your understanding, your knowledge, always be open. Then if facts disprove what you believe to be true about the objective world, then you change what you believe. You change your analysis, you change what you’re thinking. You don’t try to change the objective world or create some illusion about it. So sure, we understand that we are, there’s always going to be a kind of bias, if you will. Mostly I think it’s more correct to say interest. Everyone has interest. They see the world based on their interest. Which is why we chose our funding model. We don’t take corporate money, we don’t take government money, we don’t sell advertising, because it changes how we see our interests. We don’t have to police those kinds of financiers or that form of financing. It doesn’t mean we’re totally independent and free from those kinds of influences. You know, people donate and we get letters, sometimes. I’m never donating to you again if you do such-and-such. And you know, we have to say no. We’ve turned down money that was offered to us, some significant money, because it turned out to be government money. We have, we’re trying to deal with the issue of independence by increasing the diversity of our funding so we have many sources. And we don’t deal with the most powerful forces of influence. And again that’s, you know, government and corporate funding, and trying to please advertisers.
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