I spent over 40-years of my life behind a microphone and with the exception of 3 of those years when I did political talk, I was a good, old fashioned, flame-throwin’, fire-spittin’, hot-rockin’ dee-jay. Yes, I was also in management and, yes, I hated the term “DJ.” (Post-1995, with the advent of digital audio, there were very few “discs” that I actually “jockeyed.”) I preferred the term radio or media talent. Although I had very little talent. I preferred it.
I’m rambling. That’s what DJs do. My point – with four decades behind a mic, everything in life seems to remind me of a song title. I read this article in the Denver Gazette yesterday and instantly thought of a song. Released in 1976 it hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, the delicious pop cheese of 10cc – The Things We Do For Love. Just to complete your ear-worm hell, here’s the video…
You’re welcome. Back to the story in the Denver Gazette. It’s the idiotic story of Rendon Dietzmann, chronologically aged 32, but from a mentality standpoint, he’s 12. Dietzmann is better known as Gixxer brah, and he is a “famous YouTuber.” My teenage son thinks that’s an actual profession. Famous YouTuber. Apparently for some, it is.
Mr. Brah was the moron who, last September, took a motorcycle trip on I-25 from Colorado Springs to Denver and hit speeds in excess of 175-mph. Of course, he recorded it. And posted it. For which the fine folks at the Colorado State Patrol were eternally grateful because the video is how they found Dietzmann and subsequently arrested him. Don’t worry, Gixxer brah turned his mug shot into a T-shirt fund raising opportunity. Wonder where he got that childish idea?
The Gixxer pleaded guilty to speed exhibition, will be responsible for a $300 fine and $1,996.08 in fees stemming from his extradition from Texas to Colorado to face the judge. The agreement includes 14-days in the hoosegow, which Dietzmann has apparently already served. 12-points will be assessed against his license (wonder what that will do to insurance), forbidding him from driving in Colorado.
So, what does this all have to do with the sweet pop cheese of 10cc?
What causes someone to do speeds in excess of 175-mph, risking his own life and the lives of those who regret being on the same highway with him? Clicks. I read the story, heard 10cc in my head, and hummed to myself, “the things we do for clicks…” It’s all about clicks. Engagement. Delivering an audience. Monetizing the metrics. Capturing the eyes and attention. Clicks!
Regrettably, the thirst for clicks isn’t just limited to famous YouTubers, social media influencers, and OnlyFans girls. Click-mania has infested some politicians, too. Take it from a guy who gave running for congress a shot – it’s all about the fundraising. M-o-n-e-y. How does one set him/herself apart? Clicks. Engagement. Earned media. Get on radio. Get on Fox. Get on CNN and MSNBC.
Thanks to 24-hour news channels and countless traditional and digital media outlets, the demand for content is endless. Thanks to digital media measurement (metrics), we know exactly the type of stories with which people engage. We produce more of the stories that drive clicks and fewer of the stories that don’t. A self-perpetuating cycle – and, subsequently, a self-perpetuating republic.
I have always maintained that competent, effective, consensus-built self governance is boring. Boring doesn’t drive clicks. But getting on Fox and flipping one’s hair and flashing one’s smile and running one’s mouth and owning the libs, well, that drives clicks (and makes the fundraising cash register ring). Better still if they make a killer meme out of your media appearance. Do we conservatives want to take part in the important task of self-governance or do we want to settle in to our comfy living rooms and flip on the TV for an evening of angertainment?
Be wary of the politician who presents solutions for non-existent problems. Be wary of the politician who introduces do-nothing efforts, who divides and creates a “bogeyman” that must be “fought.” Bloviation. Consternation. “They are the problem! And I will fight ‘them‘ for you!” That politician is less about service and more about the show.
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.
William Shakespeare from As You Like It
The Bard was right and his wisdom sadly applies to politics. It’s less about competently governing and more about driving clicks. When you watch the news and read the stories and see politicians behaving brashly, just think about me and 10cc and hum along…
…the things we do for clicks…
10cc (with a little help from SKJ)
