nothing about the weather .. - >> mind the _

… just some thoughts on weather reports and boredom’s impact evoked by reading the following observation* (by Diller and Scofidio / found via pruned) which was taken before weather forces and impacts hit without any regard of holiday season or national aspects especially in south east asia, north america and central asia.

When we speak about weather, it’s assumed that more meaningful forms of communication are being avoided. But is not the weather, in fact, a potent topic of cultural exchange – a bond that cuts through social distinction and economic class, that supersedes geological borders? Is not the weather the only truly tangible and meaningful thread that glues us all together? Is not the weather the only truly global issue? In truth, contemporary culture is addicted to weather information. We watch, read, and listen to weather reports across every medium of communication, from conventional print to real-time satellite images and Web cams. The weather channel provides round-the-clock, real-time meteorological entertainment. Boredom is key. But boredom turns to melodrama when something out of the ordinary happens. Major weather events are structured like narrative dramas with anticipation heightened by detection and tracking, leading to the climax of real-time impact, capped by the aftermath of devastation or heroic survival.

The earlier written excerpt could even be regarded as cynical – at least concerning the way we deal with this aspects – like following, knowing and then continuing our real life TV melodramas into inevitable human catastrohies, would there not shine through the critical hint how we even here deal with a suppressed knowledge that weather and our impact on the climate change concerns us all.
Still the only considerable antipod offered seems to be in watching – to get it that way into a known issue which but turns it into boredom … The resulting melodram stops the demand for action – consequently if there is a following human catastrophy it seems to have been unavoidable. We are just watching it – that makes it ‘real’ … and seemingly it occured as we did not watch closely enough, did not follow it as real-time events. This magic attitude (to create a view from the real time location) enables a superficial knowledge of facts which modifies the melodram boredom effect and seems to make it happen less dramatically as we follow it through. Its not a shocking – suddenly exsisting event – its just like the weather: an unevitable procedure which after all will be gone and done.
Abilities like perceiving became reduced to follow real-time events – long term consequences can not be considered under these aspects. The establishment of boredom reduces the need for critical reflection, it wipes out the understanding of information as potential source of thought procedure. It declares itself to be already the anylytical fact … creates aspects of self sufficiency despite a demand for exchange.

* meant especially to reflect the north american all-day weather channel – nevertheless used here as an explicit example for global media tendencies

… will be continued with further (ambivalent) reflections on boredom …