Superficial? That might not be the right word. Rude, selfish and arrogant might be a better descriptor. If a person doesn't constantly talk over others and drown them out, denigrate their ideas whilst promoting his own, and constantly bray about himself, then he will be summarily ignored. Quiet, hardworking, team-oriented people get the manure-coated end of the stick. Loud, boorish people people get the attention and, as a result, set the examples.
Today's culture has grown out of the selfishness of the '80s and '90s, which grew out of the free-love culture of the '60s and '70s. Today's media people are rude, loud, overbearing and arrogant; they can only hear others who are like themselves, and they are too important to listen to the quiet ones. In fact, today's media people are more important than the information and events they are supposed to be reporting.
Television news would be far better if the talking head was anonymous or rotated among the reporting staff. Then the focus would be on the story, not the reporter, and not the anchor. A marquee name is no measure of integrity. I'd be willing to bet that Chevy Chase ranks with the best of the news anchors of the last 25 years.
In the end, though, the quiet ones like Borlaug will be remembered long after the boors like Hilton, Jackson and their ilk have been forgotten.
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