De Media

The internet's a funny place
For learning or for study--
Compared to books, a different pace,
And apt to be more muddy;
An ADHD metaphor,
Abstraction in mosaic;
A banquet for an omnivore
That's more than most can take;
It's drinking from the firehose;
It's rumors, lies, and flames,
Where no one seems to care for clothes
And people make up names.
Where idiots who've learned to type
Can act as Trusted Source,
Spew propaganda, spin, and hype
And change a nation's course!

But let's not go all addle-brained
In praise of books in print;
Their reputation's not un-stained
(Not even if we squint)
The printed book of days gone by,
That stalwart of the ages--
It seems to me, a lie's a lie,
In pixels or in pages.
If better days are sorely missed;
Of elevated worth;
The New York Times Best-Seller List
Will bring you down to earth.
The books that people buy, I'll bet,
Are rarely what they need--
And books, as well as internet
Can mangle and mislead.

When reading leads to tedium,
Both book and web are one:
It's writing that's the medium--
Not rare, and not well done.


Context: David Brooks in NYTimes
Cuttlecap tip to Adam Bly's new blog.