Is it me, or is there very little historical perspective in political arguments any more?

Depth of Field

In photography and other image-based art, there is a great concept called “depth of field”.

The depth of the field in photography describes the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that are in focus in a photograph.

Limiting the depth of field, or the focused area of the photo to a narrow band of distance allows a photographer to highlight the portion of the photo that is important.  To manipulate the viewer of the photo to focus on what the artist wants the viewer to see as the important subject of the image.  The out-of-focus background allows for a colorful or dreamy background without distracting the viewer from what’s deemed important by the photographer.

Similarly, today’s political issues in the U.S. seem to lack any historical or background clarity.

News Media

Our news broadcasts use the aural equivalent of a narrow depth of field when they insist on only broadcasting sound-bytes of an issue.  They demand the listener to focus on just the issue at hand.

Some news organizations attempt to blur the background by providing historical references to a sound byte that guide the listener to believe what the news organization wants them to believe. But few news organizations have the time or attention span of their viewers to be able to truly give a broad depth of field to an important story.

There are a few exceptions.  International news can often be better at this.  PBS seems to provide a broader background than other domestic news.  And individual sections of shows will sometimes delve deeply into the background.  The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC often uses the first extended segment of the show to focus on historical background of a story before even introducing the story.

Suffice it to say that “those who forget history are doomed to repeat it” is something that is proving more and more true every day lately.

Current Knitting

I rushed like a mad man to finish the latest Color Block Scarf.

It’s finally starting to get cold enough outside where the idea of wearing a scarf won’t soon be out of the question.

I also started a new Koigu Cross Stitch Scarf.

This one is using a high-contrast combination of yarns that I’m liking quite a bit.  While these high-contrast, bright scarves don’t always sell quickly at the Artisan/Craft Shows I sell at, they often attract people to the table to take a closer look at what I’ve got for sale.