Blog Entry #9

After reading the introduction about the time after the Civil War, I noticed a contemporary connection between today and the years 1865-1914. Something that stuck out to me was the new focus on "muckrackers" in this time period and it immediately made me think of us in today's world. "Muckrackers" were articles written by journalists that referred to getting the dirt on companies or politics in order to uncover corruptions. This same idea of getting the dirt on someone or something and writing about it is something very prevalent in today's world as well. For example, any type of magazine, newspaper or news channel today will give the community any type of muckracking information if there is any. It is mainly because something important like corrupt politicians, factories with terrible work conditions, or even restaurants with salmonella outbreaks are a concern for us, and even if information isn't what we want to hear, any information is good information. However in today's world, we have taken this muckracking style and have placed it in many other forms of literature as well as on the internet. We also have begun to use it for not just general information, but for a source of entertainment.  For example The Enquirer is a magazine specifically written in order to get the dirt on celebrities or any well-known person in the news (such as Brittney Spears or  Casey Anthony). In this magazine, they even exaggerate stories in order for people to be more entertained. We also have gossiping websites like the one created by Perez Hilton, where his job is to get the dirt on celebrities and their downfalls. Documentaries like "Supersize me" are examples of other types of media used in order to "muckrack" certain franchises.  In the late 1800's and early 1900's, people didn't necessarily get the dirt on people for entertainment, but no matter what purpose we read it for, we still love to read it and even if it is about something that is dangerous or corrupt, as humans we still have this fascination with "muckracking" and finding flaws in the system.