A plaint - when a noble tradition collides with crass deceit and ignorant progressivism

I am a multigenerational National Geographic subscriber. They were in my grandparent's homes, in my parent's homes, in my home, I have given subscriptions to the kids. NG is in the genes. Or used to be.

I love their history of exploration and discovery. I have even enjoyed, to a lesser extent, their emphasis on artistic photography. I wholly endorse the art but wish it more frequently adorned articles with facts and discoveries and stories from which I could learn.

In recent years, regrettably, like so many of the mainstream media, they have drifted away from their core audience - People who want to discover the world and begun to focus on people who want to change the world. No longer pitching to the great middle class, now focusing on the unrepresentative and small minority Mandarin Class with their advocacies, cognitive pollution and luxury beliefs.

Today, I received a survey from NG. I am dubious. Is this just a pitch for a donation? I scan the cover letter. No, no pitch there. All the nice words about wanting you opinion, how do we deliver to our readership, etc.

Ok. I'll invest a few minutes on them. As I work my way through the survey, there is very obviously a bias towards how do we improve the world rather than how do we reveal the world. I make some judicious amendments, make some select comments.

And then I get to the last question - "Will you support the future of National Geographic Society's work?"

Fair enough. They fooled me, slipping in a crass commercial solicitation under the guise of wanting my opinion. Shame on me for being so gullible.

And shame on them for betraying member trust just that little bit more. No, I won't support more happy clappy Mandarin Class sexism, racism, white knightism, classism, and other destructive irrational and non-empirical luxury beliefs. I'll resubscribe from force of habit when the time comes. But the habit wears thin as they continue to erode their wonderful history and mission and become yet one more hat-in-hand begging organization pedaling cognitive tripe.