text: As a fan of Gitlin, I was hoping that he'd give me the bottom line - his bottom line - on the air we breathe today, the same way that brave souls such as Lasch, Marcuse, and Bell have done.  But Gitlin isn't brave.  He admits, honestly, up front, that he will reach few conclusions, and merely wants to lay out what we face each day on the streets, on TV, and on the net.  What follows is a stream-of-consciousness depiction of life today.  I want more than that from Gitlin.  I want his conclusions, not some lame statement that he hasn't reached any yet.  He's not getting any younger.  Lots of other fabulous thinkers have failed at this stage of their lives.  It's time for his masterpiece - the next book, perhaps
  