Some folks believe the left manipulates the media. It’s a convenient conspiracy theory because it allows one to discount that which challenges their opinions. I read a post recently, called Inside the Manipulation Machine. I liked that the author bases the beginning of his article on a book I very much enjoyed called “Amusing Ourselves to Death” by the brilliant Neil Postman. Although he summarizes the premise of the book he does not reference it. Which seems dishonest, since he’s clearly read it. Basically we went from a visual species to a verbal species to a species capable of understanding the written word. Then we de-evolved with first radio (verbal communication) and then television (visual communication). Now our caveman brains are easily manipulated. So Obama manipulated them!
Wait! What?
Yeah, Obama invented a system where when “First – an event occurs. AP® or some other news outlet reports the facts. Now, if the facts don’t support the Narrative, they are brutally suppressed – they’re just not reported on.” Well, that does happen locally, sometimes if the people involved are powerful enough. But no, this guy’s example was of a mass murder of white people by black people. Strangely he does not reference where or when this apocryphal tale occurred. I mean how else can you explain how the George Floyd thing blew up? Wait! What? Sure! His death supported the Narrative so it was reported.
So you didn’t think video footage of a cop deliberately and slowly killing a prisoner was newsworthy by itself?
Another quote, “Second – that event is interpreted in a way that fits with the Narrative. Events which are at odds with the Narrative are suppressed. The central clearing house is generally the New York Times, which uses experts from various NGOs and “think tanks” to further refine how the event fits the Narrative. The prestige of the experts of the various NGOs are validated because they’re respected by people from . . . other NGOs.
Words like ‘false’ and ‘baseless’ tag stories—‘baseless mRNA vaccine injury claims’ or ‘false vote fraud accusations’—to smother anything off-Narrative.”
I won’t bore you too much more but it ends with deplatforming “anyone who tries to tell any story that is counter to the Narrative.” Okay, look, Alex Jones was “deplatformed” for lying and slandering people. Not because he went against the Narrative. Trump was axed from social media for LYING and INCITING AN INSURRECTION. Which he totally did, I watched. This is always about them wanting to lie and getting mad when people try to stop them shouting lies through a megaphone to what I agree is a population poorly prepared for critical thinking, let alone evaluating arguments. And look, Biden won in 2020. Over 60 court cases proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt. We now know Trump was informed he would lose by his advisors weeks before he did. So when you go on about how the election was stolen, you are lying! That is you are using a major platform to spread LIES to a public that cannot discern truth from lies.
*sigh*
Here’s the thing. No one is as organized as you and all the other conspiracy theorists believe. Do local stories get axed. Yeah, Especially, if the people in the story have power. This is most prominent at a local level where things can be hushed up and news media markets are small. I read a story in my local paper (when we had one) of a guy who’s wife was a local cop. She was caught having sex with another policeman in their “DARE” resource office and they were both fired. Around the same time her husband was shot in their backyard with her gun. Nice neighborhood too. No charges filed, County Sheriff to investigate. Last I heard of it. That was almost 20 years ago. How about that cop in Dallas who walked into the wrong apartment and shot a guy to death? I’ve known three people who have walked into the wrong house and they were ALL drunk when they did it. But her drinking history or sobriety were never mentioned. Yeah, stuff happens. Now does the White House try to control a story. Oh yeah, they’ve been trying since newspapers were invented. However, there is something called “The Streisand Effect”. So it usually blows up and we hear about it because “White House tries to suppress story” is a very nice headline. Cover ups at that level usually don’t work. Ask Nixon.
So really here’s the problem. If you are so certain your being fed a “Narrative” then you have an excuse to doubt everything you don’t agree with. Which means you never reflect on whether what you believe is actually true. But what if you’re wrong? You would never do the regular check we all must do on our beliefs. From where I stand, I know some folks who believe, in my opinion, some pretty strange shit. I know folks who believe that our recent president (who had the lowest net worth of any president this century) was a crook. And they instead chose a man who dodged the draft, made a charity as a tax dodge, and buried his wife on a golf course as a tax dodge, and paid hush money to a porn star, then lied about it as a tax dodge, and sells Chinese made Bibles but has not been affiliated with any church and can’t name a single quote from the Bible. That guy, they chose for their leader.
Are we all really being manipulated? Or are some of us so smart they manipulate themselves.
I heard the new Narrative is that Russia didn’t invade Ukraine. Sorry, no sale.