The Media Controls You

[Dalaran2007]

The Media Controls You

Think not? Then how do you explain that so many people (in the USA) hated Saddam Hussein so much? Right here, on the Politics forum, are more than on threads where people either celebreate the death of Saddam, or in previous ones, where they hated Saddam in an almost obsessive way. Why most of you hated Saddam? For being a big bloody dictator? Valid point. But I don't see any of you hating any other dictator with so much passions.

And thing is, the government wanted to initiate a campaign in the Middle East, to conquer the oil fields via a war. What better way than to instill hatred among the population towards a guy that some didn't even know of previously? Thats where the media came in.

And now the same is happening with Iran. The media is making everyone hate Iran. Why? Most of you may not even have met an Iranian person in real life! Are they nice? Well, some may be, some others surely aren't. With so many dictators around the world, what is the particular sin that Ahmadinejad has commited to get your particular hate? Its the government, through the media! They want you to fill yourself with hatred towards Iran, to wish there is a war with Iran. What for? So that the government has legitimacy in attacking Iran, so that Halliburton or wathever oil company can get its hands on its oil. So that some Israeli politician/businessman can make a big, huge buck. Thats what your hatred means. To send your brothers into a war that benefits those guys. The system uses you.

Morale? Have your own opinions. Don't just eat the bait so easily.

[JMHX]

What would we do without 15-year-olds to show us the way?

[poxpower]

Yeah let's all have our own opinions about everything. Let's never listen to anyone about anything, we should all just go everywhere ourselves, meet everyone who lives there, and then make up our own minds about it.

I don't think most people are stupid. But some of those muslims have fucked up customs, what can I say? They're assholes, even if they wouldn't be assholes otherwise. Takes a special kind of nutjob to strap dynamite to himself and blow up a busful of civilians and to force your wife to never speak to other men etc. But I'm sure they think doing the opposite is fucked up for some reason...

Anyways, what do you want the people to do? If the american people don't want a way in Iran, what the fuck are they going to do? Not elect anyone? Because pretty much any of the two clone parties they elect would probably just end up waging war. Or at best, give them 4 years of peace before the people start bitching and complaining about some other thing, and then elect the other party out of spite. Something they SHOULD have done already in 2004....

[SolInvictus]

At 1/4/07 06:33 PM, Dalaran2007 wrote: The Media Controls You

damn straight. i think i need some grape drink.

[CourtesyFlush]

you make really good points, but i doubt youll find evidence

[MortifiedPenguins]

I suddenly feel more intelligent because a 15 year old just took ideas that he heard and pieced togehter from crackpot conversations and people.

[notorious]

At 1/4/07 09:27 PM, MortifiedPenguins wrote: I suddenly feel more intelligent because a 15 year old just took ideas that he heard and pieced togehter from crackpot conversations and people.

Just because you're 15 doesn't mean you're stupid.

He makes a pretty good point. Reminds me of this:
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/348130

[SolInvictus]

At 1/4/07 10:32 PM, notorious wrote: Just because you're 15 doesn't mean you're stupid.

it almost does.

[SenorPresidente]

At 1/4/07 11:01 PM, SolInvictus wrote:

At 1/4/07 10:32 PM, notorious wrote: Just because you're 15 doesn't mean you're stupid.

it almost does.

you are 18 get of your high horse

[sparkingAC195]

A very valid point. however is this Middle East hatred just an excuse to get oil?

[SolInvictus]

At 1/4/07 11:11 PM, SenorPresidente wrote: you are 18 get of your high horse

never!

[Dalaran2007]

At 1/4/07 09:27 PM, CourtesyFlush wrote: you make really good points, but i doubt youll find evidence

I think its enough that people seek the answers within themselves.

[Dalaran2007]

At 1/4/07 11:33 PM, sparkingAC195 wrote: A very valid point. however is this Middle East hatred just an excuse to get oil?

Most likely. That, and/or Israel has a lot to do with it.

I don't see people hating African dictatorships so much.
I don't see people hating Cuban dictatorship so much.
I don't see people hating North Korean dictatorship so much.

But suddenly, everyone in the United States feels an uncontrollable urge to destroy Iran, in the other side of the World. And you are telling me it has nothing to do with oil?

[Slizor]

The Media Controls You

If that is the case....then how have you escaped the nefarious clutches of the media? Have you broken free from its oppressive shackles and don't interact with any forms of the media? Or are you overstating your case? Is it not more that the media influences people (which isn't saying much) and that media outlets have a (c)overt political line and report specifically from that perspective leading, in some cases, to reportage being very imbalanced and patently untrue (such as in the Vietnam War)?

[Camarohusky]

At 1/4/07 10:32 PM, notorious wrote: Just because you're 15 doesn't mean you're stupid.

Just means you're uninformed, ignorant, prone to makinbg rash decisions, prone to spouting off what others tell you... The list goes on. Though I do agree with the later post being 18 isn't much difference, except now your stupid ass actually can do something with the crazy ideas it has.

[cold-as-hell]

The Media doesnt control me, the ads between the news does. Time for some magners, irish cider!

[SolInvictus]

At 1/5/07 11:50 AM, Gul-Dukat-DS9 wrote: Because people always tell their real age on the internet.

are you imlying that i'm not?

yay! people think i'm an immature son of a bitch!

[YHWH]

At 1/5/07 09:41 AM, Camarohusky wrote:

At 1/4/07 10:32 PM, notorious wrote: Just because you're 15 doesn't mean you're stupid.

Just means you're uninformed, ignorant, prone to makinbg rash decisions, prone to spouting off what others tell you... The list goes on.

Did you just tell me that I'm an ignorat, uninformed, irrational sheep?

[Begoner]

The people who your post should be directed at are those who don't search for any opposing viewpoint to the hard-right one offered by most mainstream news channels. Unfortunately, they will continue to wallow in their hawkish ignorance, floating by in life while being completely artless when it comes to international affairs. The people who are most susceptible to the stance offered by the media rely only on the television as their source of information and make up a significant portion of the US population. Disinformation and bias breeds hate, and many people gobble it up. While it's sad, there's nothing to do about it. We'll continue to be ensnared in war after war to perpetuate the interests of various companies because of the idiocy of many of our countrymen, and it's a virtually insurmountable task to break the cycle of nescience.

[Draconias]

At 1/5/07 06:47 PM, Begoner wrote: opposing viewpoint to the hard-right one offered by most mainstream news channels.

. . . how old are you again? I am quite sure that most mainstream news channels do not favor the hard right. Or really, the right at all.

[Begoner]

At 1/5/07 06:37 PM, chocolate-penguin wrote:

the media is mainly leftist.

Oh, how I wish that were true! So many needless and senseless deaths could have been prevented had the media done its role and called Bush a liar and a crook at the crucial juncture before the start of the Iraq War. Instead, they passively watched, or even pro-actively supported, the destruction of a country and the massacring of its civilians.

Except sponsor terrorists organizations,

It does not sponsor terrorist organizations. It sponsors legal militias. The real "terrorist organization" is not Hezbollah or Hamas, but Israel. Hezbollah has not encroached upon Israel's land, razed Israeli homes, and stolen Israeli land. It has killed far fewer innocent civilians than Israel. Nonetheless, it is branded a terrorist organization and Israel is heralded as a symbol of a functioning democracy in the Middle East. And even if you persist in calling various militias terrorist organizations, so what? The US has sponsored and continues to sponsor various terrorist group. Do you recall when we sponsored Afghani terrorism during the Cold War? What about the Iran-Contra scandal?

launch attacks against the US dating back to the 1970s

I wonder why there was a revolution in Iran during that time period. Oh, I know! Because the US staged a coup in Iran during the 1950s, whereby the democratically-elected president (who happened to be a leftist who wanted to nationalize the oil industry) was replaced by a far-right dictator! Well, I guess the Iranians have no reason whatsoever to be pissed over that! Anyway, they overthrew the government in 1979 to replace it with an Islamic republic (a decision agreed upon in a democratic referendum, I might add). Many were still infuriated with American tampering and decided to seize the American embassy. It was the least they could do after 20 years of suffering brought on by the Americans.

, indoctrinate whole generations of people

They do not "indoctrinate" people any more than the Bush administration does.

and spread propaganda across the middle east.

Again, they do not do this any more than the US does.

[Begoner]

At 1/5/07 06:58 PM, Draconias wrote: I am quite sure that most mainstream news channels do not favor the hard right. Or really, the right at all.

I was referring to their stances on foreign policy more so than stances on social issues, although a case could be made for that, too. They offer biased views on all military events in a way that favors the Bush administration's policies. They did not state that the Israelis committed war crimes in the war against Lebanon, for example. They did not say that Israel has been illegally occupying Arab land for 30 years. They did not say that Israelis are illegally building settlements on Arab land. But that's just one issue. They are similarly hard-right on many others, too.

[Begoner]

At 1/5/07 06:58 PM, chocolate-penguin wrote: Yeah, of course we have people like you, who instead of watch the news, go on the Internet on sites that are even more radical than anyone in the media. that's just what makes you so much better.

Actually, I get all my news from reliable sources like Reuters and the New York Times. I rarely peruse more liberal sites, because I am cognizant of the bias in their reporting and I can obtain alternative sources if I so desire. I am not saying that people should read the Communist Weekly; I am simply stating that a more eclectic supply of news sources would be more conducive to accurately assessing the current situation. Simply watching one news channel is insufficient; we should all strive to view sources whose views vary across the political spectrum. I read libertarian publications from the CATO institute occasionally, even though doing so raises my blood pressure.

Sometimes I wonder if you are just talking about yourself. You say everyone who doesn't agree with you is "biased", "intolerant","hateful", or "ignorant".

I have never said anything of the sort, actually.

This is one of the few times I can actually say "You can leave, then" and justifiy it.

Because a 15-year-old can pack his bags and opt to leave the country at whatever time he desires? Please. I will most likely leave the country after I complete my college degree, but I have no way of doing so now. I lack the means.

Now please go to Canadaland, where because the governent is socialistic. And because socialist=perfect, then Canada=perfect.

The government of Canada is indeed slightly more leftist than that of the US, but it is hardly socialist.

[Draconias]

You call that "hard right," Begoner? That's called public opinion. I question your perception of the primary ideological viewpoints and your belief that any bias at all requires an absolute stand against public opinion on specific issues.

Also, I do not believe most of your demands are reasonable, such as your demand that the news outlets should have called Bush a liar when we attacked Iraq when no one was aware of the unreliability of the Intelligence we had received.

Your own bias, however, is blatantly obvious. Perhaps the news media is the "hard right" to you because you are the "hard left" and the media is too moderate for your tastes.

[Begoner]

At 1/5/07 07:14 PM, chocolate-penguin wrote: Wait a minute, are you...debating the media is not leftist?

Well, since you cited a book in your previous post, I feel obliged to respond in kind.

Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky demolish one of the central tenets of our political culture, the idea of the "liberal media." Instead, utilizing a systematic model based on massive empirical research, they reveal the manner in which the news media are so subordinated to corporate and conservative interests that their function can only be described as that of "elite propaganda."

There's actually an excellent video by Mr. Chomsky and a colleague on the topic which is located here.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/arti cle6435.htm

Although it's long (and boring), I'd advise you to watch a couple of minutes of it at least.

ask you for evidence proving that we massacred innocent civilians.

The most obvious example which comes to mind is Haditha. However, our missile launches which were supposed to be very accurate (people could take a stroll in Baghdad and not get hurt, according to Bush) were actually...not. Many of them either were fired to intentionally kill innocent civilians, misfired, or were fired to kill insurgents while accepting "collateral damage." All in all, the US military is responsible for the death of tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians.

http://www.amazon.com/All-Shahs-Men-American- Middle/dp/0471678783

From reading that summary, it seems to agree with my viewpoint.

I've provided evidence. Cartoons showing people blowing themselves up screaming "Allah Ahkbar" and 5 year olds with AK-47s in military units.

Actually, you haven't. Care to cite a source?

[Begoner]

At 1/5/07 07:25 PM, Draconias wrote: You call that "hard right," Begoner? That's called public opinion.

The two aren't mutually exclusive. The media's hard-right bias might reflect public opinion, but that does not serve to detract from the bias. I am sure that it was called "moderate" in Nazi Germany to consider Jews and communists to be rats. Nonetheless, that is an extremely far-right viewpoint.

[SmilezRoyale]

This person is a clear example of our future, a perfect future. Where communism rules america, and israel is burned to the ground. We praise allah for this day in history.

[duckiesrock]

I think your being a little extremest, but you do bring up a valid point " if you here it from the media its the whole storey" that phrase runs through many american minds. That is not at all true though.

[SyntheticTacos]

Tsk tsk, Begoner. I love how you just gloss over how Hamas fires rockets onto Israeli land and doesn't care who it hits as long as it kills a few Jews. The same anti-Jewish propaganda is sent to Iranians as was sent to Germans in the WWII era; Jews control everything, Jews are dirty pigs. What do you suggest Israel does? Just let Hezbollah fire rockets into their land and not do anything about it? Lebanon's government would not do anything to stop them so it's only Israel's right to step in. And you talk about how America and Israel massacre citizens in their wars. Maybe you forgot what war is; in wars civilians die, some deaths are preventable, others are done on purpose. But war brings out the worst in people. And when these terrorists (or militias, whatever you like) strike, it's suddenly okay for them to openly target civilians? There will always be civilian casualites in war.
"Many were still infuriated with American tampering and decided to seize the American embassy. It was the least they could do after 20 years of suffering brought on by the Americans.
"
Again, it's okay to openly target civilians, eh, for revenge? I guess the next time a suicide bomber kills an American soldier his comrades can go in and massacre an entire village, huh? Tell me the difference.

"They do not "indoctrinate" people any more than the Bush administration does."

If the Bush administration is indocrinating anyone they're not doing a very good job of it, considering his approval rating. Fox News does not openly say "KILL ALL MUSLIMS". But the government-sponsored propaganda of Iran has no problem villianizing the entire Jewish race.

Also, I am in no way a supporter of the Bush administration. Most of the time I am more supportive of the Democrats, even though they're a bit conservative as well. It's hard to describe my views as fitting under the guise of any political party; I take what I like from different philosophies, supporting legalization of drugs, prostitution, gay marriage from the libertarians, socialized medicine from the democrats... it's foolish to blindly follow any party or just be completely left-wing or right-wing.

[BelialsSlave]

I'm sorry to say it kid, but it wasn't just the USA that hated Saddam. That bastard comitied Genocide and deserved what he Got. The media could have made him look like a God but that wouldn't have changed a thing.