The media and the non-ideological lie.

[Guest Stephen Turner]

"oppostion is apostacy...Fatalism is ideal" ALDOUS HUXLEY, BRAVE NEW WORLD

.

"The threat to independance in the late 20th Century and beyond,comes from the new electronics. This threat could be greater than was colonialism itself....We are begining to learn that de-colinisation was not the termination of imperial relationships, but merely the extending of a geo-political web which has been spining since the Renaissance. The new media have the power to penetrate more deeply into a "recieving culture" than any previous manifestations of Western technology, compaired with a century ago, we now have an International media presence that insinuates itself over a fantastically wide range." EDWARD SAID, CULTURE AND IMPERIALISM.

THE "UNPEOPLE" PART ONE.

Unpeople is a term coined by radical Australian journalist John Pilger, to describe the vast majority of Humanity who are excluded, not only from economic/social benifits, but also from media attention of their plight. the BBCs famous claim to impartiallity, and inclusion is now little more than a handy facade in which "The Markets" are reported in a hushed, reverential tone, more usually reserved for religious broadcasts, and presented in such a way as to suggest intervention by mere Humans in their workings to be impossible, and probably dangerous to the wellbeing of the Global community. Voices of opposition to the market hegemony are rarely allowed, and when they are routinely, Belittled, maginalised and patronised, nay-sayers are regularly reffered to as Dinosaurs. Progressive language has been appropriated, emptied of its original meaning, and refilled, "REFORM", whose dictionary defintion is, "A change, to improve something" now refers to wholescale destruction of jobs, and neighbourhoods, "WEALTH CREATION"now means the extraction of wealth by continious merging, and asset stripping, "DEMOCRACY"has become so abused, so emptied of its original meaning that it can be used to justify any actions, even anti-democratic ones, and of course "FREEDOM" which as Orwell foresaw now, for many millions of displaced people, means slavery.

The reach, and total domination of discourse,and its slavish devotion to serving the interests of the Power Elite means that many reporters, and journalists toe the prevailing ideological line automatically. MICHEAL PARENTI, INVENTING REALITY, THE POLITICS OF THE MASS MEDIA. Journalists, "rarely doubt their own objectivity even as they faithfully echo the established political vocabularies, and the prevailing politico-ecomomic orthodoxy. Since they do not cross any forbidden lines they are not reigned in, so they are likely to have no awareness of being kept on an ideological leash." This allows the controlling group to decide not only what constitutes news, but also, how it is reported, leaving little need for the outright distortion of deliberate falsehood. In other words, what cant be ignored can be spun. JOHN PILGER, HIDDEN AGENDAS." In the day to day media, much of the reporting is simply the proaganda of the Westen powers, whose narcissism, dissembling language and omissions often prevent us from understanding the meaning of contemporary events."

THE NEWS HAS BEEN SPONSORED BY, PART TWO.

"History without memory confines Americans to a sort of eternal present." TIME MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 1999.

It is this "Eternal present" that allows wars, job losses, stock market shenanigans, inner city crime, suicide, mental illness,and the obscene gap between the rich and the rest of society, to be portrayed as totally unnconected, as we flow from news to sponsorship and back again in one smooth loop, where media technology is percieved as no less than Human consciousness and not for what it is, the most powerful mind control tool of "those who walk between the raindrops"(Paul Foot) Under total control of the paid servants of the Power Elite, and used to keep the general populace asleep, confussed, or vaguely scared of some omnipotent "outsider". Some news simply dosen't exsist, if it cant be made to square with big brothers mantra concerning the triumph of the markets it is simply allowed to pass under the radar screen. Starvation, war and an AIDS epidemic in Africa is almost ignored by all the main stream media(left to fundraising "shows"where people are made to feel good about themselves for giving a bare buck, and then allowed to commit it to the memory hole) Strikes and demonstrations? ignored, downplayed or demonised, Suicide linked to economic deprevation? presented in a sentimentalised, hand wringing way. The stealing of pension funds? a few bad apples, The obscene wealth amassed by the top 1% of Society? a reason to celebrate as it proves how well the economy is functioning( where ever possible, throw in a few celebrities.) and of course war, its presentation a bizzarre mix of arcade game, cartoon show, the triumph of democracy, and "our way" and set peices, played out for fawning, embedded reporters.

All of this obscures the fact that mainstream Politics, in the sence of ideological belief, has virtually ceased to exsist, all main Parties now conform to, and obey the needs of the market(read the rich) and resemble nothing as much as Marx's "Band of brawling Brothers" Whilst policy is constructed according to the dicktats of a howling tabloid media, an underlying iron rule is everpresent, and may be crudely expressed as "No matter the Social, economic, cultural or environmental anarchy that ensuses, the rich must be allowed to get richer without let, or hinderance."

Edited March 12, 2007 by Stephen Turner

[Guest Stephen Turner]

Strange as it may sound but I believe that JFK, due to the nature of his assassination has, as far as history goes, become an "unperson" The truth of his demise must never be commented upon in the mainstream media.