Doug and I watched a PBS special last night called Buying the War. It's been a couple of years since it originally aired, but Doug read about it, so we looked it up and watched the whole thing on YouTube. The show was done through the PBS program called Bill Moyers Journal. Mr. Moyers takes an in-depth look at how the war on Iraq was marketed to us Americans, and how American journalists played a key role in convincing the American people that Saddam Hussein had WMDs, was responsible for 9/11, and was aiding al-Qaida. The Bush Administration hoodwinked the American people by passing off unreliable and illegitimate sources as credible and authoritative, and our top journalists fed the bullshit to their audiences diligently and obediently. Anyone who questioned sending troops into Iraq was quickly hushed, moved to page 18, and ignored by the press, and, in turn, the public. People who demanded more evidence against Saddam Hussein were shunned for being disloyal, unpatriotic, and disgustingly liberal. We now know that the inner circles of U.S. Intelligence were well aware that there was no evidence for WMDs, and that little, if any, evidence existed to connect Saddam Hussein to al-Qaida or Osama bin Laden. Few American journalists became aware of this until after the war had begun, though all they needed to do was make a phone call or two. But those who did realize just how thin the justification for this war had become were ignored. Even Ted Kennedy, revered as one of the greatest senators of our time, was largely ignored when he gave a televised speech denouncing our hastiness in marching to Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of people protested the war, marching through streets in numbers scarcely seen in decades. But they didn't make the news, either. President Bush gave speech after speech about the growing threat of Iraq and the need to take immediate action. Top White House officials openly disregarded the fact that few of our U.N. allies supported our decision. And, before we Americans realized what had happened, we were off to war in Iraq. Six years later, we're still there, and we still don't know why. Now, I could go on forever about Iraq and how it has been, as they say, a tragic, historic blunder. It even seemed wrong to me as a high school senior as I asked my parents why all of a sudden everyone was talking about Saddam Hussein and Iraq when we had just determined that we should be looking for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. No one could satisfactorily answer this question. But, what I really want to think and talk about is, what the hell happened to the American journalists? Hello? These are smart people. They're supposed to report the news and find at least pieces of truth, however unsettling. That's why they went in to journalism in the first place, I'm sure: to investigate and report back findings. But now they just roll over and play dead and let the corporate and bureaucratic powers above them control their every move. Now, I've known for a long time that watching the news is bad for your health. I quit watching the news my freshman year of college after following the Bush/Kerry debate for an unhealthy amount of time. I don't trust news people, especially the big guys: FOX, CNN, MSNBC, etc. But, what's really on my mind is the idea that the government will continue to directly control what our news people are feeding us....especially when I consider how many Americans are glued to news channels all day long. They've created a state of fear and panic among Americans, and in doing so have ensured that we'll all do whatever they ask, so long as they say it's for our own safety. And that, my friends, is scary. These are not new thoughts for me, but I haven't talked about it in some time. Writing helps, because the paper will let me get all my ideas out without shouting arguments at me. And this is some crazy shit, is all I'm sayin. Thoughts?
P.S. Your best sources of news are NPR, PBS, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report. Seriously.
Scary is right! The government continues to control the media because they know that a vast majority of the American public continues to be complacent about the truth. Instead of researching issues for themselves, they get their info from corporations that GET PAID BIG BUCKS to tell whatever story will increase ratings and draw the biggest audience of viewers. Americans need to wise up!
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's so hard not to simply retract into your own bubble and pretend like none of this exists. I am so small, and how the fuck am I going to change anything about how the media affects the people? The only thing I can do is not pay it any attention in order to protect myself. I watch/listen to speeches made by elected officials, read the constitution, and form my own conclusions.
ReplyDeleteThen again, I could just adopt solipsism and believe wholeheartedly that the government (or anything else, for that matter) doesn't exist.
For all we know, the government doesn't actually exist. We believe that it exists because someone has told us so. I think I'll make myself a yummy snack. My brain hurts.
ReplyDeleteSolipsism, huh? Whatchoo readin, now?
NPR for me please... I'm an addict. Amy, welcome back to the world of politics. I'll be sure to read your blog but I have to admit I get so much political banter here in the district that I try distance myself from all of it as much as possible these days. Hope you're able to maintain a healthy balance my dear :)
ReplyDeleteYeah! I've been saying for years that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are sadly the most legitimate pundits.
ReplyDelete=here comes a blanket-statement=
The problem with the media and journalism is there is a built in acknowledgment and acceptance of selfishness, greed, and narcissism. Journalist report stories based on several questions: "Will this cause controversy?" "Does this get me more face-time?" "Does this pull on emotional heartstrings [enter anything 9/11 or Katrina here]?" & "Could this help me make-it-big/get a raise?" All basically the same question if you'll notice.
The idea of journalist reporting for the sake of a legitimate story is reserved for small-time Internet bloggers, publicly funded outlets (NPR, PBS), and comedians who pimp-out their comedic writing skills for a chance to express personal political commentary on the side (Stewart, Colbert, and Maher). It must be said the black sheep of this family is the artist. There is no niche in the mainstream media for much "alternative" story angles. "What's everyone else saying? Let's run that."
Another item of interest is the lack of photos from the actual war(s) we're in. Of course you can find some in the bowels of the Internet, but the only picture you can really find in the mainstream our pushed to days when there's not much headline news or the rare photo of abuse to prisoners we're holding and not the horrors that are also happening to our own troops. What happened to the time of journalism during Vietnam where anything was taken to show the true face of war and not a war we need to be in? You said, Amy, that journalists are now realizing that the wool was pulled over their eyes (which couldn't have been hard), yet they take no action to move public opinion forward. I don't believe they really have waken up.
=end of blanket-statement=
Right now I've started The Age of Reason by Sartre, The Fall by Camus, Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way by Bukowski, and Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre basic writings by Sartre, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Kafka, Heidegger, Dostoevsky, Camus, Jaspers, and others compiled by Walter Kaufman.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, this provides much nourishment to the beast inside me named "Cynicism."
Through all of this, solipsism becomes pretty intriguing and almost comforting.
Perhaps Italy will give you some warm-fuzzies. I have found that what gives me the best warm-fuzzis is when I feel small. Traveling will do that, and it will be wonderful.
ReplyDelete