Category Archives: Media censorship and propaganda

How We Learn to Love Our Chains

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one dimensional man

One Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society

Herbert Marcuse (1964)

Book Review

Free PDF: One Dimensional Man

Philosopher and sociologist Herbert Marcuse uses One Dimensional Man to explain how advanced industrial society has caused human beings to lose their individuality, their ability to dissent and their ability to control their own destiny.

He blames this on a pernicious “false consciousness” that pervades western society. Largely thanks to modern education and the mass media, citizens are pre-conditioned to accept security and material comfort (labor-saving devices, relaxing, having fun, accumulating status symbols etc) as a substitute for self-determination.

In other words, modern man becomes so comfortable he can’t imagine any other way of life. In Marcuse’s words, the ruling elite “removes the need for liberation by making servitude palatable.”

According to Marcuse, the majority of the population are systematically trained to think the thoughts their political and corporate masters want them to think. This results in enormous pressure to conform to public opinion, and any dissent, genuine opposition or negative thinking are viewed as extremely threatening. Marcuse refers to this pervasive and systematic ideological indoctrination as “non-terroristic totalitarianism”.

He writes at length about the “false needs” superimposed on Americans by corporate interests seeking to control and suppress them. He also writes about the tendency of our universal indoctrination to merge opposing forces and ideas, ie the de facto merger of the Republican and Democratic Party, the collusion of labor unions with big business and the mass media’s transformation of class society into a one happy homogeneous mass of consumers.

As Orwell portrays so vividly in 1984, opposing concepts are merged. Worsening oppression and loss of civil liberties is portrayed as “freedom” from an external threat (ie “communism,” “socialism” or “terrorism”); destruction of nature is portrayed as “productivity”; and regression (loss of moral values and personal competence) is portrayed as “growth.”

Marcuse also writes at length about the effect of mass communications in homogenizing art, literature, politics, religion and philosophy as advanced industrialized society transforms all of them them into commodities.

 

History as Fiction: How the Ruling Elite Rewrites History

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The Living Dead

Directed by Adam Curtis

Part 1 – “On the Desperate Edge of Now”

Film Review

The Living Dead is an early Adam Curtis documentary regarding collective perception control techniques ruling elites use to retain power. It specifically addresses the technique of re-creating national history to ensure that populations selectively recall positive historical eras while suppressing all memory of negative events. Only Parts 1 and 3 are available in full on YouTube (Part 2 “You Have Used Me as a Fish Long Enough” is available but the audio is too distorted to be intelligible). Tomorrow I’ll post Part 3, about Margaret Thatcher channeling Winston Churchill’s messianic vision.

In Part 1, Curtis focuses on the Nuremberg war crimes trials of 1945-46. He maintains these trials were the first major propaganda assault against any historical memory of atrocities and war crimes the US and Britain committed during World War II (see British and American War Crimes During World War II).

In the US, the official determination to re-frame World War II as the “just war” would prove very troubling for individual veterans who had witnessed American atrocities (Kurt Vonnegut writes about it in Slaughterhouse Five and Joseph Heller in Catch 22).

The resulting disconnect between official accounts and their lived experiences often resulted in intense feelings of apprehension, hopelessness, isolation and fear of impending disaster. (It sure did in my father.)

The film features an excerpt from a secret film the US army made about a program designed to help veterans “forget” their troubling memories.

Is Donald Trump Real or Did the Corporate Media Create Him?

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While I’m no fan of Trump (I already voted by absentee ballot – for Jill Stein), I find it more than a little alarming that this speech – which is circulating on Facebook – is nothing like the Donald Trump we see in the corporate media:

I have pretty much ignored all the US election coverage, but I was also pretty intrigued by this analysis by Michael Moore on the appeal of Donald Trump for the white working class – especially in what he calls the “Brexit” state (Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and other states where the manufacturing industry has virtually collapsed). He calls a vote for Donald Trump the biggest “fuck you” vote in human history.

Brexit,Trump, Syria and the Fabricated War on Terror

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Adam Curtis Forced Hypernormalisation BBC

Directed by Adam Curtis

Film Review

Curtis, one of my favorite documentary makers, has a unique ability to conceptualize and describe the collective psychological conditioning the political elites subject us to – and the unintended consequences  of their use of public relations (as opposed to diplomacy and statecraft) to retain power. In this fascinating documentary, he explores the link between the rise of Putin and Donald Trump, the Brexit vote in Britain and the fabricated War on Terror. He also explains Syria’s critical role in this process, dating back to Hafeez al-Asaad (1970-2000) and his dream of unifying the Arab world against western exploiting.

The Concept of Forced Hypernormalisation

According to Curtis, “forced hypernormalisation,” is a term coined by the Soviets to describe a psychological control technique in which politicians retain power by projecting a vastly oversimplified view of world. Curtis maintains that Ronald Reagan was the first president to embrace this version of popular control, as he projected US foreign policy as a simple matter of good vs evil and encouraged Americans to withdraw from frustrating social and political concerns by focusing on their individual selves.

Curtis begins his capsule history of forced hypnormalisation with the invention of the strategy of suicide bombing by Hafeez al-Asaad and Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini (when he was losing the Iran-Iraq WAR). Al-Assad (using Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia) would force US troops to withdraw from Lebanon with a dramatic suicide bombing of Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983.

Through the 1980s, Syria would engage in several other dramatic anti-US suicide bombings. However because Reagan felt retaliation against Syria was too risky (due to the support al-Assad enjoyed from other Arab leaders), he would blame Gaddafi, who other Arab leaders viewed as a madman, and bomb Libya instead. Gaddafi, eager for the notoriety, was always happy to take the credit.

Incessant Shapeshifting in US and British Foreign Policy

Thus a pattern emerged where US and British foreign policy became an indistinguishable mixture of fabrication and reality. The public got their first clear view of this strategy with the fabricated reality (ie non-existent weapons of mass destruction and non-existent links between Saddam Hussein and al Qaida) used to justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq. This film also includes an intriguing account (the first I have seen from mainstream media) of the 30+ year Air Force Intelligence campaign to promote popular belief in UFOs.

Putin and Non-Linear Warfare

Curtis contends Russian information specialist Vladislav Surkoff, one of the dozen or so technocrats who keep Putin in power, is also a master of this ceaseless shapeshifting geared towards undermining people’s perception of the world. It is nothing for Surkoff to simultaneously promote Russia’s antifascist movement, nationalist neo-Nazi groups, human rights groups and the Russian Orthodox Church. In foreign policy, the Russians refer to this approach as “non-linear warfare, and they have used it in the Ukraine and Syria. The end result is the west never really knows what their real intentions are.

Enter Donald Trump

Donald Trump is also a master at this type of shapeshifting, with his unique blend of extreme right wing racism and anti-corporatism.  He’s notorious for constantly reversing and contradicting himself, and his speeches are a complex mixtures of facts. The fact he’s so difficult to pin down makes it extremely difficult for the media to attack him.

Manufacturing Narcissism as a Marketing Device

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Starsuckers

Directed by Max Clifford (2009)

Film Review

Starsuckers is a disturbing British documentary about the deliberate creation of narcissistic personality by the corporate media as a marketing device. It explores scientific research showing that we (all of us) are hard wired to have an irresistible attraction to celebrity and how the media uses this to manipulate us.

The film particularly emphasizes the rise of reality TV over the last decade and its replacement of drama, comedy, variety and other formats. By endlessly making so-called “ordinary” people into celebrities, the corporate media convinces us (young people especially) that true happiness lies in the entertainment industry – but only if we purchase the right products.

Studies among teenagers show a clear increase in narcissistic traits that directly correlate with the amount of TV they watch. This has led a number of psychologists to call for a total ban on TV advertising to children under 12 and strict limits on advertising directed towards teenagers.

The filmmakers conclude that the best way to improve our mental health – and that of our kids – is to reduce or totally eliminate TV viewing.

 

Mickey Mouse Monopoly (Review)

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Mickey Mouse Monopoly

Directed by Miguel Picker (2001)

Film Review

Mickey Mouse Monopoly is an examination of the perniciously sexist and racist ideology promoted by Walt Disney Inc, one of the six media conglomerates that control nearly all global communication and culture. In addition to producing blockbuster films and TV programming, Disney owns TV and radio stations, movie theaters, Internet sites and theme parks worldwide, as well as the ABC TV and radio network.

According to Dr Henry Giroux, author of numerous books exploring Disney’s role in propagandizing youth, Disney uses the “spectacle” of innocence to conceal their ruthless exercise of corporate power.

Because Disney is such a dominant player in the development of children’s thinking, the company plays a vital in shaping how members of industrialized society view issues of race, class and gender. For this reason, psychologists, sociologists and media critics are extremely concerned about the blatantly sexist and racist messaging in Disney films.

This documentary skillfully intersperses “expert” commentary with clips from specific Disney films (demonstrating anti-woman, anti-Hispanic, anti-African American, anti-Asian and anti-Arab messaging) and interviews with children about their reactions.

As a woman, I’ve always been most concerned about Disney’s portrayal of female characters (both human and animal) as coy, manipulative, seductresses who are incapable of functioning independently of men. This was the primary reason we did not watch TV in our home while my daughter was growing up.

Debunking the Notion of Good Wars

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In the following video author David Swanson discusses his book War is a Lie. As a long time anti-war campaigner, Swanson’s purpose is to demolish the widespread belief that some wars (eg the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War and World War II) are “good wars. He carefully dispels the lies ruling elites have told us about each of these wars, simultaneously clarifying that each had the true purpose of expanding American empire.

With numerous historical examples, he demonstrates that war was totally unnecessary to win American independence (eg the US launched the War of 1812 as an excuse to invade Canada.). And not only was the Civil War unnecessary to end slavery, but slavery didn’t end in the US until World War II. (See 1941: The Year Slavery Finally Ended)

Swanson is extremely critical of environmentalists who are too timid to condemn war as the major destroyer of the environment and civil libertarians who condemn torture and assassination without condemning war as the root cause of these atrocities. He’s also highly critical of activists who bemoan that the corporate elite is too powerfully entrenched to be crushed by a mass movement.

Unlike most presentations, the Q&A’s – which start at 31:00 – are the best part of this video.

 

Last nights TPPA meeting « The Daily Blog

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Report from first nationwide Townhall meeting in Auckland last night – in advance of TPPA signing ceremony in Auckland on February 4th. It excoriates our prime minister John Key for trying to turn New Zealand into a US colony.
 signing tppa
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There’s nothing in this deal that benefits anyone other than the already wealthy. It locks NZ into being a garden for America’s food chain, which is fine for Farmers and the National Party, but kinda screws the rest of us.

Last nights TPPA meeting was incredible and sobering.

The level of bullshit the Government have used to cover over what the TPPA is really about and the ludicrous ways they’ve measured the economic impacts for NZ have never been so vigorously argued than last night.

The page views for the live stream were in the tens of thousands.

If you had viewed the discussion, you would have heard things never discussed by the mainstream media.

Like the GCSB mass surveillance, the issue of the TPPA isn’t left or right. No one wins by allowing the Government to sign us up to a deal that creates a de facto upper chamber to our Parliament which is controlled by American Corporations.

The economic gains are an illusion. The protections to our environment are a lie. The ability for Maori to uphold the Treaty has been terminally weakened. We will have to pay more for our medicines. We open ourselves up to be manipulated by American Corporations.

There’s nothing in this deal that benefits anyone other than the already wealthy. It locks NZ into being a garden for America’s food chain, which is fine for Farmers and the National Party, but kinda screws the rest of us.

The talking schedule continues around the country, if you have the opportunity to go and hear, you simply must.

The next protest action is 4th February.

Source: Last nights TPPA meeting « The Daily Blog

TPP: Police undertake riot training

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New Zealand’s propaganda machine is in full swing.

4 Feb

by Morgan Tait

From New Zealand Herald

New Zealand Police have been undertaking mass riot training ahead of the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership in Auckland next month.

The trade agreement, that has sparked widespread controversy due to its closed-door negotiations, will be signed by international diplomats on February 4.

Dozens of large-scale protests have been held across the country as the five years of negotiations for the deal came to a close in the US last year.

The Herald understands that increased riot training – officially known as public order training – has been taking place ahead of the signing, as police prepare for more possible civil unrest.

Police Association vice-president Senior Sergeant Luke Shadbolt said that the TPP signing was the focus of annual public order training.

The Herald understands that the training goes over and above previous annual training, and involved more staff on a “mass” scale.

Police National Manager of Response and Operations, Chris Scahill, said police were responsible for all security aspects of the event.

He would not be drawn on any operational details for the event – including staff numbers.

“We can however say that we plan for every eventuality which can be anticipated, and the measures we take will be appropriate and thorough.”

The police operation will be overseen by Police National Headquarters, and will involve staff from a number of police districts.

Read more here

Emancipate Yourself from Mental Slavery

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“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery – none but ourselves can free our minds” – Bob Marley Redemption Song

PsyWar: the Real Battlefield is the Mind

Directed by Scott Noble (2010)

Film Review

PsyWar is about the fundamental role of propaganda in a political system that pretends to guarantee  “democracy” in a society that simultaneously promotes extreme wealth inequality.

It begins with an examination of the vital role propaganda plays in war time, with a special focus on the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and World War I. It then explores the morphing of the World War I propaganda machine into the modern public relations industry.

The film moves on to the concept of “polyarchy,” which the filmmakers maintain is the most accurate description of government in the industrial north. In a polyarchy, power is closely guarded by a wealthy elite and the population remains passive except for periodic elections in which they vote for the elites of their choice. When a tiny minority controls nearly all the wealth, “democratic” elections are only possible if the majority is systematically controlled with psychological propaganda.

Big breakthroughs in transportation and communication technology at the end of the 19th century caused a major crisis for polyarchy, as they fed the rise of popular resistance movements (eg the populist and progressive movement, International Workers of the World and militant labor movements). The response to this crisis was the public relations industry.

The Rendon Group and Perception Management

The documentary introduces us to the Rendon Group, the private “perception management” company the Bush administration paid to manage propaganda leading up to the US invasion of Iraq. Immediately after 911, the CIA paid the Rendon Group $23 million to generate anti-Iraq propaganda. They also paid them to manage “public perception” during the US bombing of Afghanistan.

The Dirty Secret Behind the US Constitution

PsyWar devotes nearly 15 minutes to the secret framing of the US Constitution by a group of rich landholders and merchants to overturn the Articles of Confederation and protect their wealth from the “tyranny of the majority.” It contrasts the system of direct democracy of the Iroquois Federation (on which the Articles of Confederation were based), where all members of society (including women) had direct input into policy decisions.

The Crisis of Capitalism

According to PsyWar the modern public relations machine performs two vital functions in maintaining the stability of our current capitalist system. The first addresses chronic overproduction. One of the main flaws of capitalism is that once a population’s basic needs are met, the need for continuing production ceases. Our ruling elite could have addressed overproduction by reducing work hours and increasing wages (as they have recently done in Sweden*), but this would have hurt profits. Instead, under the guidance of Edward Bernays (known as the father of public relations) they ramped up consumption by bombarding the masses with pro-consumption propaganda deliberately playing on their psychological insecurities.

The second major role played by modern public relations is to “manufacture consent” of the governed to their overall powerlessness and passivity. Manufacturing consent is a term coined by journalist (and former government intelligence/propaganda agent) Walter Lippmann. It was Lippman’s view that the majority of Americans are meddlesome outsiders who are totally incompetent to govern themselves.

*In October, Sweden announced they were moving to a six-hour work day to improve productivity and improve work-life balance Sweden introduces 6 hour work day