Aka Fox Noise, Faux News, The Ministry of Truth
Bill O'Reilly's recent jihad on Kos reminded me of a realization I'd come to sometime back when Islamo-fascism was all the rage. Like "The war on terror" and "They hate us for our freedom", the statements never made sense to me. I thought, "you mean those guys that ride around in Toyotas with turrets who subjugate their women?" That is what fascist means? No, it turns out this is nothing more than a vile form of propaganda and, in my view, should be vigorously labeled as such and not laughed off, as we so often do with Bill's delusions. It is a concerted effort to 1) clearly delineate 'the enemy' 2) More deviously, redirect the viewer from the true practicers of fascism.
So I thought I'd take a moment to educate myself on fascist propaganda so I could be aware of it - and, hopefully, not be confused and/or fooled. Fool me once, shame on ... uhm, well, you know.
More ...
Vidal Gore, as he so often does, says it best (at about the 3 minute mark, http://www.youtube.com/... ).
"... whatever is their transgression, whatever their faults are, they lie and apply it to the other person."
And so, "Islamo-fascism" was born.
Mussolini: "Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power."
There are many definitions of propaganda. This one is most succinct. "Propaganda appeals to emotion and not reason."
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
http://www.google.com/...
Chomsky, more than anyone, puts it into the context of our current predicament with this quote. "Propaganda is to democracy what violence is to tyranny."
If you have not, I invite you to take a look at the 14 points of fascism pointed out by The Project for the Old American Century.
Of particular interest, in this context, are points 6 and 7.
6.) Controlled Mass Media: Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
http://www.oldamericancentury.org/...
7.) Obsession with National Security: Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
http://www.oldamericancentury.org/...
As a veteran, I'm particularly concerned because Fox News is on practically everywhere in government - especially in the VA and military. This is not by accident, of course. This is a concerted effort to propagate propaganda of all sorts - some of them pernicious and un-American and undemocratic and fascist.
Americans who love the constitution should recognize and expose fascist propaganda from any source anywhere - but especially Fox News where the transgressions are more egregious, more concerted, more pervasive and more dangerous.
At the VA last month, I pointed this out to the teller, while picking up medications. Though I was polite and conversational, she became hostile to my question "Is there any other news you play in the waiting area besides Fox News?". "No", she said, "Why should we? They are fair and balanced".
"Ok", I said politely. But I'm thinking of a more informed response for next time.