American Media Machine

[Che Jexster]

The American government relies on a mutually beneficial understanding with the media to create a culture of fear. This fear gains popular support from the American population to justify using force to propagate an economic and imperialistic system that benefits the privileged elite in America. Threats to the country, such as Communism or Terrorism, are blown out of proportion by the media who serve the American government in justifying military action in the Middle East and other areas important to maintaining the US economy and international hegemony over global politics, while attempting to maintain that they promote only liberty and equality.
There has been a long history of co-operation between the government and the media due primarily to their mutual dependency: the media compete for "information scoops" and are dependant on government personnel to provide them; in turn the government officials competing for electoral support depend on the media for publicity. The media is not judged based on how fair and objective their reporting is but rather on ratings and commercial value. There is indeed a " thin line between entertainment and war" in that the first creates the conditions for the second. Americans depend on the media for objective reporting on the Middle East conflict when it is in the media’s best interests to use fear and war to generate a large audience (unless reporting on the event might jeopardize potential commercial client interests). Furthermore, Propaganda is "an integral part of technological society" and infuses every part of our lives in a "secretive" and "totalitarian" way that we are generally unconscious of. (Larson, 270) "Everything is infused with some element of a propagandistic message designed to promote uniformity of action and behaviour" (Larson, 274). In America ten years ago, there were about 30 independent news-reporting sources. Today due to amalgamations and mergers of the largest media conglomerates (for example AOL/Time? Warner) there are only ten. As George Orwell put it, the control of the press is held by "wealthy men who have every motive to be dishonest on certain important topics" (Chomsky, Perspectives on Power, 68). In America these topics are national interest, and economic imperialism. For example, the media was free to report on atrocities carried out by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia because their interests (ideological hatred of "Western Consumerism") directly opposed those of America. However, the atrocities carried out by General Suharto’s Indonesian government against the people of East Timor, that rivaled the Holocaust in terms of the scale of violence in comparison to the population, were barely acknowledged in the American Press because of extensive trade treaties and oil interests the U.S. enjoyed out of the rich oil fields of the East Timor gap (Chomsky, Perspectives...63). The "totalitarian" power of the media in technological societies was tragically visible in the Balkans during the 1990’s, where a decade of "ethno-kitsch" music and talk shows encouraged by the Croatian and Serbian Presidents wore down the Yugoslavian culture into civil war and "ethnic cleansing". (Larson, 155) David Suzuki has commented that war is the very best thing for an economy, starting with the media who enjoy huge boosts in ratings (Suzuki) The American government and the media both work to serve the interests of the rich and elite and the news the American people get is consequently skewed.
The media uses its power over the population to generate a state of fear and hatred so as to maintain popular support in the fight against Communism and Terrorism. Since September 11th media mogul Sony has developed video games that involve the players taking the role of U.S. soldiers carrying out covert operations against Iraq, (www.playstation.com) such games, as well as many similar web sites designed to promote hate and desensitized killing of America’s "enemies", are reminiscent of Orwell’s "2 minutes hate" in 1984. The media attempts to make Americans believe that its "enemies" hate their very way of life to instill them with a greater sense that Americans are fundamentally different from those America wishes to carry out military action against. Headlines such as "Soviet spies want to steal your children" appeared in many American newspapers during the Cold War. (Feifer, 48) In actuality the US was under very little danger from the Soviet Union, which was not even listed under the Department of Defense’s 3 greatest global threats (which did include the Middle East conflict and the increasing move towards land reform in South America). (Chomsky, Perspectives…125) The media told Americans that the September 11th attack was caused by hatred of the ideals of "freedom, tolerance, prosperity…universal suffrage." (Chomsky, 9/11, 26) However, those responsible for the attacks describe their rationale quite differently, stating that they are "fighting a Holy War against the corrupt, repressive, and ‘un-Islamist’ regimes of the region." (Chomsky, 9/11, 32) American’s are fed war with entertainment, which along with a strategy of making American’s perceive the differences between American culture and that of those who they feel are a threat, reveal a desire to make Americans more fearful and unable to see any possibility of reconciliation that does not involve violence.
The American government encourages the fear and hatred generated by the media to justify the paramilitary force used against any force that threatens the economic paradigm America forces on the rest of the world to sustain itself all the while maintaining their stance that they are fighting for "freedom [and] tolerance". (Chomsky, 9/11, 26). America touts itself as the greatest warrior in the War on Terrorism when, in actuality, America is one of the world’s leading terrorist supporting nation. To raise money for the Contras in the early 1980’s the CIA sold weapons to Iran (a terrorist state) against whom they later fought in 1987 in support of Iraq’s current government which they now consider totalitarian and terrorist in nature. Their support of the Contras in Nicaragua, who brutally tried to intimidate the population, (Escott, 873) fits America’s own congressional definition of the word "terrorism" perfectly. (United States Code Congressional and Administrative News) The left leaning Sandanista government threatened the free market exploitation of central America for natural resources, while this atrocity was passed off by Congress as necessary to the development of freedom in a totalitarian, "communist" run state (Escott, 875) The World Court found America guilty of international terrorism and ordered substantial reparations to be paid to Nicaragua which the US has still refused to do. (Chomsky, 9/11, 25) The American government would have us believe that it was the ideal freedom that was under attack on September 11th when in actuality it was in response to continuous military action in the Middle East.
America used the threat of Communism and Terrorism along with their false "humanitarian concerns" to justify continuous military action in the oil rich Middle East. They justified funding Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist attacks against Russia, whom US general Brzezinski claims to have covertly incited to invade Afghanistan in 1979 costing Russia large amounts of soldiers and money after falling into the "Afghan trap." (Chomsky, 9/11, 40). The terrorists originally funded by America put a brutal regime in power in an important strategic area. Osama Bin Laden then became angry over America’s military backing of a Christian government against Syrians and Muslims in Lebanon in 1982 (Adbusters, 18) and their subsequent involvement in the Gulf War in 1990, (http://www.sondra.net/concerns/sept11.htm) which was carried out against Saddam’s brutal regime that America originally funded and put into power during their war with Iran. (Chomsky, 9/11, 35) America is now using the War on Terror to justify a war on the same country whose original military invasion caused the resentment that caused September 11th, while attempting to maintain wide eyed surprise over the backlash from the East.
America’s government and media are both concerned primarily with their own economic interests which motivate them to carry out brutal oppression when geopolitics threaten American business interests. The media depends on fear to generate ratings and consequently greater commercial revenues. Despite America’s stance that it is on the side of freedom and democracy it has carried out military campaigns against legitimate governments and it is the continuous violent campaigns in the Middle East that caused September 11th. The very idea that America considers itself the leader of the "Free World" while it supports violence comparable to the atrocities of the Holocaust in East Timor is hypocritical, amoral and in definite need of review.

Bibliography
1. Adbusters, issue 39, Adbusters Media Foundation Lasn, Kalle, Schmaltz, Bill,
Vancouver, January, 2002.
2.Chomsky, Noam, 9/11, Boston: Black Rose Books, 2002
3.Chomsky, Noam Perspectives on Power, Montreal: Black Rose Books, 1997.
4.Suzuki, David, Lecture, Dalhousie Art Centre, Halifax, June 1997
5. Escott, Paul D., Katzman, David M., Norton, Mary Beth, A People and a Nation,
Boston; Random House inc., 1985.
6.Feifer, George, Red Files, New York, New York; TV Books, LLC, 2000.
7. Larson, Charles, Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility, Belmont, California:
Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1983.
8. United States Code Congressional and Administrative News, 98th
Congress, Second Session, 1984, Oct. 19, volume 2, par. 3077, 98 STAT. 2707, West Publishing Co.
9. www.playstation.com
10.http://www.sondra.net/concerns/sept11.htm

[Hate Your State]

Good essay, you make good points.

[ChiTown Lady]

Don’t get me started – I could write a book on this very topic if I had the time or inclination to do so.

What you say here is very true!!!

And the level of this kind of media reporting has never become so evident to me as it is at this particular time. Every day I read the US media publications and newspapers, then when I get to work I go online and read the BBC News or Guardian (which is also out of the UK).

Most of the US news stories are only reporting half of the truth and/or skewing the facts. And many of the news stories, particularly those that would be uncomplimentary towards the current government regain here, are totally omitted from our press all together. Telling half of the story or not telling the story at all is the same thing as lying, therefore most of what the US media is propagating to the public here is a pack of lies – plain and simple.

Plus the fact that here in this ultra Capitalist society – those who are in a position of power and control over others are regarded as “better” than the rest – even by the very people who are regarded by the power holders to be nothing but mere peons who’s existence in their eyes is to do nothing but work long hours for the sole purpose of making a bigger monetary profit for the power mongering oppressors. This mentality seems to be rampant here, particularly in Corporate America – even though the working class peons know for a fact that they are regarded as expendable whenever the Corporation feels they might need to start chopping more heads in the way of mass layoffs in order to realize a short-term bottom line profit for the Corporation owners.

The whole setup makes me sick, but what makes me even more sick is the way most people here pander to this mentality and fall all over themselves to kiss the asses of those who would think nothing of dumping them in a heartbeat in order to make a fast buck.

And the censorship is escalating at a rapid rate here in the US as well – no lie. I know people who have had their yahoo email accounts disabled because the administrators of yahoo.com do not agree with their political views – this is what the office of yahoo told them, no lie!

Then there is this OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) database that all US Corporations, banks, etc. have been mandated to hook their payrolls and any other vehicle they have that pays out money to this database. Based on the recently passed USA PATRIOT Act, since this whole Anti-terrorist campaign started here – any organization and/or individual who is even suspected of being affiliated with some sort or terrorist activity can get their names added to the database, and companies are not allowed to pay out any moneys to any “blacklisted” person or organization who’s name appears in this database. The magnitude of what this thing can turn into is horrendous. The assets that would be cut off do not have to be Foreign Assets, as the OFAC would indicate by it’s name – these would be ALL assets generated or resident in US companies, banks etc. For instance – hypothetically, if I am seen associating with or if I were to affiliate myself with some organization that the government of my country has deemed subversive – or if I “speak the truth” too much against the policies of the government of this country I could be cut off completely from all income – my paychecks, my social security benefits that I have been paying into all of my working life could be denied me, etc. etc. Most companies do not have all of their systems connected to this central database of names yet, but they are currently working projects to accomplish this – why do I know this? I happen to work for a top Fortune 500 Corporation where there is a big drive to get all applications that pay out moneys connected to this database, and to deny pay-outs to those who’s names appear in this base. The whole thing pisses me off, and I am more than just a little bit concerned about this shit.

And the sentiment against the Muslim-Arab population here is so high that people say very little if anything when people of Muslim-Arab origin are taken away and put in jail without being formally charged with any real crime. This is happening here – and there are people who have been held without being charged for extended periods – yet hardly anyone seems to care. I know a lady who had a knock on her door one night by the FBI – they were looking for someone by the name of her son, and she was asked to go get her son for them because they wanted to take him in for questioning, and which point she went into her 7-year old baby son’s room and brought him out into the front room of the house in his jammies. They wanted to know if she had any other children, and she said yes a daughter. Of course they did not take her 7-year old into custody, because that would have been considered way too absurd (even for them) – BUT what if her kid had been a teenager or older? Then what would have happened to him?

I could go on and on about many other stories and issues surrounding this theme but I am not in up to writing books tonight.

The whole situation here: with the policies being passed ect are way too synonymous to what went on in NAZI Germany – in the beginning, when Hitler was still popular there and before he started his death camps. It is truly something to be more than just a little bit concerned about.

I am concerned – very concerned, but it will NEVER cause me to keep quiet about the truth – it will only cause me to speak even louder and longer about it.



(Edited by ChiTown Lady at 12:05 am on Mar. 14, 2003)

[KRAZYKILLA]

whats up chitown lady. we should hook up-----> meet me at irving park and montrose ... !!!!

[ChiTown Lady]

Hey Krazy -

Irving Park and Montrose run paralell to each other. I could never meet you at that intersection even if I wanted to, because it is NOT an intersection. :lol

(Edited by ChiTown Lady at 1:44 am on Mar. 14, 2003)

[KRAZYKILLA]

oops i meant addison and cicero? my house? 4 sex?