quote:

Originally posted by PeacefulWarrior The media is biased institution run by a select few--this applies especially to American media (ie CNN, NBC, FOX, etc).

It doesn't apply especially to American media... It applies especially to any media run in dictatorships where the media has a one sided slant in favor of the dictator. Remember Hitler & Gobbles and how dictatorships use media to brainwash the masses.

Arab countries right now are doing just what Hitler did in the past. Their propaganda machines have several targets, Americans & Jews & other westerners.

My question is how can any intelligent person seriously take any nation that refers to America as the great satan. I'm talking prophetic genocide here, this is the danger of propaganda in this hands of mad dictators. I see this occurring right now as we speak.

So next time be a tad wiser and dont single out America on propaganda as you will lose your argument like how the titanic sank. But I suppose europeans will single out America on anything they see bad and ignore the evils of rest of the world, as usual, par for the idiotic european course.

___________________
Current fav albums

DNA, kick me up
Protoculture, Circadians

quote:

Originally posted by PeacefulWarrior You make a good point. However, the danger I see with the media is not the information that it airs; it's the information that it selectively doesn't show or talk about that causes the problem. Let me give you a couple examples: There have been more Palestinians killed in the Middle East crisis than Isrealites. But for some reason most Americans tend to think the opposite. Why? Why is it that everytime Iraq is mentioned in the news, we only hear about how evil Saddam is and not about how the US imposed sanctions have killed thousands of people in Iraq? Why don't we hear about the 10 million causualties that Africa has suffered over the last decade in its numerous civil war conflicts?

Israel is simply responding to Palastinian war crimes with war crimes of it's own, of course they want to beat the death toll of their own.

Sanctions are Saddam Husseins responcibility, he holds his people in his hands, like all dictators do. We have no economic obligation to sell anything to Iraq if we dont want to for reasons that are our own.

Afican civil wars are little known it's true. Every now and then CNN will say something about a civil war, like the recent one where Americans were evacuated from a certain African country, I think it's Uganda, I'm not sure.

However I think Europeans are probably better informed on African civil wars seeing as how we Americans had very little to do with Africa since the slave trade, while Europeans had colonies on the whole continent up to the 1960's. So that is largely a European problem.

The situation in Israel & India/Pakistan also date back to the days of European colonies. In The case of Israel the British Empire promised the Arabs land from coast to coast, they broke that promise and formed Israel in 1948. War ensued, Israel won, and the US recognized it. Several invasions occurred later, the invaders were routed and Israel took several strategic territories, (now known as the occupied territories. Some of the territories were later given back.

India/Pakistan I know less about, but it's essentially a dispute over how the borders were divided by the old British Empire during the days of the colonies.

___________________
Current fav albums

DNA, kick me up
Protoculture, Circadians

quote:

Originally posted by biznology dont pay attention. seriously, besides learning that everyone is going to die of west nile - if youre going to listen, do so in as many places as possible. and pick and choose and filter the info with common sense - theres always at least 2 sides.

Two sentiments that I agree with completely here...

I was actually just thinking about the ridiculous nature of the West Nile hoopla as I was reading the Kalamazoo Gazette this morning, and in the little letters to the editor (which featured, among other things some guy complaining bitterly because there are billboards advertising for the Vagina Monologues...and apparently the word vagina is obscene now... ) a woman, who was the grandmother of a Marine, was talking about how she supported her grandson going off to war against Iraq because what if *Saddam could unleash West Nile infected bugs in the States to kill us all*...

I honestly couldn't believe it, but the more I thought about it, the more logical the fear became, given the way the media has been hyping things to death, especially West Nile.

I have to agree with other posters on this thread that the issue is media *in general* as well, every publication or source is biased in some way, that's why it's crucial to at least read a few different sources.

Media has just become so omnipresent in recent years though, it seems as if you can't go anywhere without having the latest scandal, attack, or what-have-you thrown in your face repeatedly, usually with slow-mo instant replays ala the OJ Simpson Bronco chase and the planes crashing into the World Trade Center.

It's that omnipresence that makes it so dangerous. Before, people could actually get away from the hype, but now there are news feeds assaulting you on many major web sites, tvs blaring the news in every window and shop, and it all seems that much more in your face to me.

I don't know, this could easily just be my perception of things slanting my judgement though too, it's hard to seperate that at times, but it certainly *seems* like the media is everywhere to me now, but maybe it's always been this way and I've only realised it in the past few years :shrug:

quote:

Originally posted by Verona^My It doesn't apply especially to American media... It applies especially to any media run in dictatorships where the media has a one sided slant in favor of the dictator. Remember Hitler & Gobbles and how dictatorships use media to brainwash the masses.

I realize that America is not the only country to have this type of problem but when the only reputable sources of info in the US are the BBC and a handful of magazines and websites there is a serious problem.

While modern forms of propaganda may not be as blatantly clear or simple as the examples you mention, they are much more subtle and they do exist. As I mentioned earlier, it's not what is said but rather what is not said.

Take foreign policy as an example. How many people do you know that are well informed on foreign issues? And by well informed, I mean know both sides of the story. Maybe you know alot of people like this, and that's great. However, I'm highly skeptical that the majority of individuals in the US are like this. ...So now ask yourself what is the cause of this?

___________________
sig edited: no political imagery allowed. please reref to the sig guidelines

i have always hated the media, my #1 enemy.
Screw the war on terrorism - i say we have a war on Media!

the problem is simply politics and money (already been said i know). That's why i don't own a TV - no more bullshit programming.

-ABT-

___________________
Peace.