Noam Chomsky - 10 media manipulation strategies

Noam Chomsky, one of the most important intellectuals in life today, has drawn up the list of 10 media manipulation strategies.

1-The strategy of distraction

The primordial element of social control is the distraction strategy which consists of diverting the public's attention from major problems and the changes decided by political and economic elites, through the flooding technique or flooding continuous distractions and insignificant information.

Distraction strategy is also essential to prevent the public from becoming interested in essential knowledge in the area of science, economics, psychology, neurobiology and cybernetics. Keeping the audience's attention deviated from real social problems, imprisoned by themes without real importance.

Keeping the public busy, busy, busy, with no time to think, back to the farm like other animals (quoted in the text ′′ Silent weapons for quiet wars ′′).

2-Creating problems and then offering the solutions.

This method is also called a ′′ problem-reaction-solution ". It creates a problem, a ′′ situation ′′ planned to cause a certain reaction from the public, with the aim that this is the source of the measures they want to accept. For example: letting urban violence intensify or intensify, or organize bloody attacks, with the aim of the public being those requiring security laws and policies to the detriment of freedom. Also: create an economic crisis to make social rights demotion and dismantle public services accept as a necessary evil.

3-The Strategy of Graduation.

To make an unacceptable measure accepted, you only need to apply it gradually, to dropper, for consecutive years. This is how radically new socioeconomic conditions (neoliberism) were imposed during the decades of the 80 s and 90 s: minimum state, privatisation, precariousness, flexibility, mass unemployment, wages that no longer guarantee dignified incomes , so many changes that would have brought about a revolution if they were implemented at once.

4-The Strategy of Deferring.

Another way to get an unpopular decision accepted is to present it as ′′ painful and necessary ", gaining public acceptance, in the moment, for future application. It is easier to accept a future sacrifice than an immediate sacrifice. First, because effort isn't that taken immediately. Second, because the public, the mass, always tends to naively hope that ′′ everything will be better tomorrow ′′ and that the required sacrifice could be avoided. This gives the audience more time to get used to the idea of change and accept it resigned when the time comes.

5-Reach to the public like children.

Most advertisements directed at the large audience use speeches, arguments, characters and a particularly childish intonation, many times close to weakness, as if the viewer was a few years old creature or a mental moron. When you try to deceive the viewer the more you tend to use a childish tone. Why? Why? ′′ If someone addresses a person as if they are 12 or under, then based on suggestionability, they will probably tend to a response or reaction even without a critical sense like that of a 12 person. years or less ′′ (see ′′ Silent Weapons for quiet wars ′′).

6-Using emotional aspect much more than reflection.

Take advantage of emotion it's a classic technique to provoke a short circuit on a rational analysis and finally the critical sense of the individual. Additionally, the use of emotional register allows the unconscious access door to implant or inject ideas, desires, fears and fears, compulsions, or induce behaviors.

7-Keeping the public in ignorance and mediocrity.

Making the public incapable of understanding the technologies and methods used for their control and slavery.

′′ The quality of education given to lower social classes must be as poor and mediocre as possible, so that the distance of ignorance that plans between lower classes and upper classes is and remains impossible to fill from the lower classes ".

8-Stimulating the public to be complacent with mediocrity.

Pushing the audience to think it's fashionable to be stupid, vulgar and ignorant...

9-Strengthening self-guilt.

Making the individual believe that he is only the culprit of his disgrace, because of his insufficient intelligence, skills or efforts. So, instead of rebelling against the economic system, the individual devalues himself and blames himself, which in turn creates a depressive state, one of whose effects is the inhibition of his action. And without action there is no revolution!

10-Knowing individuals better than they know themselves.

Over the past 50 years, science's rapid progress has generated a growing gap between public knowledge and those possessed and used by dominant elites. Thanks to biology, neurobiology, and applied psychology, the ′′ system ′′ has enjoyed advanced knowledge of the human being, both in its physical and psychological form. The system has managed to learn better about the common individual than he knows himself. This means that, in most cases, the system exercises greater control and greater power over individuals, greater than that which the same individual exercises over himself.

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What matters?

Today it feels like we're on the cusp of world wide upheaval with the US about to really experience much of the pain that other parts of the world endure.  We (the US) have been involved and instrumental in other countries governance, change, war, etc... with the consequences of our actions out of mind for the majority of our population.   

My struggle is how to live a 'good' life, and what issues can my energy and focus influence in a manner that would best serve future humanity and future life on this world.

Environmental ... Educational ... Justice ... Financial ... Political ... Local ... Peace ... Equality ... Kindness ... Fairness ... Spirituality ... Family ... Friends ... Art & Beauty ... Food and Shelter ... and ????

Guess this is why many people turn to organized religion, pundits, dictators or cult leaders to give them direction and orders.  To give up the quest and give in to the will of the 'leaders' say so would make everything easier and simple. Gain a feeling of peace when all you need is 'Love'.  

Today's read - focus is on Justice.   Our massive incarceration of citizens is big business and predatory against the weak.  The BLM and 'defund the police' movement struggles with causes, arguments, answers and possibilities.   Politicians want to make more laws.  Activists want more demonstrations, commissions, actions. Educators want more programs, classes, courses.  There's a call for more security, social intervention, parenting, coaching, consequences, regulations, shaming, blocking, censuring, etc. 

I feel that there should be a LOT more introspection.   Checking our own before we try to change the other.

Today's links:

https://lyz.substack.com/    District Attorneys Are the First Line of Defense Between the Police and the Public

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/us/what-does-defund-police-mean.html

Square One Project:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeMuxyz4AeuKYaFXudzEd_Q

Cancel Culture ?

One of the talking points of the Republican 'platform' seems to be a fight for 'freedom of speech' and a rally against Democratic sponsored 'cancel culture' .   I struggle to argue with those who are incensed and believe that all their rights to free speech are denied by the 'woke'.   

This article helps explain and elucidate.    

The real debate here is not about the principle of free speech, but the much grayer question of how we draw its boundaries. What kinds of speech should be morally out of bounds? What sorts of speakers should be excluded from major platforms? When can giving a platform to one kind of person actually make it harder for other people to speak their minds freely? And what kinds of social sanctions, like public shaming or firing, are justified responses to violations of these social norms?   

from:  https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/7/22/21325942/free-speech-harpers-letter-bari-weiss-andrew-sullivan

Conventions

The lines are being drawn.   Convention time.   The Democratic Convention is over..  Republican one next week.. then the knives come out!

Ron Davison

@iamrondavison

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48m

This week at the RNC, Trump's task is to convince people - particularly older folks who voted for him in 2016 - that protesters are a bigger threat than the pandemic. (For those of you've who've lost track, COVID is killing 1,000 Americans a day. Protesters, somewhat less.)

Koch vision for America .. almost here

 From article: Pull Back the Curtain on efforts to kill the US Postal Service and out Pops Koch Money

For an absolutely frightening look at Koch’s vision for America, consider what was in their 1980 Libertarian Platform when David Koch ran for Vice President of the United States:

“We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.”

“We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.”

“We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.”

“We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.”

“We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.”

“We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence.  Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.”

“We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.”

“We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.”

“As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.”

“We support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.”

“We advocate the complete separation of education and State.  Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.”

“We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.”

“We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether profit or non-profit.”

“We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency.”

“We support abolition of the Department of Energy.”

“We call for the dissolution of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.”

“We demand the return of America’s railroad system to private ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national highway system.”

“We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called ‘self-protection’ equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.”

“We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration.”

“We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.”

“We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children.”

“We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.”

“We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and households.”

“We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”

“We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”

“We support the repeal of all state usury laws.”

Now think about this. Item number one on the list, “the repeal of federal campaign finance laws,” was accomplished under the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010, ushering in unlimited corporate spending in elections. Americans have been losing ground to the Koch machine ever since.

https://wallstreetonparade.com/2020/08/pull-back-the-curtain-on-efforts-to-kill-the-u-s-postal-service-and-out-pops-koch-money/