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Progressive News & Views (since 1982)
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Written on the fly (on it's wings).
A theoretical foundation of democracy is the need for an informed
citizenry. But what of a misinformed citizenry?
I think we can agree that a majority of Americans may not be terribly
informed and they take their cues from a small in number controlled press
of right-wing operatives --- who push the right wing agenda for all kinds
of reasons, some from conviction and some because they have no respect for
the masses. Those who buy into the right wing propaganda machine - well
oiled with big industry money keeps on chucking out those
support-the-Republican-regime talking points and right-wing agenda driven
counter-factural ideas and views.
There is often discussion of the uninformed but misinformation is an
erroneous understanding which in fact differs dramatically from simple
lack of understanding. It is wrong information which these people hold
with confidence.
The difference is the UNINFORMED will most likely opt out of politics.
they really don't care. They're simply uninformed and like the song, "Not
to Worry", they don't care. What happens does not yet affect them, they
think.
They also rely on party leaders. If they vote it is likely to be
Republican because they believe the rubbish that Republicans protect them
more and they don't steal their money or do it less. About that they are
misinformed.
Most of the misinformed listen to Rush and those like him and many are
very involved - like Christian proselytizers selling their right-wing
faith in the "invisible hand" of the capitalist machine. They are on the
InterNUT and they write letters, call their congress, stump for
candidates, contribute money, etc..
The media, a conspiracy to sell a brand of ideas is not a FREE
marketplace. It is a propaganda marketplace which is managed for
predetermined results.
The collective mind chooses the ideas they think are being marketed and
sold but there is often only one set of views posited in today's media.
They are Orwellian ideas and this is really 1984 because there is only the
"preferred" view(s) and the masses are misinformed about them. Inferences
are made from incomplete or false assertions - because they saw it on TV,
therefore it must be right.
Political talk radio leads to even greater levels of misinformation - And
neither the right nor left has a monopoly on false assertions. Audiences
lack the necessary cognition to separate out truth from misinformation.
The problem lies partially in an inability to think rationally applying
all kinds of information and extracting a morsel of truth from it - which
is not the whole truth. Folks definitely need to READ MORE.
We need to ask ourselves why even the same source of information can
elicit different interpretations and conclusions from different people?
The problem is not just media and repetitive political talk radio. It goes
much deeper than that. It goes to the ability of humans to evolve
intellectually and think on a different, higher, more reasoned level. The
problem goes to education and evolution and perhaps what we are
protoplasmicly.
Sometimes I wish (really) that we had no cars, no use for polyester in our
cloths (which is a byproduct of petrolium), no roads to separate us, no
television to confuse us - and just little communities where we could hunt
and gather and be pastoral and take care of ourselves and the environment
- and while we are at it, get rid of our computers and throw away our
radios and just sit on our porches with our neighbors.
Hank
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Hank Roth's Place - http://pnews.org/
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (on the InterNUT since 1982)
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