The book Manufacturing Consent and leaked secret service documents have been guiding forces for many to wake up to our reality. We are easily manipulated: manipulated to believe right-wing politics are on the side of workers, manipulated to see immigration as ruining our public services, and manipulated to believe our biggest issues are what might be in someone’s trousers, so much so that we can tarnish political figures by asking, “What is a woman?” We openly see political parties practicing doublespeak, yet the media hardly reports on it or reports with bias.
The worst part is the new form of news: bot farms churning out tweets and Facebook posts with automated sharing, liking, and AI-generated comments. As social creatures, we follow the herd. We look to what seems to be grassroots movements without realizing who those movements benefit, like the anti-climate change rhetoric preached by red-pilled peddlers or the class wars we see between race, gender, and sexuality, along with the return to Christian values.
How we fix this: its no easy task, its a systemic issue and requires systemic change which wont be possible in a system that profits from our lack of media-literacy, our need for outrage; best i can offer is don’t blame our brothers and sisters as they are victims instead seek to enlighten them.
I was just complaining to my therapist that Manufacturing Consent has been available for decades and yet few people seem to be conscious of how much bias exists in mass media. I alternate between educating and accepting what I cannot influence.
Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. Those who know history are doomed to know that it’s repeating. Those who have sought to develop media literacy are doomed to recognize the horror-show that is mass media and the effectiveness of it.
nice to meet a fellow reader and i hope therapy helps, therapy has helped me in recent years. although i found doing advocacy work was what really put me in a better direction.
and well said.
so much so that we can tarnish political figures by asking, “What is a woman?”
That’s what gets my goat - you’ll speak to people and all they do is parrot the right’s culture war rhetoric like that. The recent Guardian article was headlined that this isn’t a culture war but then they go “Starmer can’t define what a woman is” (without, presumably, trying it themselves). I presume because they only get fed the ideas through social media, they don’t realise this is being incubated by think tanks, spread by the right wing press and then amplified on social media.
“Well you have to admit Farage was stitched up”. Something someone genuinely said to me yesterday (followed not long after by “Andrew Tate hasn’t been found guilty yet” and today “this country is going to go to shit” when we are neck-deep in it already).
It’s got the point that I pray trans rights don’t come up when talking to feminist friends or politics when talking to young lads, as the conversation is more likely than not to go side ways. I worry about my niece and nephew as they enter their teenage years.
in a system that profits from our lack of media-literacy
And lack of critical thinking. You have to interrogate ever source and, just because everyone is saying something, it doesn’t mean it’s true.
That’s what gets my goat - you’ll speak to people and all they do is parrot the right’s culture war rhetoric like that. The recent Guardian article was headlined that this isn’t a culture war but then they go “Starmer can’t define what a woman is” (without, presumably, trying it themselves). I presume because they only get fed the ideas through social media, they don’t realise this is being incubated by think tanks, spread by the right wing press and then amplified on social media.
Worst I’ve seen some what recently is Zoraya ter Beek with nearly every article titles: physically healthy. Some also say young girl. One of my friends had recently posted a hit piece that was very reactionary where I went as far to explain that she’s and adult but even so my friend double backed his position.
Fuck farage, the guy had people pay at trago mills to hear him speak. Can’t believe people think him to be working class.
And lack of critical thinking. You have to interrogate ever source and, just because everyone is saying something, it doesn’t mean it’s true.
100% when I hear something crazy from someone I will investigate rather than contune the conversation. Its aweful that this is something we must do.