The current suspension of Keith Olbermann from MSNBC is symptomatic of a much larger and more serious problem. We are seeing that corporate ownership of media outlets coupled with a decreased number of owners through monopolies is threatening to restrict the public airways to one message. Opposing viewpoints are unwelcome.
Democracy cannot withstand a restriction of free speech. The United States should not model totalitarian regimes that control the press, but that is exactly what is occurring.
I wrote about this back in January, and the situation has only gotten worse. It is time to act. It is time to restore fairness to the airwaves.
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More and more often we've been finding Fox folks and their comrades telling out and out falsehoods over and over and over, trying to turn lies into truth, and we see now where it has gotten us - to the birth of the brainwashed Tea Party and its sympathizers.
ReplyDeleteWe have freedom of the press, and freedom of speech - and how has that been appreciated by some of the most powerful people in this country?
The "freedom" of greed is taking advantage of those freedoms we hold dear, and creating a new costly and false, freedom for those who have difficulty understanding what is happening here. This is called free-dumb.
Thanks for speaking out, Brent!
Maple Leaf,
ReplyDeleteThank you, thank you. Once again you have expressed it perfectly! I really wonder how long freedom of expression will be allowed. Things feel so Orwellian.
The dystopian societies don't seem as remote as they used to. I was remided recently of a book called "The Children's Story" by James Clavell. It reminds me so much of the Tea Partiers. I'll try to post it here. Tell me what you think.
Re: "Things feel so Orwellian."
ReplyDeleteThanks again, Brent. I feel the same way, as though someone is monitoring us...waiting...
Chilling!
ReplyDeleteSince my last response I watched the video you provided. It's beginning to feel like such things are happening already. "Jesus Camp" indoctrination, for instance, was somewhat different, but the manipulation seen in this video was another version of easily molding young minds to do the bidding of those in control.
Re-education of adults, as spoken of in the video you provided has, of course, been done before, when the revolution swept through China, for instance - people were sent away to learn to think in the "right" way.
When people hear the same misinformation over, and over again, it begins to sound familiar, and some of us begin to think what we are hearing must be true after all - especially when we are getting the information from those who present themselves as persons we "should" want to emulate, like the pretty young teacher in the video - preachers, mama grizzlys, war heroes, etc.
And then, there are the other "attractions," like those attractive young women with their too short, short skirts, seated with the guys, in deep conversation, on Fox News in the morning. And there are the tearful, and "pious" (knowledgeable? not!) Glenn Becks who stand before us and "teach" as they preach, sometimes even with blackboards and twist the truth like pretzels...
Maple Leaf,
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess MSNBC "blinked" this time because Keith Olbermann will be back on the air Tuesday. Obviously the bad publicity forced their hand. I will watch closely for a next time which may be far less overt.