narcimund 0 #1 September 6, 2002 In case anyone missed it, observation, analysis, independence, and skepticism are no longer acceptable. You'll be notified what your opinions are by your local television stations. If you're in doubt what is currently acceptable to believe, be very careful not to say the wrong thing. You will be held accountable for any missteps. Welcome to the 21st century. The puppet show has begun. First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scottbre 0 #2 September 6, 2002 I can say "cynicism". Can anyone else? "Your mother's full of stupidjuice!" My Art Project Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #3 September 6, 2002 Is 1984 in the 21st century?Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jraf 0 #4 September 6, 2002 Damn, man I must be politically incorrect in that case. I don't have a TV setjraf Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui. Muff #3275 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lummy 4 #5 September 6, 2002 I don't know what to think of your post LJ Can someone Tell me what I should think of this please?I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narcimund 0 #6 September 6, 2002 QuoteI can say "cynicism". Can anyone else? "The power of acute and accurate observation is often called cynicism by those who lack it." -- George Bernard Shaw First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hohonukai 0 #7 September 6, 2002 Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto. Ok, so the song's really about technology, BUT I see a lot of robots in this country. Thank you for the reminder, narcimund. I see myself acting like a robot sometimes. I-YAH!! EEE-YAH!!! Get this monkey off my back!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,463 #8 September 6, 2002 >In case anyone missed it, observation, analysis, independence, and > skepticism are no longer acceptable. You'll be notified what your > opinions are by your local television stations. No, not at all! Stop exaggerating for effect. You will have a choice of several opinons to choose from. For example, on the topic of a potential war with Iraq, the following are acceptable: -I sure hope we attack Iraq! -I hope we vote to attack Iraq. -I hope someone gets that lunatic Hussein (a funny misspelling of his name is acceptable) The following are not acceptable: -I sure hope we don't kill another few thousand innocent people. -I don't think the war will accomplish the goal of changing Iraq's government to a better one. -We should get UN approval first. Avoid statements like the second ones. If you hear any of the these from someone else, the best response is "why do you hate america so much?" An analogy about shooting someone who attacks you with a gun is acceptable, but avoid extended discussion about such an analogy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FallRate 0 #9 September 6, 2002 QuoteI can say "cynicism". Can anyone else? Hmm? Sinis...nope Cinsis...uhh Cynischism...FUCK!!! FallRate Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scottbre 0 #10 September 6, 2002 Quote"The power of acute and accurate observation is often called cynicism by those who lack it." -- George Bernard Shaw Funny how someone can just quote someone else, and then believe that it lends credibility to their argument. "Your mother's full of stupidjuice!" My Art Project Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jfields 0 #11 September 6, 2002 [ parody ] QuoteFunny how someone can just quote someone else, and then believe that it lends credibility to their argument. True, Scott, but... QuoteThe point of quotations is that one can use another's words to be insulting. -Amanda Cross The surest way to make a monkey of a man is to quote him. -Robert Benchley Alternatively... QuoteA facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought. -Lord Peter Wimsey [ /parody ] Word games and verbal sparring are fun. Not that quotations truly support opinions, but they do provide an embarassingly geeky entertainment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scottbre 0 #12 September 6, 2002 QuoteWord games and verbal sparring are fun. Not that quotations truly support opinions, but they do provide an embarassingly geeky entertainment. Yep. For instance: "A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing." - Oscar Wilde Hehe. "Your mother's full of stupidjuice!" My Art Project Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jfields 0 #13 September 6, 2002 "A witty saying proves nothing." -Voltaire Now that is an ironic quote. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SBS 0 #14 September 6, 2002 Unfortunately, very true LJ... It's ironic, I find, that we look at the whole rest of the world as those who are brainwashed and don't know what is going on...I wonder where we fall on that scale...I'll bet anything that it's a lot higher than we think. -S_____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #15 September 6, 2002 sheep are everywhere, some even fall out of planes because they've been taught "its cool to do so" ------------ "you could make a choice, but you never learned to think -FW Part of the Machine Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SBS 0 #16 September 6, 2002 Don't know exactly where you are going with that, if anywhere, but I do agree. I did not mean to imply that I am not subject to the "brainwashing", for lack of a better term. -S_____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #17 September 6, 2002 well, I don't know ... Frankly on the subject of Iraq I hear a lot of loud discussion from BOTH sides...I don't see anyone having their opinion suppressed , just argued. And that's the way it should be. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SBS 0 #18 September 6, 2002 well, I don't know ... Frankly on the subject of Iraq I hear a lot of loud discussion from BOTH sides...I don't see anyone having their opinion suppressed , just argued. And that's the way it should be. --------------- Right...you hear arguement from both sides...I'm not saying that the opinions are supressed. What I am saying is that if you look at the polls, approval for an attack has been extremely high until recently. I think that the drop in approval comes from the people waking up. This goes back to the discussion about voting...if someone is not allowed to speak, it is very clear that they are being supressed and controlled. If they are not allowed to make a choice, then it is very clear. You throw voting and free speach into the mix, and people have the impression that they are much more in control than they actually are. You throw in the media and we have the impression that we know what's going on more than the people who live in these 3rd world war-torn countries. We are right, they are wrong, we just need to bring our truth to them and help them to see. You see it in all walks of life, from politics to religion. I'm sorry...I don't buy it. What's the best way to control someone? Make them think that they are in control. -S_____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goose491 0 #19 September 6, 2002 The medium is the message!!! The media is OUR tool to communicate to the powers that be. It is sad when this backfires i.e. a Nike commercial will tell you (and make you feel like) you have to buy their shit or you will be miserable. But things are indeed looking better for us when a network like CNN broadcasts what they want, when they want, without (and this is subject to dicussion itself) influence from the GOV. In fact, I'm sure the government likely considers poles taken by CNN on things like "should we attack Iraq" and values them just as much as any vote they would put to their people. This means that we CAN tell THEM what WE think via the media. I'm not trying to discredit the original post as I do believe 'independant thought' has been near-eliminated but this is due to things like political correctness and the desire not to disturb the shit unless it's in someone else's backyard. My Karma ran over my Dogma!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SBS 0 #20 September 6, 2002 It goes both ways... Do you really think, I mean do you REALLY think, that the media is not politically influenced? Come on. Why do we only hear about the things in other countries that "matter"? Ironmike posted about 16,000 deaths in India...why didn't we see that in big bold letters??? Why don't we hear more about AIDS and the government in South Africa? They're pretty fucked up, but oh yeah, they don't have oil. Why do we care? If we cared so much about people, why are we only helping ourselves, and not even helping ourselves, at that. Here we are talking about going over to the middle east for the sake of oil, when we could have a functional electric car produced at reasonable prices within months. Think about what we could do with the BILLIONS of dollars that will be spent and have been spent in the name of oil. Why haven't we done it? Cause JoeBlow consumer ain't the one who puts people in office, it's money hungry corporate America. Oh, but we vote...that makes it all better. Don't get me wrong, I love the amenities that we have here in this country, and probably would not choose to live anywhere else for any length of time. At the same time, though, I think we are all to quick to pretend that we know exactly what is going on, because we have the media, free speech, and the right to vote. -S_____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JDBoston 0 #21 September 6, 2002 Like it or not, it comes down to the free market system. The news outlets naturally act in their own best interests, and for the large, public, profit-driven news outlets, that means: 1) Appealing to the lowest common denominator in the audience, and not showing them stuff that's going to make them uncomfortable or guilty or make them stop watching the news. There's no sinister conspiracy at the top levels of new stations to feed people mindless crap. They do that because mindless crap is what the majority of Americans, voting with their dollars and their eyeballs, want to see. They don't want to hear about their responsibility to help people or how bad off everyone outside their little world may be. 2) Not biting the hand that feeds them, in the sense of pissing off government officials and other people who allow them access (and even tip them off) to newsworthy events and information. This is where the rich and powerful can play a role in what gets shown and reported on. The usual practice seems to be to affiliate yourself (for funding and support purposes) with one ideological segment of the rich and powerful, then feel free to slam a few people on the other side, thus satisfying the average Joe's desire to see some rich folks revealed to be scumbags once in a while, while not endangering your funding by pissing off ALL the rich folks. SO... I don't think current events news is ever going to be particularly controversial as long as it's being run by a large, for-profit business. The more analytical and thoughtful news sources, like some of the smaller-circulation magazines out there, are intentionally appealing to a smaller segment of the population, don't have to show ever-increasing revenues and profits, and are more likely to reveal the occasionally embarrassing and uncomfortable truth about a lot of things. The problem is, most people in this country honestly don't give a shit what the truth is. Joe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SBS 0 #22 September 6, 2002 I don't know if that was meant to counter or support, but as far as I am concerned, that is a great description of exactly what I am talking about. I'm not sitting here shouting conspiracy theory...the fact is that these businesses are just that...businesses. Just because they have the right to free speech and can report everything, doesn't mean that they do it. I think that is where there is some massive confusion in the general public. -S_____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JDBoston 0 #23 September 6, 2002 Part of each, I suppose. The thing I really hate (same as your last sentence) is that 99% of the people in the country seem to base their entire worldview on the morning paper and the evening news. It never occurs to them that there's anything else. Reminds me of a certain Aldous Huxley novel... Joe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SBS 0 #24 September 6, 2002 Reminds me of a certain Aldous Huxley novel... --------------- Exactly! -S_____________ I'm not conceited...I'm just realistic about my awesomeness... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goose491 0 #25 September 6, 2002 Quote...1) Appeling to the lowest common denominator in the audience, and not showing them stuff that's going to make them uncomfortable or guilty or make them stop watching the news.... When was the last time you saw the news and it made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Quote There's no sinister conspiracy at the top levels of new stations to feed people mindless crap. They do that because mindless crap is what the majority of Americans, voting with their dollars and their eyeballs, want to see. They don't want to hear about their responsibility to help people or how bad off everyone outside their little world may be. This supports my argument that we (mindless indeed) control the media. Quote2) Not biting the hand that feeds them, in the sense of pissing off government officials and other people who allow them access (and even tip them off) to newsworthy events and information. The press can piss off (or on) anybody they want... the GOV cannot deny them acces to event and info. This is the nature of the press SBS, I'm not saying that the press is not influenced by the governement. Just the opposite acctually. The press is the best tool we have to show the government what we think. They respond via the media aswell. While the same cannot be said about all news stations, I think CNN for one is a very reputable, honnest source for communication. In other words, there is no puppet show here unless you call the anchormen and women the puppets and us/GOV the puppet masters.... I feel mandatory Metalica coming on... My Karma ran over my Dogma!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
