US politics has a little bit more to go before the weight of it's own absurdity promulgates its final collapse. Many of us have walked away from the Kabuki theatre circus where both sides are meaningless constructs but for the FOX News lovers and even the agnostics (a conciousness crime in itself) that absurdity needs to be driven deeper and much much darker than this brilliant response by The Muppets at a press conference for the latest movie. I assure you FOX will self immolate without any outside interference or encouragement. Its demise is on auto pilot and on schedule.
Rick Santorum has the blessing of Rupert Murdoch and it's likely the 2012 presidency has already been chosen by the string pullers of media and government. However as a political media piece to deconstruct, the above presentation by Rachel Maddow is a fascinating snapshot of the United States that media historians in centuries to come will scratch their heads over.
There's no mention of policy. That's not important. However it does seem there's some nominal resistance as Roger Ailes of Murdoch owned FOX prefers Newt Gingrich. They are physically, emotionally and intellectually similar unlike Mitt Romney who is a little too dashing in a plastic sort of way for the FOX supremo to bestow his blessing. Rachel makes the point that is perplexing to the British who understand clearly that without Rupert Murdoch's seal of approval the Prime Ministerial candidates in the British elections are doomed. It seems the U.S hasn't grasped Murdoch/FOX News power preferring to believe that the best man wins. It's my view that this years GOP line up is so weak the winner will get the media push they need and the nearest threat will be hobbled at a crucial point. That's why McCain was allowed to run last time. A charity run kind of thing.
The owners (our owners) don't care about ideas of left and right. The job vacancy is invariably allocated long before the primaries begin. In the event of a surprise runner pulling ahead or winning there's a number of ways that can be fixed.
It seems the establishment is paranoid about the threat from conspiracy theories and so ordinary people are left asking why a 'theory' is so dangerous to western civilisation's elites?
All truth passes through 3 stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. - Arthur Schopenhauer
I was just watching Chris Hedges being insulted by Kevin O'Leary of CBC. He asked him if he was a left-wing nutbar after Chris made an uncontroversial and appropriate response about the people at the #Occupy movement being perfectly aware which institutions are at fault. Chris then went on to dismantle Kevin O'Leary live on TV before departing with a derisory comment that he wont be returning to CBC who till then, he imagined, hadn't yet sunk to the depths of FOX news.
You can watch that video which is shooting up the Youtube charts here but for a much more comprehensive display of one of the last remaining erudite and well informed Americans I urge you to watch the video embedded above where he burrows down into the pornification of wrestling or the wrestle-fication (violence) of porn and ultimately the corporatisation and commodification of everything in the United States.
I've blogged about Chris Hedges before when I first discovered him and somehow I forgot how respectable he is. I realise now that he's a person I need to go through his entire video archive as he has an ability to articulate that is the essence of calm, thoughtful and lucid analysis. Kevin O'Leary broke CBCrules of conduct with his insult but it's a little late for him to recover any credibility he aspired to for being anything other than the odious money grubber he is.
Another decent citizen answers questions so comprehensively the FOX interviewer is left looking foolish and the footage is left on the editing floor. People who rely on televisions to paint their reality for them are going to be in for a rude surprise when reality knocks on their door.
The corporate media are taking the U.S. for a ride. It's truly astonishing that the only candidate telling the truth (and consistently so) is vilified and portrayed as being insane. Only in America or as Malcolm X said:
"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing."
Incidentally if A=1, B=2, O=1+5 etc FOX adds up to 666.
I don't have much in common these days with people who watch Television. They're like zombies pretending to be real. There's occasional good content out there but the risk of interruption by infomercials sanitizing war or senseless materialism is obscene.
Long before it was safe to do so, when the United States was reeling from the sky scraping collapse of three buildings in New York and any suggestion of even handed analysis or probing and difficult questions was yelled down by people screaming 'they hate our freedoms'. I made my political position clear although you might be surprised to find I'm neither Democrat or Republican.
What annoys me is that those same people baying for blood invariably couldn't point to Iran on a map and are unaware of having their political opinions shaped by the media and its business driven agenda (industrial military and media complex and so forth or MIC as its often known). FOX is most certainly part of this machine as is CNN although they are both complicit in addressing real issues.
Noam Chomsky made clear this complex communication topic of media manipulation in his 'Manufacturing Consent' book. During that post 9/11 I was unpopular and (I lost friends over it) specifically yelling (to the TV) at the disgraceful cowardice of the White House Press Corps as they group fellated then POTUS Bush 43. I've also made clear my views on FOX NEWS (Fair and Balanced) over here but I think it's important that if you haven't watched how media really works that you take the time out to watch the Manufacturing Consent Video below.
There really is no excuse for not being informed and if you find it dull. Perhaps you need to back to your day job because being part of the solution and not the problem is only for the sentient classes.
Disclaimer: Noam Chomsky is my favourite Jewish Person. I imagine if he lived a couple of thousand years ago, that with legendary embellishment he could easily morph into that other profoundly important Jewish figure..Jesus Christ. Watch this and see why he's on another level. I know of no other person who cuts through issues with such compelling truth that it leaves me bewildered as to how he made the lonely journey to what become self evident conclusions.
