Unmasking fear: The most important story we need to get written

[Newsjock]

After this week's unprecedented assault of fear-mongering and panic-spreading from the government, I'm convinced more than ever that we need to make the use of fear a key issue in our quest to save this country.

It's more important than war, nukes, deficits, and even lies -- because at the core of every one of these issues lies an administration that uses textbook propaganda techniques to keep Americans in a perpetual state of fear and unease. This neverending malaise allows the government to get away with things that a fully awake and informed American public would never tolerate.

But how do we do this? The most effective way is to unmask the fear in a major print report. We need to get a reporter for a major U.S. wire service (UPI doesn't count anymore, sorry) or a major national newspaper (New York Times, Washington Post, or even USA Today) to write a detailed expose of how this government uses fear to achieve its goals.

Fear is easier to expose than lies. Millions of Americans simply refuse to believe that they're being lied to, and our attempts to change that perception are working, but only very slowly.

Fear knows no party boundary. Principled Republicans -- yes, they do exist -- will agree that a nation should be goverened by hope, not by fear.

TV won't do this first; you know that as well as I do. But if the voices in the print media are loud enough -- and if the public finally takes notice -- TV won't be able to ignore the story, and that's the breakthrough that will wake up the millions of Americans we need in the next election.

Some of us have "connections." Some of us are media types ourselves. Some of us work for political campaigns and advocacy groups that have other connections. Plant the seed with all your contacts -- It's time to expose the fear.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. I also sugest you use humor

it works

And yes I agree

[karlschneider]

3. Humor might work. All this stuff has scared the pants off me, I can only

imagine how frightened Bush must be since he's complete naked!
:D

[KFC]

2. The mad cow hubbub is the latest example of fearmongering

Save me from the meat!

[nhtfopo]

4. Are people on this board serious

that the mad cow disease found in a cow was made up by the B* administration? Or is that a joke playing on the alerts? I can't tell who's serious and who's not lol.

[karlschneider]

6. Ah, you are new here and need to get your BS detector recalibrated!

I have a recently certified (to NBS standards) BS detector validator.
For the phenomenal sum of $15.00 I can get yours up to date. Just send it to me via Paypal or money order and we'll have you fixed up in no time!
Guaranteed for 30 seconds, or until G.W. Bush says something truthful!

[pocoloco]

8. You'll know it's serious just as soon as they being Oprah

back to Amarillo!

[EstimatedProphet]

5. I agree

Every time anything negative about this administration comes to the surface, or if something comes along that they want to sweep under the rug, either the "Terror Alert" level goes up, or there's a report that OSB or (in the past) SH made a public statement about how they are planning to attack the US, or some other such nonsense.

Anyone ever see the old Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"? I guarantee you that this administration did, because it's their domestic policy blueprint!

[newyawker99]

23. Hi EstimatedProphet!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[JNelson6563]

7. Bowling for Columbine

That movie really helped me realize the depths of the fear-mongering throughout the years.

It is another way to keep us divided. Convincing us how "protected" and "safe" we need to be kept.

Julie

[nhtfopo]

12. did you read any fact checking on that movie?

it was mostly fear mongering itself. I can provide some links for you if you'd like.

[Newsjock]

15. Here's a link, too

http://michaelmoore.com/words/wackoattacko/

How to Deal with the Lies and the Lying Liars When They Lie about "Bowling for Columbine"
by Michael Moore

One thing you get used to when you're in what's called "the public eye" is reading the humorous fiction that others like to write about you. For instance, I have read in quite respectable and trustworthy publications that a) I'm a college graduate (I'm not), b) I was a factory worker (I quit the first day), and c) I have two brothers (I have none). Newsweek wrote that I live in a penthouse on Central Park West (I live above a Baby Gap store, and not on any park), and the Internet Movie Database once listed me as the director of the Elvis movie, "Blue Hawaii" ( I was 6 at the time the film was made, but I was quite skilled in directing my sisters in building me a snowman). Lately, my favorite mistake is the one many reviewers made crediting the cartoon in "Bowling for Columbine" as being the work of the "South Park" creators. It isn't. I wrote it and my buddy Harold Moss's animation studio drew it.

I've enjoyed reading these inventions/mistakes about this "Michael Moore." I mean, who wouldn't want to fantasize about living in penthouses roughhousing with brothers you never had. But lately I've begun to see so many things about me or my work that aren't true. It's become so easy to spread these fictions through the internet (thanks mostly to lazy reporters or web junkies who do all their research by typing in "key words" and then just repeat the same mistakes). And so I wonder that if I don't correct the record, then all of the people who don't know better may just end up being filled with a bunch of stuff that isn't true.

Of course, it would take a lot of my time to contact all these sites and media outlets to correct their errors and I think it's more important I spend my time on my next book or movie so I just let it ride. But is that fair to you, the reader, who has now been told something that isn't true?

more

[nhtfopo]

18. That's wonderful

But Moore purposely lied the entire way through that movie. It's not even close to being considered a documentary. I'm anti-gun and I can see right through it. The things he said happened in that movie just didn't. He can provide no facts and neither can you to say they did. Go read the plaque. Go watch video of the actual speeches. You can't deny stuff like that, so he just changes the subject and says, well other people lie about stuff too, so it's ok.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cooley Hurd]

21. The burden of proof is on YOU...

What did he lie about? Provide examples, please... :eyes:

[worldgonekrazy]

25. A good book: "Culture of Fear"

Doesn't go quite as far as I would like into how the use of fear benefits certain people, but it does a good job of exposing how ridiculous many of our society's greatest fears really are.

[pitt71]

9. Fear

I'm a little confused. Are you saying that the national news media is working with the government to spread this fear; or, that they are just too stupid to figure out that they are being used? And, what kind of proof can you provide to back your contentions? If you want us to help, please give us more specific information, beyond just your own beliefs, on this issue. Thanks

[JNelson6563]

10. Fear is good for ratings

it also happens to be good fodder for politics.

The two paths converge naturally.

Julie

[nhtfopo]

11. That's all I was asking for

was some proof that the mad cow disease found ina cow in the US is actually fake. I'm all for most of the policy views on this board...but you people only believe what you want to believe, and if anything happens that isn't convenient for you, you just say it's fear mongering.

Has anyone spoken to farmers involved in the cow that was found to be diseased? Do any of you have any sort of proof this is fake? Do you have anything even relevant to say about, other than it obviously is fake and we should all just trust you that it is fake and smear the people involved?

[grasswire]

13. "you people"

sounds like the way the wingnuts talk.

[Newsjock]

14. No, the issue is fear-mongering

And how the government and media are working to make us all scared out of our gourds that we're all going to die from mad cow disease -- when the reality is that we're all more likely to get struck by lightning, give birth to sextuplets, and win the Lotto -- twice -- all on the same day.

36,000 people die from the flu in an average flu season. And everyone gets out of whack over what's happening this year?

[nhtfopo]

19. Still waiting for facts or links

to anything that even hints that the mad cow disease found is fake. All I'm saying is some people on this board do alot of fear mongering of their own.

[Cooley Hurd]

22. And so am I...

See post 21... :eyes:

[DoYouEverWonder]

17. You may be interested in these two threads

That I posted a couple of days ago:

Posted Tue Dec-23-03 10:16 AM

Code Orange: Is it based on an Internet Hoax?


Posted Tue Dec-23-03 04:05 PM

The Coming Strike? The Anatomy of a Terrorist Hoax



I believe I have figured out the source of some of this fear mongering and how it works. There are a few self-styled al Qaeda Internet 'experts' who are cropping up and posting their terrorist alerts all over conservative/fundie sites. They claim to know all sorts of Intel about who and what al Qaeda is planning to do to terrorize us next. Most of the information that Ridge sited has his reasons for going to Orange Alert this week appeared in these stories that popped up on the Internet 2-5 days prior.

When Ridge made his announcement this week he said that some of it was based on Intel from 'private sources'. Private sources? Are these sort of folks among his private sources? At the same time, in the Guardian yesterday, CIA sources said that they thought Ridge was overreacting and exaggerating.

So who are Ridge's private Intel sources? Are some of them these wacko extremest fundies that I site in my threads? Considering how out of control Ridge and his crew have been the last few days, it is time for a real evaluation of Ridge's job performance and to find out who he is relying on for all his misinformation because so far I don't think he's gotten it right, not even once. In order to stop the fear, we need to find the sources of the fear and expose them in order to put them out of business.

[newyawker99]

24. Hi pitt71!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[davsand]

16. Don't you think fear keeps us all more malleable?

Stop and think about it--fear keeps us all more easily controlled. The guy who is running for cover doesn't stop and ask if it is a valid reason to hide--he just DOES it. It is a primal reaction and it has been proven to work time and time again.

In other regimes--say a monarchy for example--the King has absolute power. He can either cultivate a reign of terror by being a dictator or he can cultivate the image of the benevolent leader there to keep you safe from the outside terrors. In other places, say a military dictatorship, the fear is part of it due to the nature of how the leader assumed power.

Shrub can't openly kill off a bunch of folks by sending them to the chopping block--so he has to cultivate the outside threat. He couldn't surround himself with guys in berets carrying machine guns--so he has to promote the idea that he is all that is keeping us safe.

9/11 did a real number on our national emotions, and shrub did nothing to ease that--in fact he kept the fear provoked in order to keep us under control. If he DID MIHOP or even LIHOP, either way, he has gained great power from it. He has only kept it going.

Frankly, I doubt that there is much the common guy can do to reduce this impact. I think it will have to come from our other leadership. The Dem candidates will have to step up and talk with confidence about the safety that a sane foreign policy will bring. They need to stand up and discuss the fact that we are all suffering due to the insecurity fostered by this group of "dictator wannabes" in DC. They need to offer a vision of peace and safety if we can only get that asswipe out of the People's House.

Laura

[kentuck]

26. Television news reports what is in the papers....

unless it is a live event...for example, OJ in a white SUV. It is the print media that must lead the nation on this story, I agree.