Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Kosovo -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: robnhood who wrote (10452)	5/29/1999 8:57:00 PM
From: Andy Thomas	Respond to of 17770

>>I tend to agree with Emile here----- It's called " Manufacturing Consent" ..... You cannot deny that this goes on--- In fact, I find it so blatant and hypocritical that it disturbs me...<< I can see it too, even though I'm not a big Chomsky fan... What do we get on television... fake everything... fake violence, fake sex, fake love... fake everything. I had a disturbing experience awhile back while watching a sitcom on one of the major networks. In the middle of the show, the screen went black and there was only text... the text said something like, "And they made great sacrifices for the greater good...and their example should be followed by everyone..." That lasted for about a minute, and very strange archaic wording was used. Suddenly the show came back on as though nothing had happened. I'm of the mind that some if not all of these broadcasts have a "hidden text screen" layered behind them... or perhaps that was just someone's idea of a sick joke. In any case I've turned the television off... it's just another drug to quit. This fall I'll be inviting people over to "listen to the Seahawks on the radio..." Lest anyone be confused by my advocacy of computers over television. I consider computer use to be "interactive" and the internet to be "free," as exemplified by all of the ideas generated on a thread such as this, for example. Using a computer and getting information online does take more sorting of information, but at least there is good information to be found... for the most part I don't think the information we get from television is "any good..." furthermore, television simply doesn't present the cornucopia of disparate views seen here on the internet. Television is passive ingestion of garbage, for the most part. There are those who argue, "but the discovery channel this or the history channel that..." they have some good footage but what about their narrative content? I say, go find some books on a subject you're interested in and you will be much richer for it.... Of course, I'm the one who at the age of 18 wrote the song, "smash the television..." that one never did make it onto MTV <g>... FWIW Andy

To: robnhood who wrote (10452)	5/29/1999 11:26:00 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17770

Come on folks... we all know that our society is one of marketing ideas in any manner that will gain popular support. The very fact that people have to "sell" their ideas to the public displays the strength of our democracy and popular control of the political process that is "of the people". Spinmeisters can twist our opinions, tell us half-truths, appeal to our patriotism or our sense of right and wrong, but I have quite a bit of faith that you can't fool all the people all the time. The US media is configured to sell the news, not report it. But it is also a reflection of our society in that we expect the news to be interesting and dramatic, which most real important news isn't. The Balkan problem never captured the American people's until there were scenes of refugee camps and ethic cleansing, mixed with the rhetoric of Hitlerian genocide being revisited. And the reason that the Balkans crisis is "sold" as a humanitarian disaster and Milosevic being a new Hitler, is that the general public doesn't care that Milo's policy of aggressive nationalism in order to maintain his power was a major threat to NATO. They wouldn't understand how the balance of power in the region was crucial to maintaining peace and stability in NATO between the Greeks and Turks and that Moscow and Bejing were indirectly encouraging Milosevic to be a thorn in Europe's side. No... the American people don't see that as being particularly interesting or newsworthy. But seeing hundreds of thousands of people displaced, with many abused or murdered, is captivating and tear-wrenching. In a similar fashion the American people didn't see the onset of Hitler in the '30s as a major threat(nor did many in Europe). No nation's population was willing to sacrifice economically or politically to take a hardline stance against Hitler's agression until it was too late and war was thrust upon Europe. What would have been required with Milosevic?? An invasion of Albania? Annexation of Macedonia??? The only way that Milo can stay in power is to continue to inflame Serb nationalism and brainwash them with the fear of how all of their neighboring countries are plotting to destroy them. That kind of manipulation requires greater and greater amounts of fear-mongering in order to provide the rally the popular support for his regime. He would require greater and more profound national crises in order to galvanize political loyalty. So we have to ask where his manipulations would have ended?? What would he have done for his next act in order to continue to distract his people from the nightmarish economic conditions and corruption his policies have created?? That is one of the reasons that Milosevic had to have his bluff called. And when the Serbian people reflect upon this, they will likely realize that the Montenegran Serbs were right for opposing Milosevic. Regards, Ron