Media Bias

"Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred." ~ Joseph Goebbels.

As the Reich Minister of Propaganda in Germany from 1933 - 1945, the personal perceptions of Goebbels became reality as he systematically primed the Nazi war machine with his biases. His inflammatory rhetoric included labeling Jews as sub-humans, lackeys & parasites. The subsequent deaths of over six million people in concentration camps are grim testimony to the success of his media brain-washing efforts.

More than seventy years later, the construct of Nazi propaganda is mimicked in editorials misconstrued or presented as objective news reporting. The euphoric effect of mainlining media bias results in an initial rush as less informed (a.k.a. dull normal) readers are assuaged by hyperbole into a stupor of self-aggrandizement.

But readership that hasn’t (or cannot due to a diminished intellectual capacity) developed a critical eye to determine fact from fiction eventually scavenges for another media high. The Internet and specifically articles posted onto Facebook serve some as viable news sources. And thus the problem is exacerbated.

Once this high is scored, a still woefully uninformed but erroneously self-confident reader might now consider him/herself an “expert” via their booster shot of editorial incontinence.

The following are a small sample of opinionated articles masquerading as news stories found on Facebook the week of 2/7/16. Any intelligent individual knows the difference between the two and can determine why they are labeled as such. If not, you are a mere board piece in the game of life subject the whim, fancy & vicissitudes of a media hell bent on inculcating its self-serving agenda on the gullible masses.

http://freakoutnation.com/2016/02/trumps-son-waterboarding-is-no-different-than-what-happens-in-frat-houses-every-day/

http://conservativetribune.com/black-sheriff-beyonce-show/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=TheNewResistance&utm_content=2016-02-09&utm_campaign=manualpost

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-new-hampshire_us_56b8fcc5e4b04f9b57dab13b?dl07ldi%3Futm_hp_ref=latino-voices&ir=Latino%2BVoices&section=latino-voices&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000048

http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/02/10/donald-trump-responds-ny-daily-news-cover-slams-owner-after-new-hampshire-primary

http://usuncut.com/news/the-dnc-superdelegates-just-screwed-over-bernie-sanders-and-spit-in-the-faces-of-voters/

De-fund the NRA

The NRA buys members of Congress & has prevented ANY discussion of gun control. How else could one explain its rhetoric for allowing people on terrorist watch lists to buy guns?

So, how can we disarm the NRA? Click HERE and see if any of your Congressional representative have accepted any bribes (sorry; I meant political contributions) from the pro-gun lobbyists. You can filter your results by state. Then, simply vote for his/her opposition. Because if the NRA can't buy votes, they can't control Congress.

Type Amen and Please Share!

One of my FB friends shared a post with me the other day. It asked me to type "Amen" for an apparently sick child because each such affirmation was worth 1,000 prayers. 

But let's look a little more closely at this request for help. When exactly did acknowledging a sick child on social media become de rigueur? Who's running this prayer exchange? How is a lone "Amen" magically converted into an astounding 1,000 prayers? Why isn't an amen worth 500 prayers? Or 2,158 prayers? Who exactly is tallying up the aggregate prayers? If the child receives more than enough prayers for a cure are subsequent prayers reallocated to the aforementioned prayer exchange? 

The post additionally noted if I scrolled by I was considered "heartless." Why would I be heartless? Why can't we instead see this person's seeking as many likes or shares as possible on FB for their personal edification and is using the sick child as a disposable pawn in their selfish endeavor? (Besides, I heard that lighting candles in a Church after an obligatory donation can also garner miracles so why isn't a venue such as that recommended as an alternative option?) In case you're wondering, I scrolled by the post in question, never batting an eye or subsequently losing a moment's sleep over my blatant, callous disregard for human life.
And last time I checked, my heart was still beating.

A Fine Pickle

Established in Berchtesgaden, Germany in 1875, Ichtel, Brotten & Surgedorff (IBS) are purveyors of fine pickle, olive and relish products. Initially serving the Bavarian area, word of their product line quickly spread throughout the country and eventually Europe. Today, IBS has a devoted customer base around the world.

Last week Einrich Oberstrutgoff, president of IBS, spoke at his company's annual stockholder meeting. His line "sie wankelmütig nicht, versuchen sie einen IBS gurke" (don't be fickle, try an IBS pickle) was perhaps the most memorable of the evening, drawing rounds of applause from the assembly.
A possible successor to Herr Oberstrutgoff, who has raised both earnings per share and company awareness with his effervescent personality has yet to be made, causing no small angst among shareholders.

The Vicarious Superstar Syndrome

At some point in recent years, it became acceptable for giving trophies to kids for merely participating on a team.

Parents: Don't Lie to Your Kids About Their Athletic Ability

Not sure, but maybe awards were also dispensed for Cleanest Uniform, Waterboy/Girl with Quickest Dispensing Time and Most Compassionate Player. 

Except at the most rudimentary level, it's winning that counts in sports. League officials who award kids at season's end for mere participation are partly to blame. But parents bear culpability, too. If a child isn't consistently, for a protracted period of time, athletically ahead of his/her peers, Mom (and especially Dad) must cease to push little Timmy or Julie each week so they can one day share vicariously in being the laurel-crowned objects of opponents' ire, cheering crowds and homecoming festivities. 

So, to the 99.98% of parents whose kids will not make the pros, face the relative fact: you kid sucks. Get over it. Do your job as a responsible parent & steer him/her to an appropriate academic venue. If not academically inclined, a trade school might be appropriate. But for the sake of their future don't continue to coddle them into thinking there's a chance when in reality there's none.

Buckle Up, Bitches

Ladies and gentlemen, please re-board the Outrage Du Jour express now loading on Track Two. Our present stay over in Zimbabwe where we covered the killing of Cecil the lion is coming to an end. But you'll be pleased to know our engineer is scanning the news to find another sensational story that will both captivate and appall your sense of propriety.
Perhaps we'll stop by a Coca Cola factory where you can carry placards denouncing this beverage giant for destroying Western civilization with its sugar-engorged soda. Maybe a famous cook said something 30+ years ago and can now be crucified for it? Or a swing by Buckingham Palace could be in order where we can demand an explanation why a future queen at age seven was seen apparently raising her arm in a Nazi salute 80 years ago?
Last call - All aboard! Buckle up bitches, relax and the Outrage of the Day will whisk you off to a location where you can raise your BP via righteous indignation and reset the moral compass for the world. Remember, you need not do anything of your own volition because we will decide how you will spend your ire - just as our name implies. As always, newspapers, magazines, radios etc. will be confiscated as you take your seats. Watch the viewing screen on the back of the seat in front of you and you will be force fed a non-stop feed that will be sure to offend and exasperate you. Shove that nipple in your mouth, latch on and suck away. You know you cannot resist the sweet, dripping nectar of a news item that rushes through your senses like a shot of cocaine coursing its way into your veins - precisely like the media dictates. Please discard your used syringe in the proper receptacles.
Finally, management hopes you enjoy the ride. Soon your reactions will flood social media with your posts & comments, just like those of tens- and hundreds of thousands of other travelers. It's all about harmony, right? Everyone beating the same drum, to the same tune, all marching in step with one another. We LOVE the sound of jack-booted, mirror-imaged minions marching in step, with no variation or individual thought process visible.
Thank you for your continued patronage.

Respect Our Flag

After the Charleston, SC Church killings a few weeks ago, there was an outcry by citizenry to have the confederate flag removed from public display. Major retailers such as Walmart, Target, Amazon, etc. pulled it from their shelves, riding the wave of public opinion. But unsurprisingly, retailers' moral conscience over the US flag is jaded by profit.
In part, 4 U.S. Code § 3 - Use of Flag for Advertising Purposes; Mutilation of Flag - states: "The words 'flag, standard, colors, or ensign', as used herein, shall include any flag, standard, colors, ensign, or any picture or representation of either, or of any part or parts of either, made of any substance or represented on any substance, of any size evidently purporting to be either of said flag, standard, colors, or ensign of the United States of America or a picture or a representation of either, upon which shall be shown the colors, the stars and the stripes, in any number of either thereof, or of any part or parts of either, by which the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag, colors, standard, or ensign of the United States of America." This means if it looks like a US flag then it IS a US flag. In addition, 4 U.S. Code § 8 (b) - Respect for Flag - notes "The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise." This section is clear enough.

A mere cursory search on the search engine Google shows at least Walmart, Target, Amazon, Sears, Macy's, HSN & eBay all sell American flag beach towels. That's right - the US flag is placed on the ground to be sat & eaten on, have drinks spilled on it, diapers changed on it, etc.
Here's the point - WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE FOR DISRESPECT FOR OUR FLAG? If you want something to fight about, here's your opportunity. Get retailers to put patriotism before profits. Retailers take note - by law, our flag is to be revered. It's not to be used for profit.