Thought control and the MSM
Ever wonder what some of TV’s on-air personalities talk about among themselves when they think they are not on the air? James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas is in the process of making public over 100 hours of audio "out-takes" from CNN. But you won’t have to listen to all 119 hours of audio to determine if CNN is a fair and balanced news source or not. Hint: Not.
But CNN is not the only member of the myth-stream media (MSM) making news. Recently, MSNBC’s Mika Brezezinski, the co-host of MSNBC’s "Morning Joe," said, "[Trump] is trying to undermine the media and trying to make up his own facts. And it could be that while unemployment and the economy worsens, he could have undermined the messaging so much that he can actually control exactly what people think. And that, that is our job." [Boldface mine.]
Ms. Brezezinski’s conception of the role of the media brings to mind the "Ministry of Truth," as conceived by George Orwell in his classic novel "1984." For those who never read "1984," or lost their copy of Cliff’s Notes or Spark Notes, the novel’s hero, Winston, labors in the Ministry of Truth re-writing history to make history politically correct. Although published in 1949, "1984" predicted the rise of the Politically Correct (PC) movement in this country in the 1960s.
In "1984," The Ministry of Truth is busily engaged in creating a language known as "Newspeak." Certain words deemed politically incorrect are deleted from the "Newspeak" dictionary. The definitions of other words are changed to be more politically correct. For example: "Freedom," in the sense of freedom-of-thought is banned. But "free," as in a "free coupon" for groceries, is okay.
But Orwell’s greatest contribution to today’s political situation is "Doublethink," which means the ability of keeping two totally contradictory thoughts in mind at the same time and being wholly accepting of both of them. For example: Virtually all college faculty and staff say they support "free speech." But if students invite a conservative speaker on campus, the conservative speaker is either banned from speaking at all or shouted down by liberal faculty, staff, and students. In urban areas, we are seeing riots in opposition to the Trump Administration’s supposed "totalitarianism." But the rioters are using violence reminiscent of Hitler’s Brown Shirts. Another classic example of "Doublethink."
The deplorable, dumbed-down state of public education in certain urban areas brings to mind Aldous Huxley’s "Brave New World," published in 1932. The novel begins at the state-run hatchery where human embryos are injected with chemicals designed to produce humans in five classes in descending order of mental and physical abilities: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. The Alphas are programmed to be leaders. Epsilons are programmed to be morons. None of the classes are capable of forming rebellious thoughts.
If, at this point, your mind reflects back on Ms. Brzezinski’s idea that the role of today’s media is "to tell you exactly what to think", you might want to revisit "1984," "Brave New World," and, while you are at it, Orwell’s "Animal Farm" (1945). Although British, both Huxley and Orwell were amazingly prescient about what is happening in today’s America.
Nationally syndicated columnist, William Hamilton, is a laureate of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame, the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma University Army ROTC Wall of Fame, and is a recipient of the University of Nebraska 2015 Alumni Achievement Award. He was educated at the University of Oklahoma, the George Washington University, the U.S Naval War College, the University of Nebraska, and Harvard University.
©2017. William Hamilton.
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