affa
01-11-2008, 02:28 PM
The media is a complex beast - and the way it works even more so. Right now, the mainstream media is conducting an all out smear attack against Ron Paul on charges of implied racism. However, notice they never directly call him racist - for the simple fact is that they are well aware that he isn't. They know that if they go too far (as in, a direct attack) it's likely many notable politicians who currently remain silent would be forced to stand up and defend Ron Paul's honor and his record. This is why mainstream media can not attack Ron Paul directly on this issue. When they even come close, he is able to highlight his truly anti-racist beliefs and policies, deftly turning the tables - for example, by spotlighting the embedded racism within current policies such as the War on Drugs.
So... why? Why mount this smear campaign when they know they can't win?
A better question: If the target isn't really Ron Paul, then who is it?
Is it the uninformed American public - the bread and butter of Mainstream Media? After all, the Mainstream Media knows that something need not be true to make it stick - repetition is an effective and often used propaganda trick. Certainly, this is part of their game - but to leave it at that underestimates the true deviousness of Mainstream Media.
To find their real target we need to look deeper - but we don't need to look far.
We, the Grassroots, are the enemy of the Mainstream Media. We've already proven (by supporting Ron Paul to the degree that we do) that we are powerful - that we can get his (and our) message out despite their blackouts or ridicule. If Grassroots and Mainstream Media were two beasts, then we'd be natural born enemies fighting for territory. We represent information dissemination from the bottom up - they represent information from the top down. We represent freedom of speech, they represent limitation of speech. We are the many, they are the few. And, most importantly, while they have their owners and advertisers we speak for ourselves. We represent a direct attack on their oligarchy and their power, and for that, they will try to destroy us.
The smear campaign on Ron Paul achieves two major goals in the attempted undermining of the Grassroots.
First, as soon as we begin to categorize other Americans as 'sheep', we begin to view our peers as the enemy, as 'the other'. Yes, it's true that some are deceived and misled by the Mainstream Media - but those people aren't our enemies and never will be. They are part of our strength, they just don't know it yet. Most of us were one of them, be it yesterday or decades ago. We all woke up. And now we're waking up people exponentially. We are the future. Do not let the Media separate us from compatriots.
Viewed as an attack on the Grassroots, we find new meaning in their smear campaign. They seek to silence us. They are attempting to put the fear into us - "hey, if you tell people you support Ron Paul, they might think you're racist". This is same way they tried to quell the anti-war movement by labeling them unpatriotic or kooks. This is the same way they try to quell any message that does not originate from them.
Understand the Media. Understand they are our enemy - that we are powerful not because they occasionally give us their attention but because we are the people, by the people, and for the people.
Stand up for yourself.
Stand up for your beliefs.
Stand up for Ron Paul.
-ky
So... why? Why mount this smear campaign when they know they can't win?
A better question: If the target isn't really Ron Paul, then who is it?
Is it the uninformed American public - the bread and butter of Mainstream Media? After all, the Mainstream Media knows that something need not be true to make it stick - repetition is an effective and often used propaganda trick. Certainly, this is part of their game - but to leave it at that underestimates the true deviousness of Mainstream Media.
To find their real target we need to look deeper - but we don't need to look far.
We, the Grassroots, are the enemy of the Mainstream Media. We've already proven (by supporting Ron Paul to the degree that we do) that we are powerful - that we can get his (and our) message out despite their blackouts or ridicule. If Grassroots and Mainstream Media were two beasts, then we'd be natural born enemies fighting for territory. We represent information dissemination from the bottom up - they represent information from the top down. We represent freedom of speech, they represent limitation of speech. We are the many, they are the few. And, most importantly, while they have their owners and advertisers we speak for ourselves. We represent a direct attack on their oligarchy and their power, and for that, they will try to destroy us.
The smear campaign on Ron Paul achieves two major goals in the attempted undermining of the Grassroots.
First, as soon as we begin to categorize other Americans as 'sheep', we begin to view our peers as the enemy, as 'the other'. Yes, it's true that some are deceived and misled by the Mainstream Media - but those people aren't our enemies and never will be. They are part of our strength, they just don't know it yet. Most of us were one of them, be it yesterday or decades ago. We all woke up. And now we're waking up people exponentially. We are the future. Do not let the Media separate us from compatriots.
Viewed as an attack on the Grassroots, we find new meaning in their smear campaign. They seek to silence us. They are attempting to put the fear into us - "hey, if you tell people you support Ron Paul, they might think you're racist". This is same way they tried to quell the anti-war movement by labeling them unpatriotic or kooks. This is the same way they try to quell any message that does not originate from them.
Understand the Media. Understand they are our enemy - that we are powerful not because they occasionally give us their attention but because we are the people, by the people, and for the people.
Stand up for yourself.
Stand up for your beliefs.
Stand up for Ron Paul.
-ky