By Tim Wolcott
The enemy is within. We create dysfunction in ourselves and allow it in our government by not being deeply conscious of our retained assumptions and the manipulation of the exterior narrative. We have become so disconnected from our insight and from the land that we allow Hollywood and Washington to manufacture our consent in determining what is worth living for and what is worth dying for. That delusion serves the rich and powerful.
So, what can we do to minimize the effects of the propaganda that undermines our personal power as it facilitates corporate and governmental misdeeds? First, question your perception. Is it affected by an assumed opinion of the righteousness of the American democracy and its right to control the planet? Have you adopted the popular narrative without seriously considering its truth and the facts on the ground? Just because much of the public follows that narrative does not validate its veracity.
Once you have a better understanding of the basis of your perception, you can then more ably consume media through a lens of skepticism and facts. Recognition of the tactics of narrative managers is central to this process. The following are ways to resist the propaganda machine:
- Do not disregard truth just because it is derived from a targeted nation.
- Look for omissions and commissions in media. What is not being said and who is behind the messaging? For example, the New York Times can be depended upon to support military interventions, and PBS does not give voice to anti-imperialists.
- Be vigilant for “memory holing” (any mechanism of deliberate disappearance of embarrassing documents, etc. that give the impression that something never happened. Examples include the Hunter Biden/Ukraine corruption story or the Afghanistan Papers (40% of American funding since 2001 went to corrupt officials, warlords, and insurgents) story that the Washington Post buried.
- Be concerned about censorship of a source, even if you do not like their perspective. The website Parler should be back online. Even it can reveal “inconvenient” facts.
- Build support for whistleblowers. They are our greatest leverage to truth.
- Frame your message carefully to minimize blowback when you are dispelling the lies of corporations and/or government/military/mainstream media. Overly strident language can reflexively lead to popular disregard.
- Reject the validity of the common pejoratives (Russian bot, CCP shill, Genocide denier (anyone who points out the glaring plot holes in the Uyghur narrative), and Tankie (anyone who opposes Western domination agendas against China). These pejoratives are used to undermine the source when the media cannot attack the argument.
Utilizing these considerations, you can quickly become a much more discriminating consumer of news as well as a more effective advocate for peace and justice. Sharing these tactics can help build a common basis of truth and solidarity.