- by Jafar Abbas We are all familiar with the insipid, homogeneous platitudes we are served every day by the mainstream media in this country. No wonder, we have become the "best entertained, least informed society in the world." (Neil Postman) We are told we live in a "democratic" society where the press is "free". This is very important for our self-perception as Americans. Unlike the TV anchors spouting the government line in other "repressive totalitarian" societies, ours don't have to be told what to say. They have the freedom to say what they choose. Our TV anchors, reporters, newspaper editors, and media pundits have so thoroughly internalized the beliefs and values of the ruling elite that there is hardly any possibility of them saying anything that is true but dangerous for their masters. In 1984, George Orwell wrote about the conditioned reflex of "stopping short, as though by instinct, at the threshold of any dangerous thought ... and of being bored or repelled by any train of thought which is capable of leading in a heretical direction." Our highly sophisticated mainstream media seem to be governed by these conditioned reflexes all the time. Orwell once observed: "Circus dogs jump when the trainer cracks his whip, but the really well-trained dog is the one that turns his somersault when there is no whip." You see, how it works? It's very easy to understand why it is so. Every single mainstream media - be it a TV network or a radio station, a music or video company, a publisher of books, magazines, or newspapers -- is owned by a major mega corporation, whose one and only goal is to maximize profits. Everything else is subservient to this objective. There are just a handful of mega corporations, such as News Corp, AOL Time Warner, Walt Disney, Viacom/CBS, General Electric, Vivendi Universal, and Bertelsmann, who monopolize the majority of media in the world. These companies have no vested interest in keeping the public well informed. In fact, they are in the business of keeping the public under the illusion that it is well informed and free. (A truly enlightened populace could pose a great danger to corrupt corporations and governments.) The real business of these media companies is to sell captive audiences to other corporations (the advertisers). For them to expose, analyze, or question the corrupt inner workings of these omnipresent, omnipotent corporations (and of the governments they control) would be nothing but suicidal. Little wonder we don't find much in the mainstream media that is of any substance or value. In case the news hasn't reached you yet, it is these mega corporations that determine and control every aspect of our lives - not just what we eat, drink, and wear, not just how we live and move around, but also how we think and feel, crave and dream! The control is total! Here's what political cartoonist Don Wright has to say: "Do not attempt to change the channel. We own all of them. Do not attempt to turn off the set. If you do, we will cut the electricity. We own the power company. And if you try to get a drink or use the toilet, there will be no water. We own that utility too. Do not try to call for help. We own the telephone company. Sit back and enjoy the show. Now! We know where you are." So what do we do? Are there any alternatives? Are there any writers and journalists, producers and directors left who have the guts to tell "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Are there any books around in which words have been used not to confuse but to clarify, not to hide but to reveal? Are there any places where we can find news that has not been slanted, sugarcoated, or obfuscated? Are there any places where we can find insightful editorials and incisive analyses that are informed and guided not by narrow national, religious, or corporate interests, but by true humanistic concerns? The good news is: Yes, there are! In fact, there is a whole crop of alternative media being produced, here in the United States as well as throughout the world, by some truly intelligent, caring, and courageous individuals, who still dare to probe deep beneath the surface, ask truly radical questions, and show us what they find. Your best introduction to alternative media could be through the following hyperlinks. These websites will open up a whole new exciting world for you and will help you see the way things really are. Welcome to the world of alternative media! Alternative Press http://www.journalismnet.com/alternate/press.htm The Alternative Press Center's Online Directory http://www.altpress.org/direct.html Alternative Press Collection http://www.mctc.mnscu.edu/Library/pages/altpress.htm Jay's Alternative Media Links http://www.neravt.com/left/altmedia.htm Open Directory - News: Alternative Media http://dmoz.org/News/Alternative_Media/ Project Censored http://www.projectcensored.org/ |
