Many have buried their heads in the sand, stubbornly embracing a second dark age of willful ignorance. Misinformation, propaganda and blatant lies have been dressed up as reputable sources. This wave of premeditated stupidity has now become so prolific, the proletariat are almost a lost cause. This is why this blog is called, a "Reputable Source" as it is my intent to KEEP it that way!
More and more, education is now regarded as a form of brainwashing. Journalists are increasingly accused of bias and being in cahoots with a vague secret society who have a mysterious tendency towards world domination and subjugation. The fatal side effect of this is, when challenged, the ignorant cry "FAKE NEWS". Of course, many people don't even understand the difference between opinion and simple news reporting. Most don't even realise that journalists are required to abide by a code of ethics. Indeed, it is more and more difficult to have a structured debate when even the most reliable sources one can cite are written off immediately as fake. I vehemently challenge this notion - go work in a newsroom of a major media outlet. Try and slip a fake story past an editor and just see how far you actually get. Try it. Moreover, people seem to forget that freedom of the press also means the freedom to print and publish an OPINION. In a newspaper, it is called an "Opinion Column" or an "Editorial".
But it doesn't end there. The new, right wing "alt" media is now responsible for such cleverly articulated piffle that even Joseph Goebbels would rise from the dead for a peice of the action! Indeed, self proclaimed revolutionary organisations such as "Anonymous" spin thinly veiled, propagandistic nonsense by asserting ( one of many examples ) that Hillary Clinton had a secret agenda to impose a tyrannical regime in which all opposition were to be crowded into F.E.M.A. death camps. Not that Anon can or should be taken seriously. This is because there are many channels on YouTube and pages on Facebook that claim to be the actual mouthpiece of Anon, when in fact they are NOT. It doesn't take much reading and viewing to quickly realise that they are mostly independent, embittered reprobates who are in love with the sound of their own voices. All while grinding axes that either contradict each other and/or have nothing in common with the real world.
Similarly, the self styled alt-media have lowered themselves even further by unabashedly regurgitating unchecked, anti-semitic rhetoric which has been loosely recycled from a much older tradition of hatred. The likes of which, once upon time, influenced both Hitler and Mussolini. Thus, the notion of an age old Jewish conspiracy to control world finance and contribute to a terrible new world order is once again being evangelised. The greatest tragedy of all is this that the fruit of these lies actually flared to a foul ripening, last week, with the shooting of 11 innocent people in a Pittsburg synagogue.
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| One of the most unbelievable but cunningly articulated lies that came out of the 2016 American election. Source: Facebook failed America this year — now it should kill the News Feed |
There is little or no accountability for misinformation, and while social media today ( 2018 ) fights a losing battle ( and to be fair, the "Free Thought Project" kind of had coming ... read about it here ) to stop the proliferation of deceit, 2016 will forever remain a year that will go down in infamy. American jingoism ( with the help of mother Russia ) won an election that was largely determined by Facebook memes, false news reports, an email scandal and pizzagate. Indeed, one ridiculously false but glossy allegation asserted that Hillary Clinton was involved in a pedophile ring. While many were gob-smacked with disbelief, many more, ( namely, the truly gullible and incredibly stupid ) voted accordingly. Moreover, this remains on public record, for all to see. And it is too late - the damage is done. And these are only a couple of examples.
To be clear and for the record, I personally did not like the woman. In MY opinion, she had the personality and charisma of a gnat. That being said, it still does NOT excuse the smear campaign - nor does it excuse the lack of integrity or fair play that all of the aforementioned shenanigans brought to bare!
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| Each and every one of these statements Were SAID. Source: Did Donald Trump Encourage Violence at His Rallies? |
And now the world is stuck with Donald Trump, president elect and an unstable, misogynistic xenophobe who is dangerously emboldened by his own campaign of obtuse prevarication. Because of this, many middle americans now believe it is acceptable to be overtly and casually racist. African americans and racial minorities are, once again, being told to, "Get to the back of the bus." All this because the president spews forth an unchecked tirade of nationalistic jingoism. This gives middle america a presumptive licence to be as hateful as they please. If that doesn't ring alarm bells, consider the spate of mass shootings ( remember Orlando ) and, last week, the attack on a Synagogue in Pittsburg. And then come crudely made pipe bombs, in the mail, for simply speaking one's mind and having the courage to point out what how incredibly stupid half of the American voting public truly are.
Finally, tragically, a humanitarian crisis of epic proportion is marching toward the U.S. border. Which is to be met, not with aid or succor, but armed soldiers. What EPIC timing for the midterms next month ...
During this present darkness, I challenge you ALL. Go read a book. Go to the library. Know that if something seems too bizarre and/or too good to be true, then it obviously isn't. Research it!
