60 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 22 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

"Legitmacy" Means Nothing

By       (Page 1 of 2 pages)   4 comments

http://www.philly2philly.com/politics_community/politics_community_articles/2009/6/29/4854/fox_news_wins_lawsuit_misinform_public

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State."

-Joseph Goebbels (Minister of Propaganda, Germany, 1938)

Whenever you hear the word "legitimacy" you're supposed to put your guard down.  You're supposed to allow yourself a break, you're dealing with "'factual' information"... wrong.

The link above, as you have probably figured out by now, is how FOX NEWS has won their lawsuit so they can keep on lying to all of you.  I write "all of you" because I don't have a television, so I am not subjugated to it.  I get my "news," fake or otherwise, on the (mis)information super highway!  And where the aforementioned "FAUX 'NEWS'" story came from.  And that is what they should be forced to change their name to, since they have admitted lying is part of their credo.  Not that most of us did not know this, as we have brains and the housing feature that functions as something other than a salad-bowl container.

So that means when someone utters the word "legitimacy" or "legitimate," when it comes to pretty much any "news" source, anymore, it means absolutely nothing.  The latest outcome of the aforementioned court case spells that out for everyone.  That means all "news" media can do this, and already does.  MSNBC and CNN are not much better than FOX NEWS... they merely lean left instead of right.  And even if they hadn't been full of crap, with the FOX NEWS case turning out how it did, all these stations can now begin "reporting" this way and it's not only legal it's accepted!?

So this is how it begins to fall. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TqOu4r1KQA

The warning signs have been everywhere for a while now.  We keep going along as though everything is okay, though.  We're good at that.  "Getting back to 'normal'" is a must with human beings.  In the Twilight Zone episode, "The Shelter," human beings and human nature take its usual toll when stress is added.  All the Fear back then, when the "Red Menace" was just around the corner and "Tommy the Commie" was going to brainwash you with Communist Propaganda, was the pervasive control mechanism, a lot like "Terrorism" is in today's world.  The only thing that changes is the style of clothing, technology, and means by which the propaganda is distributed. 

In that Twilight Zone episode there are families having dinner at one of their neighbor's house when the call comes over the radio that there are "two unidentified flying objects heading toward United States' air space" and nobody knew what it was and the guy on the radio had a tone of concern to him, so of course did the rest of those listening.  Before you know it there is fright as all who heard are now trying to figure out how they will survive.  Only one family is ready for the attack from Russia, as the others try saving their families by pleading with their prepared neighbor for help.

He turns them away, one by one, because he only has "enough food and water and oxygen for me and my family and that's it!"  It's harsh news to folks you call "friend," but that's the reality of that situation.  He prepared... he is the grasshopper.  The ant, which represents that neighbor and others like him, did not prepare, and now they are asking for a bail out and are not receiving it.  Not because the man is evil or mean, but because of pragmatism.  There's no way they could all fit in there.  It would be pointless.  And all of them go over that factor when discussing breaking down the door (Sort of confused here: how can they break down a door built to last through a Nuclear Holocaust?), but would still choose breaking down the door anyway, out of Fear.

Then, right at the moment they break into that bomb shelter, eyes crazed with Fear and Loathing, they hear the news man on the radio exclaim it's a false alarm... that it was only "satellites," and everyone could go back to "normal."  And then you see one neighbor begin to apologize, weakly I might add, pointing to how "scared" everyone was and that he "didn't really mean it" when he called the guy and his family, "YOU PEOPLE!," because they weren't born in the United States... you can see that Fear manifest into Xenophobia, selectivity, based upon how many kids there were and how old... using their own kids as an excuse (or shield) for their own survival... so sad, so true.

In the beginning, when they first found out about the two unidentified flying objects, the wife and mother of the man who owned the bomb shelter suggested that "wouldn't it be better to just die now?  Instead of two weeks from now?"  And I think she had the right idea.  I always kid, "When you see the light, run toward it, not away from it."  But I am not kidding.  What's the point hiding from the inevitable.  If it's going down, it's going down, and I'd rather die in a flash of utter brilliance than hide like a rat and die like one, slowly, with my guts coming out my rectum like I was sh*tting last night's Mexican platter.

And in the end, the owner of that bomb shelter realizes that they've lost much more than their lives on that fateful day.  They lost each other's respect.  They lost each other's trust.  Now all the bunkers in the world would not save them from themselves.  The true enemy comes from within.  Stephen King knows this, as most of his stories surround themselves around a singular incident of character and that incident and character then manipulates the masses into doing what they are already predisposed in doing when added a little bit of pressure to the right psychological makeup or scenario, which is usually something to do with life or death.

The crap rises to the top, every time.  A lot like what happens when people hit the lottery or receive a lot of unforeseen money through some sort of relative dying and the reading of a will, the person's good or bad will rise to the top.  If they are a**holes without money, that will exacerbate that person's personality and their true colors will prevail.  If they are very cool, that will reflect that in how they spend their cash.  If they're not, again, it will show that in how they spend their money.  Same with fear and how that fear is perpetuated.  Apply heat on the wrong person in the right situation and they become weak and will do anything to survive, even using their children as a shield in an attempt.

What does any of this have to do with "legitimacy"? 

Next Page  1  |  2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Must Read 1   Well Said 1   Valuable 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

James Armstrong II Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

I'm a homeless student, writer, and activist... currently panhandling my way through school (and life.).
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Wealthy College Kids Versus Poor Street Kids

Another Cheesy Hollywood Parody: Republicans are the Keyser Soze of Politics

Entitlement Mentality

Appearances Are Deceiving

"Civil Sidewalks"?!-- From a Homeless Person's Point Of View

Abortion and Murderers Who *Claim* "Pro-Life" Status

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend