epa04909154 Turkish gendarmerie stand near by the washed up body of a refugee child who drowned during a failed attempt to sail to the Greek island of Kos, at the shore in the coastal town of Bodrum, Mugla city, Turkey, 02 September 2015. At least 11 Syrian migrants died in boat sank after leaving Turkey for the Greek island of Kos. EPA/DOGAN NEWS AGENCY ATTENTION EDITORS: PICTURE CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT ; TURKEY OUT
Truth is under assault, and with it, our sense of reality as a society. Like it or not, the information presented to us through media shapes our collective view of the world. If I am told by Rachel Maddow on her show that Russia influenced our election, X number of government officials have indicated this to be true, and that it was carried out in collusion with Trump, then that is my perceived reality. But, if another person is told by Abby Martin on her show that no one has produced tangible evidence to demonstrate Russia did anything, that X number of government officials testified to a lack of proof and no established connection to Trump , but we are awaiting completion of an investigation by the Fed, then that is their perceived reality.
If the two of us meet on the street and discuss this issue we would be forced to first wade through contrary stories, overcoming multiple opposing “facts” before we could even discuss our individual opinions on the matter. This process of tracking down the truth will take time, debate, and probably YouTube. Don’t forget these oppositional narratives are both from the supposed left of the spectrum. But, what if we don’t have time for all that? What if we resist each other’s version because we are so convinced by Rachel or Abby? How exactly can we discern where truth lies in an atmosphere such as this? More importantly, how do we discover common ground with our fellow community members if we cannot agree upon the truth of a thing?
Immediately after the general election Rachel Maddow embarked upon what I can only call a crusade to tie Trump to Russia, to tie Hillary Clinton’s loss to Russia, to tie Jill Stein to Russia, and to attribute support for Bernie Sanders to Russian influence. She is not alone, if anything she just led a still ongoing mainstream media charge to tar and feather anyone who questions the Russia narrative they propagate. The interpretation of events mainstream media lays out to their viewers is circumstantial proof, which often leaves out any nuance which might discredit how they want you to see reality. They are not open to new information, and they are not asking any challenging questions, they do not want to actually debate the merits of the issue. They are telling you what to believe, thereby constructing an illusionary reality on behalf of the status quo. This is propaganda, it is purposeful, and it is dangerous.
By endeavoring to craft reality rather than report it, these supposed journalists and experts have succeeded in creating discord and confusion among the populace. Their distortions are like seeds of division, planted in the minds of their viewers. This manufactured disharmony…this, intellectual isolation is the intent of the propaganda. If even one of us can gather enough people around a truth, we threaten to shatter their carefully cultivated illusion. Bernie Sanders campaign is the perfect confirmation of this capacity. The democratic elite however, are dead set on peddling anti-Russian talking points because it is the fantasy they wish us to adopt as reality. They are flooding the airwaves, trotting out corporate puppet after corporate puppet to propagate this illusionary reality and far too many have bought into this manufactured hysteria.
The repetition of their narrative taps into our natural inclination to identify patterns, prompting many to associate the pattern with a reality even if it’s only because they can recall it. Those in charge of our media are manipulating us. They are endeavoring to influence our understanding of reality. They are recklessly trying to drive our collective will towards war and division. As I look out at the world around me, I cannot help but be reminded of this section from Orwell’s 1984;
“If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, IT NEVER HAPPENED— that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death?
The Party said that Oceania had never been in alliance with Eurasia. He, Winston Smith, knew that Oceania had been in alliance with Eurasia as short a time as four years ago. But where did that knowledge exist? Only in his own consciousness, which in any case must soon be annihilated. And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed —if all records told the same tale — then the lie passed into history and became truth. ‘Who controls the past,’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.’ And yet the past, though of its nature alterable, never had been altered. Whatever was true now was true from everlasting to everlasting. It was quite simple. All that was needed was an unending series of victories over your own memory. ‘Reality control’, they called it in Newspeak…” (Orwell, 2003)
As establishment democrats flood social media and mainstream media with McCarthy style propaganda, slithering out of any demands for genuine evidence, I find myself recoiling at the falseness of it all. I want to push back. I want to demand cold hard facts. As these courtiers wantonly frame Russia like the villain in a Shakespearian play, I feel increasingly incited to roundly reject the notion that Russia is a clear and present threat to America. I have seen no evidence to support such claims, and for as long as I have been alive, we’ve been striving for peace and productive relations with Russia.
American astronauts have been working with Russian astronauts since the 1980’s and Russia currently owns 20% of our uranium production capacity, both of which indicate some level of trust and cooperation does it not. Our country has engaged economically and diplomatically with Russia since at least the 1990’s under Bush Sr., then under Clinton, and under Bush Jr., and also under Obama. This is our history my friends; do not let mainstream media rewrite it in your mind.
May 1990: “Presidents Bush and Gorbachev met in Washington and Camp David in May 1990. They signed a key elements agreement for a strategic arms treaty, a chemical weapons reduction accord, and a trade agreement reducing barriers to U.S.-Soviet commerce. They also concluded several other bilateral accords to increase cultural and scientific exchanges, and maritime and air links.” (Historian, 2009)
Jan 1994: “During President Clinton’s first official visit to Moscow, in January 1994, he and President Yeltsin reaffirmed previous declarations of U.S.-Russian cooperation, and took steps towards liquidating military aspects of the Cold War. They agreed to cooperate to prevent nuclear proliferation and the spread of weapons of mass destruction, particularly on the Korean peninsula and the Middle East.” (Historian, 2009)
April 2008: “In the text of the US-Russia Strategic Framework Declaration, released to AP by the White House following the talks, Russia and the U.S. said they recognized that the era in which each had considered the other to be a ‘strategic threat or enemy’ was over. ‘We are dedicated to working together and with other nations to address the global challenges of the 21st century, moving the U.S.-Russia relationship from one of strategic competition to strategic partnership,’ the declaration said.
‘Where we have differences, we will work to resolve them in a spirit of mutual respect… We agree that the foundation for the U.S. and Russian relationship should be based on the core principles of friendship, cooperation, openness, and predictability.’ This weekend’s summit is the final meeting between Bush and Putin as presidents and follows both leaders’ attendance at last week’s NATO summit in Romania.” (CNN, 2008)
Oct 2012: Obama said during the 3rd presidential debate, “Governor Romney, I’m glad that you recognize Al Qaeda as a threat because a few months ago, when you were asked what’s the biggest geo-political threat facing America, you said Russia. Not Al Qaeda, you said Russia. The 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back because you know; the Cold War has been over for 20 years.” (Times, 2012)
So, why now, in the light of contemporary history, are people acting as if Russia is our arch nemesis? We should all wonder why Democrats pundits are maligning everyone who applies critical thinking skills to the Russian interference narrative they present ad nauseam. Why anyone who demands proof before hopping on the Russian cold war rhetoric train is treated as if they are traitors, criminals, or Kremlin puppets. Since when did diplomacy, independent thought, critique, and dissent become tantamount to crimes in this nation?
Even if I granted the notion that Russia ran some propaganda online and in social media in hopes of influencing our election, is that really justification for throwing away all the diplomatic work we as a nation have done to ally ourselves with the other major nuclear power? Is it truly a grievous enough offense to begin beating the drums of war? Is it cause enough to send our men and women to fight in a war with the men and women of Russia? I do not think it even comes close to meeting the standard for such action, and I find the push toward aggression more than disturbing.
Those who have swallowed these repetitious assertions about Russia hook, line, and sinker are growing increasingly rabid. They foam at the mouth barking accusations that any dissenter must be a Russian agent, or at least an unwitting accomplish. The more resistance they encounter to the big bad Russia narrative, the tighter they encircle themselves with the warm blanket of their illusion. Debating or even discussing the issue with someone in such a frenzied state is impossible. The only common ground they are willing to meet on, is blind hatred for Trump.
As both parties waste precious time working to rewrite history, striving to manufacture our consent to conflict across the globe, and attacking anyone not supporting the establishment, those of us out living in America are hurting. We need jobs and an economic system organized to enrich our lives not corporate profit lines. We need health care (not health insurance), tax payer funded education as an investment in our countries future, a Green new deal, and massive infrastructure projects. We know what is needed to heal our communities, and hating Trump and Russia will not help us reach that goal in any tangible way.
The false or unsubstantiated narratives about Russian aggression against the US should not be used to obscure how desperate so many of our lives are, and it certainly shouldn’t be used to hide what happened in the 2016 election. We cannot allow anyone to rewrite our history. Hillary Clinton lost for many reasons, but Russian interference was not one of them. One of the most notable reasons in my mind is the undeniable truth that there’s no real point in voting for a Democrat when all they do is promise change but never deliver it. Hillary’s pledge during a debate to continue the legacy of President Obama didn’t help her with most voters; instead it was the death knell of her campaign. The progressives of this country learned the lesson of false promises from Obama, and now the right will learn it from Trump.
As we continue to face the stressful onslaught that is currently American politics, we must all ask ourselves who exactly are these media pundits doing all of this for? We keep jumping from outrage to outrage only to forget the very things that were once the source of our collective indignation. The picture above of the Syrian child who drowned fleeing a geopolitical war between America and Russia should serve as a stark reminder that there are humans who suffer behind every picture and headline news. Beyond that, we must ask hard questions. Who benefits from these conflicts? What is the end goal here? A coordinated campaign has begun and it aims to set the American people against Russia just as they turned so many of us against Iraq. I do not wish for my country to carry out that murderous mistake again, and neither should you.
The peace makers, truth seekers, and truth speakers among us must rally! We must each claim a spot on our respective roof tops and roar out whatever warnings that we can. It does not matter if we are attacked, maligned, or threatened, we must persevere. If repetition and memory are enough to write the script of our collective reality then we, the burnt children, must make sure people remember us as well. #OrwellianOceanOfLies
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Bree Hood
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