Censoring

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/jul2008/cens-j31.shtml


In An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire, Roy talks about how in the Iraq war the truth isn't really being told. That the Media outlets have been holding things from us. I believe this is from the military censorship. The American people believe this The War Terror is about terror, which it isn't. It is about not only oil but also about self-destructive, impulse toward supremacy, stranglehold and global hegemony. However Roy hits it right on point when he saids we stay late hours of all nights to watch the media outlets such as CNN. I had no idea that the Iraq war was also consider a racist war in other countries. We had an average president in office that need to feel power, in return we have this messy war.

I think that this all has to do with censoring what we hear on TV, radios and see in the magazines. I know this really has not much to do with this section of the book, I realize how much is censored even just with factual information. I think its sad and Americanized how much the government has control a war, even though we have family and friends who are fighting.

A Global Community

            The rising technological advancements in this day and age have allowed our world to be characterized as a global community.  The project of corporate globalization has found its way to success.  In order “to control a democracy,” it is has become more and more crucial to control the media (Roy 3).  The primary media outlets in America are owned by six major companies (Roy 3).  In fact, “the six largest cable companies have eighty percent of cable television subscribers.  Even Internet websites are being colonized by giant media corporations” (Roy 3).  But how does corporate globalization affect Americans? 

American companies have transferred most of their manufacturing jobs to foreign countries because it is almost always a less expensive way to do business.  In addition, service and technical jobs are presently suffering a large migration to foreign labor as well.  Apparently, this "liberates" Americans to be leaders, up-marketers, and graspers of the latest technologies.  However, in reality, this doesn’t seem to be the case.  “These jobs are also being done by qualified professionals in other countries”.  President George W. Bush has said to countless Americans who are looking for jobs, that the answer to getting a better career is to get a better education.  However, many Americans realize that even if they do receive a higher education, “jobs such as medicine and research and development are successfully being done in other countries,” so the work is simply decreasing.  Increasingly, Americans with college degrees are unable to find work, while the same degrees in other countries are in demand.

Us vs. Them

In An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire, Roy discusses the ways in which crises are used to control the masses. When a crisis occurs, like for instance on 9/11, the government and media can use the images and stories about the deaths and bravery during this time to manipulate the way in which Americans view other countries. During 9/11, former President Bush used the attacks on the World Trade Center to help gain acceptance for the war in the Middle East. One way in which he did this, as Roy points out, is through polarization. Bush used the term good versus evil quite often and continued to remind Americans that we are the good guys, and Sadaam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, and their followers are the bad guys. Furthermore, the people in the Middle East are being bullied by these evil doers, and it is our job to save them.

So, what did the Americans do to save the Middle East? Ambushed these countries and murdered their people. However, this is not the way it was portrayed in the media. We were liberating the Iraqis and a few people were accidentally killed. This manipulation of Americans through the government and media is a biased and misleading tactic used to garner support for our illegal actions. The following video is very similar to the tactics used by these groups to make Americans feel that we're doing the right thing.

Radical Activists Today

Today, radical activists use various methods to get their message out into the public.  As Miranda suggested, pins and bumper stickers are popular.  In addition to these tactics, radical activist websites are on the rise.  A webpage helps spread word about a cause and helps to portray specific messages that want to be expressed.  An example of one of these websites is http://www.radicalactivist.net/ .  

On the homepage, it states that during 2009, the Radical Activist Network will be organizing monthly Activist Forums in the Studio @ 22 Betterton Street, London WC2.   In addition, it states that “each forum will be around a specific topic, feature a speaker to kick us off, and be open to all” (Radical Activist Network).  This shows the openness of the website and how involved these radical activists are in their communities.  

They also are very inviting to the opinion of others: “We want to create a regular space where we can discuss the politics of social and ecological justice, make links between issues we're involved in and find the most effective ways to contribute to the wider movement. If this sounds like a good idea to you, why not come along?” (Radical Activist Network).  This is a great way to grab people’s attention and motivates people to want to participate in these activist events.  Some of the feature news on the site includes events such as “Hands off Iraqi Oil” and “Climate Camp.”  The news feature shows the involvement that these radical activists have in a variety of campaigns.  It also shows how they make a difference and get others to participate as well. 

Radical Activism by Bumper Stickers and Pins

In Radical Media, John Downing explains that using bumper stickers and pins/buttons, among other means, was a popular means of expanding the message of radical activists. Not only are they inexpensive, easy to produce and distribute, but they are also an easy way to get a message to numerous people without having to go door to door or hold meetings which may or may not have interested parties attending. Downing says that these forms of publication were more popular in the late 20th century. I think buttons and bumper stickers are still widely popular, but they have lost their significance in the radical activism sphere.

There's been a recent trend, especially in the last 20-30 years, of teenagers and adolescents using pins to promote popular culture rather than any radical message. Musical acts and movies are now advertised on buttons and proudly displayed on denim jackets and backpacks in schools across the nation. Hot Topics has made this fad hip again with their line of humorous or popular pins, including most recently, the Twilight phenomenon. Additionally, bumper stickers have also become an activist message of the past. While some stickers do have a political message, such as the "Kick the son of a Bush out," they aren't quite the radical activist message that they could be. While these modes of publication are both economically friendly, they don't seem to have the same impact as Downing describes in years past.

Radical Media Shift in Technology

Young adults are stirring away from traditional media, which is being called a radical media shift in our culture.  Young adults between the age of 16 and 24 are repelling TV, radio and newspapers and replacing the old media with online services.  Today, the generation of young adults has been named the “networked generation.”  Research has shown that they are embracing new technologies a lot faster than the general public.  It has been reported that on average they are spending at least three hours a week online.  “Seventy percent (compared to 41% of the general population) have used some kind of social networking site, such as My Space, and one in five have their own website or blog. Half of the group owns a games console and/or an MP3 player” (BBC News).  Ofcom's study proposes this online lifestyle may have played a role to the plummet in television viewing; young adults today watch seven hours less TV per week than the average person.

The decreased utilization of “old” media amongst young adults has been powered by the advances of online networking.  Kay Withers, a research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), said: “There have been lots of studies showing the younger generation are shifting away from traditional to new media, but at IPPR we are seeking to understand why this is and what this means.  We want to find out what it means to turn away from newspapers and public service broadcasting and to find out the types of news sources they are now favoring”.  This radical media shift has had a significant effect on media regulation, public policy and in politics.

Radical Media Groups

In Downing's book, he talks about radical media groups who focus on getting to the root of legitimate problems in their societies. These groups are progressive in their views, yet are small and underfunded. One must have a passion for the cause to stay totally committed to these groups.

The Chicago Independent Media Center is a group of independent journalists who cover the news in an unbiased manner (unlike typical media outlets) for the Chicago area. By reporting on protests, the group is able to spread the message of smaller groups throughout the area without the biased news coverage associating peaceful protests with out of control riots in the streets. Additionally, the center offers alternative news reporting, most recently an article featuring the economic pitfalls the city will face if chosen as the site of the next Olympics.

Additionally, with the invention of the Internet, these radical media groups are able to easily communicate with other members of the mission. As a relatively free service, the Internet allows groups to create web pages that explain their mission, which can reach numerous people at once, and can also seek funds by the way of donation in an easy-to-use format. Downing says that, though grassroots organizations are typically fighting against mainstream media, they can utilize mass media outlets (such as the Internet) to further their cause (p. 33).


The Chicago Independent Media Center