-->Aus meinem britischen Lieblingsboard vom"Independent"

"Desmid" an"No Comment(LOESLUCA)"

<< They have US generals and Pentagon people commenting on the progress of the coalition troops. They are outraged when Al Jazeera shows US prisoners of war, yet don't see any problem in showing Iraqi prisoners of war themselves. They do not show the pictures that are available of killed Iraqi soldiers and civilians. Peace rallies get about one minute coverage.... I sincerely hope American viewers realise that they're being played. >>

No, unfortunately, they don't. The American public is, in general, a bunch of stupid, self-involved, status-quo, pacified sheep: completely duped into thinking that the media - which is comfortably in bed with the corporate elite that rule the country - is actually an objective, balancing force against transgressions by the powerful (for example, we hear Republicans railing against"the liberal media," etc. in order to maintain this fallacy).

Meanwhile, the war is played out on TV with great ratings-grubbing zeal as a Super Bowl-esque affair to a degree that is so nauseating and callous (with regard, at least, to the consequent suffering of Iraqis) that it's positively Orwellian.

The average American is easily distracted by the latest"reality TV" show (thanks, Brits, for giving us 'Survivor' - you're real pals), which, in this case, is the war; or the freshest gossip on Ben & J'Lo - and all too willing to accept whatever allegations are trumpeted by the administration regarding the Bete Noire Of The Month (Bin Laden, Taliban, Iraq; soon to be Iran, Syria, possibly North Korea - unless they already have nukes, then we won't dare - and god-knows-where-else). And, as tragic and horrifying as 9/11 was, it is the perfect banner to keep waving cynically in front of people in order to"justify" all manner of dubious government actions (whether they be travesties overseas or the subversions of civil liberties at home - both at full-throttle now).

As much as Americans take pride in their"freedoms" of speech and choice, there's a remarkable conformism - and dangerous unwillingness to think for oneself - that's rampant in our society. Whether this is, somewhat counter-intuitively, propagated by the isolating realities of suburbia, reliance on the automobile, and television, I do not know - but I suspect that these, coupled with the under-funding and marginalization of pre-college education, are the major culprits.

And the great irony is that Americans have been programmed both to hate and fear the government - the one place where they'd actually HAVE power if they bothered to vote - by the elite corporate interests who really pull the strings (the current administration is perhaps the most blatant example ever of the US corporate/political marriage - yet few people question it); and to accept the sham of the"two-party system" (wherein both parties are little more than two sides of the same coin).

Yes, these are generalizations, but being an American who, unfortunately, still lives in the USA - I feel somewhat qualified to make them.

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Ich bin immer froh, wenn ich über solche Gesprächspartner stolpere

winkääää
stocksorcerer