Psywar: The real battlefield is your mind (2010)
The U.S. Department of Defense defines psychological warfare (PSYWAR) as: "The planned use of propaganda and other psychological actions having the primary purpose of influencing the opinions, emotions, attitudes, and behavior of hostile foreign groups in such a way as to support the achievement of national objectives."
During World War II the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff defined psychological warfare more broadly stating "Psychological warfare employs any weapon to influence the mind of the enemy. The weapons are psychological only in the effect they produce and not because of the weapons themselves.
This film explores the evolution of propaganda and public relations in the United States, with an emphasis on the elitist theory of democracy‚ and the relationship between war, propaganda and class.
Includes original interviews with a number of dissident scholars including Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Michael Parenti, Peter Phillips, John Stauber, Christopher Simpson and others.
http://metanoia-films.org/
Sources for film:
Beder, Sharon -- Consumerism: an Historical Perspective
Chomsky, Noam -- What Makes Mainstream Media Mainstream
Darwinia -- WWI Propaganda
Ewen, Stuart -- Captains of Consciousness: Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture
Lazere, Donald -- American media and mass culture
Lutins, Allen -- An Eclectic list of Events in US Labor History
Millies, Stephen -- The Ludlow Massacre and the Birth of Company Unions
Parenti, Michael -- Super-Patriotism
Simpson, Christopher -- The Science of Coercion
Smith, Sharon -- Subterranean Fire: A History of Working-Class Radicalism in the United States
Snow, Nancy -- Propaganda, Inc., Selling America's Culture to the World
Stauber, John and Rampton, Sheldon -- Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq ; Toxic Sludge is Good For You
Tye, Larry -- The Father of Spin: Edward L. Bernays & The Birth of PR
22 comments:
America’s greatest weapon as I have said time and time again isn’t its: Abrams 2 tanks, Aegis class destroyers, Virginia class submarines or F22 Raptors. It is America’s vile PROPAGANDA, because with PROPAGAND America and the West can enslave and poison the mind not only of its own wretched populace but victimize other peoples too.
I know the GREAT MAN Poiuytr would say that US dollar monopoly has been America’s greatest weapon. Probably he’s right, as he tends to be on everything lol Sorry for letting you down Poiuytr I just don’t have your courage, determination, stamina, and intellect.
Was not till my darkest hour when my house burned and needed help from welfare that the spell was broken. They basically told me to Furk off and die after years of telling me on TV what a good and generous country we Canadians are.
Shot themselves in the foot good. I'll never be fooled again.
What a farce and pig show carnival. Wild west movie style false frontage and curvy mirrors are all that await anyone who falls into their grip.
D
James W, There are tears in my eyes as I read this. I wrote to you and got no reply in return. Are you penning Poiuytr's obituary above in a few choice words? Is that what it is all about? Has he really left us? And if he has, what of his legacy?
James, don't just avoid us and play dead yourself. We've stuck by Poiuytr through thick and thin all these years. He has shaped our thinking in ways words cannot convey. Speak openly to us, please James. And if he has died, do you take over this site or will it be consigned to oblivion?
I once wrote a book on poiuytr, James. That was when he was still on Iraqwar and then underground. I'll add all his NBN pieces to it as well. For that my energy, in spite of my grief, should suffice. But just speak to us openly for once. Thanks.
You are right James.
American propaganda, or Soft Power as Joseph Nye calls it, is it's most diabolical weapon.
This includes American entertainment like Hollywood.
America is worse than Nazi Germany in this respect.
It is much more cunning and malevolent.
That is why it is imperative to fight the American Fourth Reich on this terrain of the media and Psywar.
James, I was lucky enough to find time to watch the entire film you posted. Fascinating stuff, worth its weight in gold. Though as someone said towards the end: not exactly mind control, but perhaps close to it. Still, a perfect description of how poiuytr's baboons acquired the mindset that used to drive him up the wall.
Also, James, I don't understand why you need to put yourself down. Poiuytr always said you were the best of us all. I certainly back him up on that. If he, for whatever reason, cannot go on with this blog, perhaps you'd consider doing it in his place. We'd all pitch in and do whatever you expected us to do. Take a deep breath and give it some serious thought. Otherwise, it would only mean our betraying poiuytr's legacy.
ANON 21/10/10 03:24
Canadians have tricked the world into thinking they are a cute and cuddly people. Canada has lurched and marched further to the fascist racist right each and every year, witness Stephen Harper’s neocon imperial ambitions and the hysterical Zionist Canadian media. Canada along with its Anglo brethren Australia and the UK are America’s partners in crime. Canada is very much part of the Anglo-American Axis of Evil.
ANON 21/10/10 08:24
If you are who I think you are, check your inbox I’ve replied.
I can’t run this blog without Poiuytr. Its impossible, Poiuytr made this blog what it is. He is one of a kind.
ANON 21/10/10 09:54
Yes “Soft Power” is another of these: obscene American Western euphemism to hide its true malevolent and malicious nature. Which are deceit and manipulation ie propaganda and agitation. America’s obscene use of “non-governmental organizations” to spy on and agitate against countries that don’t bend to America’s will. Witness the colour revolutions the post soviet space and Iran last year. No wonder Putin has made life impossible for Western “civil societies” and “NGOs” to operate and cause havoc in Russia.
Hollywood and Pentagon have had an incestuous relationship from day one. The crude and ridiculous militaristic, nationalistic and chauvinistic propaganda of Hollywood films are there to be seen. Just watch even “progressive” or “non-biased” films like multiple Oscar winning Hurt Lock and Matt Damon’s Green Zone. US soldiers are portrayed as heroic and honourable, even though the war’s morality is never questioned.
I’m guilty of playing into the Pentagon’s propaganda myself. I went and saw “Restrepo” in the cinema 2 weeks ago. Again heroic Americans are fighting savage Afghans in the Korengal Valley Kunar Province. It was really crude cowboy & Indians, Siege of the Almo stuff.
Propaganda disarms and confuses America’s victims. American and Western Propaganda is so pernicious, pervasive, and perverse!
ANON 21/10/10 16:06
Thanks for your kind words, but I’m not in Poiuytr’s league. I thought I understood how the world works, and able to cut through lies and manipulations. But Poiuytr knows way more than me. He understood and recognized the economic collapse in a way I didn’t, Poiuytr has a profound understanding of economics, finance, and maths that I don’t.
I can’t run this blog without Poiuytr: it’s impossible! I may post a few interesting videos now and then. But I can’t give the constant critical analysis of world events and news. Explaining how everything connects together like Poiuytr could with his weekly NBN.
James, 19:58. Many thanks to you. I'm a bit relieved over your reply and have responded in kind. Vague hope is better than no hope. I'm all for going back to business as usual - with greater participation from yourself, goes with saying, otherwise we're like a flock of sheep without a shepherd.
Also for extending the period of waiting for Poiuytr to put in an appearance before taking a final decision as to the future of this blog. There you will have the last word to say. Once again, thank you.
(The French ar already on the warpath. The Brits next?)
Economists: Britain's austerity plan to hit poor- 22.10.10
LONDON – Britain's poor and powerful clashed Thursday over who will lose out most under austerity measures that will slash benefits, jobs and government services to reduce the country's crippling debts.
Treasury chief George Osborne has announced 81 billion pounds ($128 billion) in spending cuts through 2015 that will cost as many as half a million public sector jobs and trim welfare payments to families and the disabled.
Government departments will, on average, have their budgets cut by about 19 percent, forcing them to lay off staff and limit the scope of their work.
It means Britain will have fewer police, pay less to those without jobs and send fewer criminals to prison. Embassies will be shuttered, as will courts and military bases. Britons will lose billions in benefit payments, retire later, and pay more for day-to-day items like train tickets.
Even the Royal Mint faces cutbacks: It will use cheaper metals in British coins in an attempt to make savings.
Osborne had said Wednesday in an address to Parliament that "those with the broadest shoulders should bear the greatest burden," saying Britain's highest earners would be worst affected by the cuts.
But economists and the public disagree, believing the measures will cause most hardship for lower-paid government workers and Britons reliant on welfare checks.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies, an economic think tank, said that — aside from the richest 2 percent of people — most of the pain would be inflicted on working families, the sick and the poor.
"You're really picking on the weakest people in society and it's completely unfair how you're applying these budget cuts," Margaret Lynch, 52, told Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, as they defended the plan at a public meeting in Nottingham, in central England.
Lynch, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, said outside the event that her government benefits were being cut by about half.
Hundreds of Britons demonstrated against the cuts outside Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence in London, late Wednesday. Police said three people were arrested for breaking into the government's business ministry.
US Econ News - 22.10.10
- Pension Funds on their last legs
- Dollar Hits 15-Year Low against the Yen
- B of A Loses $7.3 Billion in 3Q 2010
(And on and on, the whole damned thing unravelling thread by thread like a moth-eaten tapestry.)
Ahmadinejad and Chavez say united to change world order - 21.10.10
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told his Venezuelan counterpart on Wednesday they would defeat their common foes, the latest defiant salvo against Western countries that he says are failing in their attempts to isolate Iran.
At the end of a two-day visit, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez condemned military threats against Iran which the United States and Israel have said they could strike to prevent it getting a nuclear bomb.
The visit by Iran's long time ally comes a week after Ahmadinejad received a warm reception in Lebanon — home to the militant Shi'ite group Hezbollah. Both diplomatic events are partly aimed to show Washington that Iran still has friends around the world who are willing to confront U.S. interests.
"I should use the opportunity to condemn those military threats that are being made against Iran," Chavez told a news conference in which the two leaders called each other "brother".
"We know that they will never be able to restrict the Islamic revolution in whatever way ... We will always stand together, we will not only resist we will also stand victorious beside one another."
The countries have more than their dislike of the United States in common; they are also OPEC members whose valuable oil exports allow them a certain diplomatic muscle despite being viewed with suspicion in the West.
Chavez said they signed several new agreements aimed at boosting industrial cooperation.
Revolutionary Front
In words which showed his ambition to represent developing countries that feel oppressed by the West, Ahmadinejad said Iran and Venezuela was part of a revolutionary front from Latin America "stretching all the way to East Asia".
"If one day, my brother Mr Chavez and I and a few other people were once alone in the world, today we have a long line of revolutionary officials and people standing alongside each
other," he said.
Excellent comment, 09:08. What the USians know about freedom you could put in a thimble with room to spare. A nation (Ha!) of slaves and conmen.that's all they are.
Iran's non-oil exports pass $14.3bn
Sun Oct 24, 2010
Iran's non-oil exports have increased by 30 percent in the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21) passing $14.3 billion.
"Some 14.3 billion dollars of non-oil goods and gas condensates have been exported in the first half of the Iranian calendar year. That figure shows a 30 growth compared to the corresponding figure of the previous year," said Mohammad Mehdi Nahavandi, the managing director of the Commercial Development Office for Trade Promotion Organization of Iran on Saturday.
Nahavandi further pointed out that the jump in Iran's exports shows that the sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program have no affects on the country.
After the UN Security Council issued a resolution imposing a fourth round of sanctions on Iran in June, the United States and the European Union followed suit, imposing their own unilateral sanctions particularly on Iran's energy and banking sectors.
Iran says its nuclear program is totally peaceful and within the framework of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, to which it is a signatory.
Nahavandi went on to say that foodstuff, plastic materials and oil products accounted for the most portion of Iran's exports.
Last week, a senior Iranian customs official also played down the impact of sanctions against Tehran, saying the Islamic Republic has established trade ties with more than 180 countries.
"Iran currently has trade ties with all continents and countries except the Zionist regime (Israel). We have mutual and multilateral economic relations with various countries," Head of Iran's Customs Ardeshir Mohammadi told Fars news agency on Tuesday.
"More than 180 countries have trade and commercial ties with Iran and sanctions do not have much effect on the volume of the country's trade ties," he added.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/147952.html
THE GREEK DOLLAR SWAP WINDOW
Jim Willie CB October 20, 2010
The Chinese are clever people. Their leaders play a good game of chess in the global scramble for commodity supply and financial dominance. Their patient strategy has tied the arms & legs of the USGovt, using their own debt securities as the binding rope. The accumulate almost reached a staggering $1000 billion, the bitter fruit of the Low Cost Solution to invest in China from a decade ago. While much attention has come to saber rattling over currency manipulation and tiny 25 basis point interest rate hikes, even battles over rare earth metals, something has been happening in Europe of importance that involve a Chinese back door to dump USTreasurys. To be sure, the USGovt deficits and monetary policy have invited a selloff in the USDollar. In the latter months of 2009 and early months of 2010, the Jackass wrote frequently about the absurd notion of an Exit Strategy from 0% and Quantitative Easing. The USFed lost heavy credibility and looked just rather obtuse. The Japanese ZIRP and QE twin diseases were not the monogrammed cufflinks the USFed would choose for sartorial splendor. My forecast was for no Exit from 0%, but rather an embrace of QE2, the exact opposite. We have it. Only the details remain on the QE2 initiative. Bernanke looks scared, haggard, and a little desperate, like a captain on a ship listing to port and taking on significant water in the lower chambers. At least the water is at zero cost.
http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials_08/willie102010.html
five steps of the global geopolitical dislocation phase: T4 2009 – T4 2013
- Excerpt GEAB N°43 (March 16, 2010) -
http://www.leap2020.eu/The-five-steps-of-the-global-geopolitical-dislocation-phase-T4-2009-T4-2013_a5268.html
GEAB N°48 is available! Global systemic crisis - LEAP/E2020’s analysis of 39 countries’ risks 2010-2014: A collective but contrasting dive into the phase of world geopolitical dislocation
- Public announcement GEAB N°48 (October 16, 2010) -
http://www.leap2020.eu/GEAB-N-48-is-available-Global-systemic-crisis-LEAP-E2020-s-analysis-of-39-countries-risks-2010-2014-A-collective-but_a5295.html
Thanks for GEAB links, James. As soon as I find a moment, I shall read through the texts. Why have we had a sea change in the appearance of the blog? Anything in black scares the daylights out of me in the present context.
Europe in disarry:
- France approves pension reform: France's parliament has given its final approval to a bill that will raise the age of retirement from 60 to 62, a reform that has sparked weeks of strikes and protests.
- Vote threatens Romania's government: Thousands of people take to streets to support no-confidence motion over spending cuts and tax rises
Anon 26/10/10 08:06
GEAB is a fantastic site, I had to change the design of the blog to make it more presentable. I hope you lot like it, I’ll be probably be experimenting with a few combinations in the weeks to come.
The viewpoint of understanding the First world western countries peoples, including the “workers” as parasitical corrupted brain dead beneficiaries of imperialism is not a racist view or decided by skin colour , but accords with Marxism and Lenins economic analysis of the parasitical corrupt nature of a bribed ‘labor aristocracy”.
The Anglo American economic bloc and the dollar hegemony dominates the world today
The real proletatriat with revolutionary potential are the two bucks a day exploited people of the third and developing worlds .
Countries like China are where the bulk of the productive of wealth industrial workers now exist.
While the First world countries working people are services workers exchanging their sometimes valuable services with each other at value .
Acording to Marx , by definition a worker ,and the working class ,is actually exploited by capital for surplus value , not a bribed subsidized ‘worker’ paid more than the value they create while whining about being oppressed and called “The proletariat” by the workers and communist parties
For marist Oppression is not necessarily the same or identical to economic exploitation.
Those interested in understanding that parasitism might look at the Marxist economic analysis on the labour aristocracy thesis .
Articles free from MIM theory are available . See .
http://www.mimdown.org/mt/index.html
· Including on the parasitical class in America,”the most reactionary ‘working class” in history
.
· - MIM Theory #1, "White Working Class" ..???
· http://www.mimdown.org/mt/mt1.pdf
· Imperialism and its Class Structure in 1997 (Available only here, not in print)
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