An unholy union of the National Security State and the neocon-backed and corporate-funded Democratic Party are about to assume power: with media-supported internet censorship a key weapon.
I have always voted Republican and I am 100% Trump...worked on the campaign. I hate liberals, AOC and Pelosi. I hate reporters and CNN. However I respect Glenn Greenwald and his work. Usually I tell people the news should be free and I will never pay one dollar for an NYTimes article. This time I bought a subscription here for $50. Glenn Greenwald might be the only newsman I ever give my $$$ to...
THANK YOU for calling out the bullshit. I find it endlessly frustrating that more people can't see through it, and reading your column helps me feel less isolated and alone.
When I was a child their were lots of cowboy and Indian movies, and although it was clear the cowboys were stealing land from the Indians they were still the good guys. I would ask grown ups how come., and of course there was never an answer, which was probably better then lying to me. Since I was a child my uncle would tell me that people will say, write and declare they're making statements of truth, but it is up to me to prove whether it is truth they are telling, or lies. So from a very young age I knew that sometimes my government told me lies, and I can't ever remember trusting them, or the media. Not that they always lied, but I knew they were very capable of it. Children are taught to trust what parents and teachers and adults say, so they have learned not to question authority, and therefore are easily manipulated. I'm not against religion, but in this regard it doesn't help either to encourage blind faith. Yes you can see how the media manipulates and controls and too often are not purveyors of truth, but we have been groomed to be almost willing victims of their lies. For me, they used Trump to encourage a mindlessness using hate as their tool, and not only to hate him, but the deplorables who were his followers. He was perceived even demonic enough to have killed every person who died of Covid-19. They encouraged black and white thinking, with no shades of grey. The media seemed like a cult, and it was amazing how blindly people followed. Now they would have you believe that the devil is now gone, and the messiah, in the form of Joe Biden, a notorious liar, has become our savior. I think we have been heading in this direction for a very long time. Trump just help them out to speed things along.
Yesterday, when I heard about Trump trying to pull troops out of Afghanistan on the radio and THEN heard some talking-head idiot at NPR argue we should STAY AT WAR there, I knew we were already fallen down the rabbit hole of a dystopian Alice's Wonderland.
It was also instantly obvious to me, what Glenn points out here:
"One can find it right now in the ongoing effort to denounce the Trump White House for attempting to remove troops from Afghanistan, where the U.S. has been fighting and shooting and bombing in a war now about to enter its 20th year. Take a look at who is demanding that those troops remain, and there you will find the real axis of power — all of its component parts — in the United States."
Yep, EVERY mouth that says we should leave troops in Afghanistan is an enemy of The People, and a servant of the MI(L)C (the L is for _legislative_), no doubt about that.
If we've learned anything over the last 4 years, its that the overwhelming majority of Americans lack the capacity to think critically. Whether you look at the Russiagate conspiracy nonsense or the Qanon whisperings, a huge number of Americans exist very much like little sponges, waiting to soak up whatever propaganda is spewed upon them. The formula is straightforward - simply ensure that the propaganda that is being disseminated is grounded in a narrative that people want to hear.
Which brings us to the problem, which is twofold:
First, those who have been brainwashed by propaganda that affirms and supports their desires are very resistant to "deprogramming". They don't want to hear that their empty heads have been filled with propaganda. Nobody likes to admit they have been fooled, least of all those who aren't prone to (or, in many cases, capable of) thinking critically. Moreover, many of these people have spent years forming their entire social network and worldview around the nonsense they have absorbed. There are real social and economic costs for many of these people if they want to "leave the church" and embrace objective reality, which is just another disincentive to do so, even if they were otherwise inclined.
The other problem is that even if you somehow manage to replace the propaganda in the mind of a zealot with reality-based information, the susceptibility for future brainwashing remains. It isn't enough to simply replace the bad information with good information if the goal is to prevent a similar, future outcome. Its necessary to imbue people with the ability to thinking critically and be necessarily skeptical in all things, in order to immunize them (at least to some degree) against future brainwashing - which is a much higher barrier to hurdle then simply countering the disinformation they have previously absorbed.
They are winning and it is breaking the minds of intelligent people. I had a conversation with a friend that is conservative but voted for Biden. The bounty story was the primary reason. He also shared that Trump's following reveals that we have many more racist hate groups we have in our country. He doesn't think Trump will leave on Jan 20th! These examples show how successful propaganda narratives are. None of the MSM talking heads believe Trump won't depart but over the next 60 days they will beat it into submission only to never mention it again after he is gone.
I am very concerned at the total lack of skeptics in the media. They joyfully accept the left's position on everything and advance it. They willing cover for corporate giants in all industries with few exceptions. We have less shared reality today than in the past and it is only getting worse. When the mass of people have no trust in the media and institutions the conditions are set for disaster.
I appreciate your work and willingness to say what is true.
I, for one, welcome being censored. It allows me to become a free thinker since I am safe in the knowledge that should I make an error of judgment, it will be expunged from the record, and no lasting damage will be done.
We all make mistakes and it is nice to know that when we do, there is a safety net to arrest our fall. Having a safety net gives you more freedom to experiment and develop, not less. Censorship is necessary so that people have freedom to express themselves.
Glad I’m paying $5 per month for this; completely unaware of the facts re: the pro- war stance of the NYT article on Russian bounties and the pro-war bipartisanship of the Armed Services Committee. Fascinating and disturbing. I’m re-thinking a lot of assumptions I’ve made over the years.
Bravo, Glenn. Love him or hate him, and I harbor both emotions at once, Trump is the last independent who will ever get within sniffing distance of real power in this country. That is my takeaway from 2016 till today. The Borg did indeed learn their lesson, despite what leftists say about Dems failing to learn correctly. They learned only too well. Keep up the good fight, while the light sputters out in our world.
I noticed this a while ago. It has been accelerated by Trump.
What we are seeing is further alignment between neoliberals and neoconservatives. Both believe strongly in globalization: global labor and trade markets. Both neoliberals and neocon believe in the use of American power as a form of preemptive (or as Gabbard would say "regime change") global positioning wars.
If you think about Biden and his voting record on trade deals, the globalization of labor (read cheap labor), WTO, bank deregulation, etc.- Biden is essentially a "kinda" pro choice W Bush, who wants some gun control.
The separation between Neolib and Neocon is miniscule.
I agree with everything that Glenn has written here, but as my high school English teacher would no doubt say, this article is too long and repetitive. Glenn’s mind is full of facts and good ideas, but he needs a decent editor.
The New Ruling Coalition: Opposition to Afghanistan Withdrawal Shows Its Key Factions
Glenn I sense a new level of conviction and energy since leaving The Intercept and for this I am grateful. Keep it up, we need your voice.
I have always voted Republican and I am 100% Trump...worked on the campaign. I hate liberals, AOC and Pelosi. I hate reporters and CNN. However I respect Glenn Greenwald and his work. Usually I tell people the news should be free and I will never pay one dollar for an NYTimes article. This time I bought a subscription here for $50. Glenn Greenwald might be the only newsman I ever give my $$$ to...
This is a tremendous essay. I devoured every word. This will age very, very well.
I haven't made this good of a $50.00 investment in years!
THANK YOU for calling out the bullshit. I find it endlessly frustrating that more people can't see through it, and reading your column helps me feel less isolated and alone.
When I was a child their were lots of cowboy and Indian movies, and although it was clear the cowboys were stealing land from the Indians they were still the good guys. I would ask grown ups how come., and of course there was never an answer, which was probably better then lying to me. Since I was a child my uncle would tell me that people will say, write and declare they're making statements of truth, but it is up to me to prove whether it is truth they are telling, or lies. So from a very young age I knew that sometimes my government told me lies, and I can't ever remember trusting them, or the media. Not that they always lied, but I knew they were very capable of it. Children are taught to trust what parents and teachers and adults say, so they have learned not to question authority, and therefore are easily manipulated. I'm not against religion, but in this regard it doesn't help either to encourage blind faith. Yes you can see how the media manipulates and controls and too often are not purveyors of truth, but we have been groomed to be almost willing victims of their lies. For me, they used Trump to encourage a mindlessness using hate as their tool, and not only to hate him, but the deplorables who were his followers. He was perceived even demonic enough to have killed every person who died of Covid-19. They encouraged black and white thinking, with no shades of grey. The media seemed like a cult, and it was amazing how blindly people followed. Now they would have you believe that the devil is now gone, and the messiah, in the form of Joe Biden, a notorious liar, has become our savior. I think we have been heading in this direction for a very long time. Trump just help them out to speed things along.
Yesterday, when I heard about Trump trying to pull troops out of Afghanistan on the radio and THEN heard some talking-head idiot at NPR argue we should STAY AT WAR there, I knew we were already fallen down the rabbit hole of a dystopian Alice's Wonderland.
It was also instantly obvious to me, what Glenn points out here:
"One can find it right now in the ongoing effort to denounce the Trump White House for attempting to remove troops from Afghanistan, where the U.S. has been fighting and shooting and bombing in a war now about to enter its 20th year. Take a look at who is demanding that those troops remain, and there you will find the real axis of power — all of its component parts — in the United States."
Yep, EVERY mouth that says we should leave troops in Afghanistan is an enemy of The People, and a servant of the MI(L)C (the L is for _legislative_), no doubt about that.
If we've learned anything over the last 4 years, its that the overwhelming majority of Americans lack the capacity to think critically. Whether you look at the Russiagate conspiracy nonsense or the Qanon whisperings, a huge number of Americans exist very much like little sponges, waiting to soak up whatever propaganda is spewed upon them. The formula is straightforward - simply ensure that the propaganda that is being disseminated is grounded in a narrative that people want to hear.
Which brings us to the problem, which is twofold:
First, those who have been brainwashed by propaganda that affirms and supports their desires are very resistant to "deprogramming". They don't want to hear that their empty heads have been filled with propaganda. Nobody likes to admit they have been fooled, least of all those who aren't prone to (or, in many cases, capable of) thinking critically. Moreover, many of these people have spent years forming their entire social network and worldview around the nonsense they have absorbed. There are real social and economic costs for many of these people if they want to "leave the church" and embrace objective reality, which is just another disincentive to do so, even if they were otherwise inclined.
The other problem is that even if you somehow manage to replace the propaganda in the mind of a zealot with reality-based information, the susceptibility for future brainwashing remains. It isn't enough to simply replace the bad information with good information if the goal is to prevent a similar, future outcome. Its necessary to imbue people with the ability to thinking critically and be necessarily skeptical in all things, in order to immunize them (at least to some degree) against future brainwashing - which is a much higher barrier to hurdle then simply countering the disinformation they have previously absorbed.
People keep talking about how divided the US is. And wondering of anything can bring us together.
But look at the commenters here. They are from all over the political landscape.
It's in unbiased journalism that we meet up again. Too bad it's so rare.
Glenn,
They are winning and it is breaking the minds of intelligent people. I had a conversation with a friend that is conservative but voted for Biden. The bounty story was the primary reason. He also shared that Trump's following reveals that we have many more racist hate groups we have in our country. He doesn't think Trump will leave on Jan 20th! These examples show how successful propaganda narratives are. None of the MSM talking heads believe Trump won't depart but over the next 60 days they will beat it into submission only to never mention it again after he is gone.
I am very concerned at the total lack of skeptics in the media. They joyfully accept the left's position on everything and advance it. They willing cover for corporate giants in all industries with few exceptions. We have less shared reality today than in the past and it is only getting worse. When the mass of people have no trust in the media and institutions the conditions are set for disaster.
I appreciate your work and willingness to say what is true.
I, for one, welcome being censored. It allows me to become a free thinker since I am safe in the knowledge that should I make an error of judgment, it will be expunged from the record, and no lasting damage will be done.
We all make mistakes and it is nice to know that when we do, there is a safety net to arrest our fall. Having a safety net gives you more freedom to experiment and develop, not less. Censorship is necessary so that people have freedom to express themselves.
Glad I’m paying $5 per month for this; completely unaware of the facts re: the pro- war stance of the NYT article on Russian bounties and the pro-war bipartisanship of the Armed Services Committee. Fascinating and disturbing. I’m re-thinking a lot of assumptions I’ve made over the years.
Bravo, Glenn. Love him or hate him, and I harbor both emotions at once, Trump is the last independent who will ever get within sniffing distance of real power in this country. That is my takeaway from 2016 till today. The Borg did indeed learn their lesson, despite what leftists say about Dems failing to learn correctly. They learned only too well. Keep up the good fight, while the light sputters out in our world.
I'm not some kind of crazy eyed radical. I'm a slightly to the right on some things / left to very left on others Democrat.
And I watch people buying the hogwash from Clapper, for example, and I want to scream.
Ordinary people in the 60s and 70s had no trouble believing the FBI and CIA lied to them repeatedly.
And then the 80s, Reagan, Clinton and mass stupidity.
I'm so glad you are writing. Maybe there is hope.
I noticed this a while ago. It has been accelerated by Trump.
What we are seeing is further alignment between neoliberals and neoconservatives. Both believe strongly in globalization: global labor and trade markets. Both neoliberals and neocon believe in the use of American power as a form of preemptive (or as Gabbard would say "regime change") global positioning wars.
If you think about Biden and his voting record on trade deals, the globalization of labor (read cheap labor), WTO, bank deregulation, etc.- Biden is essentially a "kinda" pro choice W Bush, who wants some gun control.
The separation between Neolib and Neocon is miniscule.
I agree with everything that Glenn has written here, but as my high school English teacher would no doubt say, this article is too long and repetitive. Glenn’s mind is full of facts and good ideas, but he needs a decent editor.