NaturalJudge
03-08-2006, 06:08 PM
A Nation Of Sheep:
“Why is there so much ignorance and apathy today concerning the truthful facts about the rest of the world? How can a nation or an individual function properly unless the truth is available and understood? How can effective foreign policy decisions be made and supported by a populace that is largely ignorant of the truth and accepting of false information masquerading as truth? Making informed decisions today requires unbiased information. Yet, this is difficult to obtain in the United States when the truth is largely unavailable, when the government is ignorant of the events occurring in other nations, when the media is so convinced that the American people don’t want the hard facts of foreign affairs that is only makes basic and routine efforts to report them, when a lack of knowledge of international matters has made the people of the United States a nation of sheep – uneasy but too apathetic and uninformed to know why – endorsing any solutions which appear to be cheap and easy and which come from a source that claims to be better informed then themselves. Today we are a nation of fair weathered citizens who serve their country only if they receive financial security and luxuries, of sloths that try to bribe neutral nations into cooperation. We are a nation of people who fail to question or reject the false information that is presented by the government, media, or others (including those in this forum). The defeat of America need not be accomplished by destructive weapons and violence. There are much easier and cheaper ways to accomplish this including psychological weapons, economic strangulation, political chicanery, and intellectual subversion. Such a finale will not occur to a well-informed and educated populace. But today we are adrift in a sea of misinformation, where ignorance is in control.”
The above is from : A Nation of Sheep by William Lederer, 1961.
What is the real truth concerning Iraq today? Are we to believe what the media portrays as truth? Are we to believe what the government portrays as truth? Are we to even believe others in this forum that claim to be presenting the truth and back up that truth with official sounding media references?
The media has a long history of intentionally or unintentionally publishing or showing false information. The reasons for this are numerous. Ill informed reporters who travel to Iraq and do not speak the local dialects, understand the culture, history, climate, or people attempt to present information as truth. Some reports are actually delivered as truth, however the media ‘process’ of editors and other assorted individuals such as business managers might resort to sensationalizing the information in order to gain ratings or sell newspapers. The media is after all a money making venture. In the rush to get the news scoop, misinformation and inaccuracies may be present in reports. In order to get to the truth, the informed individual must go after a variety of resources and listen to a variety of sources. Accepting information or quotes from official sounding sourced is insufficient. Just because a source is from a recognized newspaper or other media source does not make it so. As always, there are two sides to every coin and there may be elements of truth interspaced in each side. The American people are generally being fed a constant stream of negative news concerning Iraq. Is this truth? In some cases yes. However, is this the whole truth? Do the American people have easy access to what progress and good things that are being accomplished in Iraq? Are we being told how well our troops are performing? Are we being told what the small minority of insurgents and terrorists are doing to our troops? Are we to believe that everything that happens in Iraq is a catastrophe that is entirely America’s fault any more then we are to believe our nightly news that everything that happens in America is a tragedy? In short, are we being supplied with then entire story with both sides presented and with proper background and context?
There are many in this forum that present their OPINIONS as fact. They are so sure of their opinions that they use different tactics to force their opinions on others. They can accept no alternate viewpoints. No dissenting opinions. Anyone who dares to ask questions will be labeled with so called derogatory terms, bullied, insulted, abused, etc. In truth, everyone’s opinion should be listened to with respect. A factual, mature, and intelligent conversation that has any merit should present information calmly and rationally without resorting to name calling or other childish behaviors. Those with dissenting views should be allowed to express themselves without abusive or nasty comments and nonsense masquerading as the truthful side. In conclusion, intelligent and informed people will ask for a variety of sources, factual and opinionated, before making up their mind where they stand on the issues. They will understand the techniques that have been so successfully used in the past to present false information concerning foreign affairs and matters. They will stand alone if necessary and dare to ask questions and present unpopular and opposing sides if necessary. Above all, they will not be intimidated by insults or scare tactics that others may use. Those who generally present their opinions and viewpoints in a rational and calm manner and stick to presenting their facts as information are present within this forum. However, much information presented here is biased or openly false and it is up to the informed and motivated individual to be able to separate the two sides. Resorting to individual name calling, labeling one political party as liars, thugs, etc are expressions of Opinion that represent one person or persons view and may or may not contain limited aspects of truth. Many have given up posting or sharing their opinions within this forum for fear of abuse or insult. This is the tragedy and shame that does not add to this forum.
“Why is there so much ignorance and apathy today concerning the truthful facts about the rest of the world? How can a nation or an individual function properly unless the truth is available and understood? How can effective foreign policy decisions be made and supported by a populace that is largely ignorant of the truth and accepting of false information masquerading as truth? Making informed decisions today requires unbiased information. Yet, this is difficult to obtain in the United States when the truth is largely unavailable, when the government is ignorant of the events occurring in other nations, when the media is so convinced that the American people don’t want the hard facts of foreign affairs that is only makes basic and routine efforts to report them, when a lack of knowledge of international matters has made the people of the United States a nation of sheep – uneasy but too apathetic and uninformed to know why – endorsing any solutions which appear to be cheap and easy and which come from a source that claims to be better informed then themselves. Today we are a nation of fair weathered citizens who serve their country only if they receive financial security and luxuries, of sloths that try to bribe neutral nations into cooperation. We are a nation of people who fail to question or reject the false information that is presented by the government, media, or others (including those in this forum). The defeat of America need not be accomplished by destructive weapons and violence. There are much easier and cheaper ways to accomplish this including psychological weapons, economic strangulation, political chicanery, and intellectual subversion. Such a finale will not occur to a well-informed and educated populace. But today we are adrift in a sea of misinformation, where ignorance is in control.”
The above is from : A Nation of Sheep by William Lederer, 1961.
What is the real truth concerning Iraq today? Are we to believe what the media portrays as truth? Are we to believe what the government portrays as truth? Are we to even believe others in this forum that claim to be presenting the truth and back up that truth with official sounding media references?
The media has a long history of intentionally or unintentionally publishing or showing false information. The reasons for this are numerous. Ill informed reporters who travel to Iraq and do not speak the local dialects, understand the culture, history, climate, or people attempt to present information as truth. Some reports are actually delivered as truth, however the media ‘process’ of editors and other assorted individuals such as business managers might resort to sensationalizing the information in order to gain ratings or sell newspapers. The media is after all a money making venture. In the rush to get the news scoop, misinformation and inaccuracies may be present in reports. In order to get to the truth, the informed individual must go after a variety of resources and listen to a variety of sources. Accepting information or quotes from official sounding sourced is insufficient. Just because a source is from a recognized newspaper or other media source does not make it so. As always, there are two sides to every coin and there may be elements of truth interspaced in each side. The American people are generally being fed a constant stream of negative news concerning Iraq. Is this truth? In some cases yes. However, is this the whole truth? Do the American people have easy access to what progress and good things that are being accomplished in Iraq? Are we being told how well our troops are performing? Are we being told what the small minority of insurgents and terrorists are doing to our troops? Are we to believe that everything that happens in Iraq is a catastrophe that is entirely America’s fault any more then we are to believe our nightly news that everything that happens in America is a tragedy? In short, are we being supplied with then entire story with both sides presented and with proper background and context?
There are many in this forum that present their OPINIONS as fact. They are so sure of their opinions that they use different tactics to force their opinions on others. They can accept no alternate viewpoints. No dissenting opinions. Anyone who dares to ask questions will be labeled with so called derogatory terms, bullied, insulted, abused, etc. In truth, everyone’s opinion should be listened to with respect. A factual, mature, and intelligent conversation that has any merit should present information calmly and rationally without resorting to name calling or other childish behaviors. Those with dissenting views should be allowed to express themselves without abusive or nasty comments and nonsense masquerading as the truthful side. In conclusion, intelligent and informed people will ask for a variety of sources, factual and opinionated, before making up their mind where they stand on the issues. They will understand the techniques that have been so successfully used in the past to present false information concerning foreign affairs and matters. They will stand alone if necessary and dare to ask questions and present unpopular and opposing sides if necessary. Above all, they will not be intimidated by insults or scare tactics that others may use. Those who generally present their opinions and viewpoints in a rational and calm manner and stick to presenting their facts as information are present within this forum. However, much information presented here is biased or openly false and it is up to the informed and motivated individual to be able to separate the two sides. Resorting to individual name calling, labeling one political party as liars, thugs, etc are expressions of Opinion that represent one person or persons view and may or may not contain limited aspects of truth. Many have given up posting or sharing their opinions within this forum for fear of abuse or insult. This is the tragedy and shame that does not add to this forum.