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2005-06-29 Home Front: Politix

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Posted by anonymous5089 2005-06-29 08:08|| || Front Page|| [11131 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 It's a good article but I have a different conclusion. I think this shows the power of the constant barage of anti-American propaganda in the media and Hollywierd. If, after 9/11 the press had written favorably about America and how it saved Europe and should to be supported to provide the same freedoms to Iraq, many of these same people would be at their dinner parties touting that line. America has failed on the media front, to get our message of freedom and equality out. It has failed so badly that many of these same people have been forced into mental gymnastics to side with tyrants to keep up their anti-America stance.

Hitler was able to turn a whole population against the Jews by using propaganda. Communists were able to exterminate untold numbers in the name of "world peace" and the sheep baaa'd along to the pied pipers tune - because it was vogue to do so, and for no other reason.

He's right that Anti-Americanism is fueled by little individual slights. Our current dislike of French, Germans and others is fueled by their slights against us. But in the end, we really don't dislike the people in these countries, we do not cheer for the fact that the French have all but fallen to the Islamists. We hope the Germans can rid themselves of their cripling socialist systems and massive unemployment. We do not wish Europe ill will.

The bottom line is that it is vogue to poo-pooh the Americans for the same reason it is vogue to poo-pooh Bush. If I think the leader of the free-world is an idiot - then I am better than he. What a simple way to elevate my own self-opinion.

What we need to do is to educate people about the impact of self-righteous cynicism, how to rise above it. Shaming and blaming does not make for a better world. One is not better than others, simply by proclaiming to be. Looking for someone to blame is the ultimate cop-out in dealing with a problem. It just allows the shamer to absolve himself of guilt, without any real action on his part. Thus the appeal of anti-Americanism or blaming the Jewish cabal. Oh look, they are starving in Nigeria and North Korea, they are raping and murdering people in Iraq. We need to stop it. Ah, we. But who is we? You mean me? Ok, I'll get up and wag my fingers at someone who is to blame. That's so much easier than to come up with real and concrete ideas of how to stop it.

Posted by 2b 2005-06-29 08:56|| 2005-06-29 08:56|| Front Page Top

#2 Hitler was able to turn a whole population against the Jews by using propaganda.

Nope. The German people already hated the Jews and needed only a gentle nudge. See Goldhagen's "Hitler's Willing Executioners".

Posted by Steve White">Steve White 2005-06-29 10:54|| 2005-06-29 10:54|| Front Page Top

#3 Be that as it may, it is highly unlikely that the pogroms would have started without Hitler's propaganda machine talking it to a whole new level - as well as drowing out and silencing the voices of reason with Jew-lover, a slur, any good Klansmand from our deep south can well understand the power of. If Jews are blacks are "dirty" and you love them, then you must be dirty too. Hmph...I can look down on you too! But I digress.

Besides, it kind of makes my point. Someone to blame. No need to put forth reasonable plans - just blame the Jews - if we could get rid of them, it would all go away. How much easier than a real platform of reform that would require some personal sacrifice.

Posted by 2b 2005-06-29 11:34|| 2005-06-29 11:34|| Front Page Top

#4 to futher make my point...look at Europe. What they need to reform is some personal sacrifice and leaders who will help them make tough choices to give up some of the freebies at the trough and implement longer work hours. But instead, Chirac and Schroeder ride the "blame the Americans" horse. And why shouldn't they? It works.

But if people were educated to see that blaming others is just a cheap trick by politicians that should be immediately rejected - the people would benefit.

/rant over - sorry for the excess use of bandwidth.

Posted by 2b 2005-06-29 11:42|| 2005-06-29 11:42|| Front Page Top

#5 2b, you are mistaken.

Read Leonard Peikoff's "The Ominous Parallels" for a detailed study of the intellectual roots of the Nazi horrors. It was not caused by mere political propaganda. It was not out of the blue. As a bonus, Peikoff describes how the liberal establishment in the US is in love with the same set of theories that led to the national-socialist variant of collectivism.

Posted by Kalle (kafir forever) 2005-06-29 14:51|| 2005-06-29 14:51|| Front Page Top

#6 I've never been an Any Ryan fan, but I think Peikoff only illustrates my point. I will agree that in Germany the fire was long set and it needed only a match to light it. I will agree that many of the conditions exist in America today.

But by Peikoff's argument, these plebes rely on The State to tell them what to think. Hilter's propaganda machine did just that. Only instead of self-sacrifice, it offered the sacrifice of the Jews. Hitler just chose an "other" as the Islamists do today.

The poor Islamists, so steeped in shame and blame, had trouble deciding who was an infidel - so many different countries, so many different chiefs - so rather than fight each other to define infidel, they settled on the generic "others" How clever. How non-offensive. It can mean whatever your little band of followers in your part of the world want it too. KILL THE OTHERS!

I would argue further that what has saved our nation from what is basically human nature, was education, through the church - to forgo the blame game and to embrace the principals of charity, forgiveness and removing the log from your own eye before pointing out the speck in anothers. You do not need to believe in the divinity of Christ to understand that Christian principals provide a chance for individuals to appeal to a higher ideals than to the lower ones of revenge and blame. And please don't cite examples of Salem Witchcraft or gay bashing or other examples of Christian principals gone wrong. The idea that you extend charity and forgiveness to individuals does not mean surrender. It means you look inward first to be sure that you, as an individual, have done what you can to help others, before you blame them for your woes. It provides for each individual to feel responsible to help by giving charity - not for The State to do so for you.

It doesn't matter to me how it's done, as much as the fact that we need to teach people to recognize when leaders are attempting to use shaming and blaming rather than real solutions.

Every day, the National Examiner litters my driveway with their paper with headlines that scream, Bush bad, Bush to blame, Everyone Agrees Bush is the Devil. It's almost comical. And yet, due to many of the reasons that Peikoff cites, people are happy to leave it at that. Social Security would be fine if it wasn't for Bush..Clinton...or Satan. How much easier than examining real solutions.

Posted by 2b 2005-06-29 15:37|| 2005-06-29 15:37|| Front Page Top

#7 I have not read either of the two books cited above, and it is possible 2b could benefit from reading either or both.

He does have it right on the money, however, when it comes to blaming someone else. There was another post I read today about Muslims blaming someone - everyone - else...in fact, it was from an Iraqi blog linked to some article.

I myself blame all Left Leaning Liberal Losers, since they are blaming Bush and all the ultra-reactionary, neo-conservative, right-wing, bible-thumpers. See? Name calling helps, too!

Posted by Bobby 2005-06-29 15:38|| 2005-06-29 15:38|| Front Page Top

#8 bobby :-) lol! we must resist the urge to mock those lefty losers even if they are responsible for all our woes!

Posted by 2b 2005-06-29 16:07|| 2005-06-29 16:07|| Front Page Top

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