“The speed of communications is wondrous to behold,” according to the late journalist Edward R. Murrow. “It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue.”
The enormous distribution of disinformation disseminated against Pres. Obama’s health care reforms represents an obvious attempt to scare people into thinking that they are on the verge of losing something precious. Witness the lack of dialogue and the glut of emotion (mostly hate) that characterize the so-called Town Hall (a.k.a. Town Brawl) meetings.
When the 18th Century Puritans in New England were losing members of their congregation, the imagery in the pastors’ sermons became increasingly graphic. The emphasis was on the horrific. For example, Jonathan Edwards’ 1741 sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” vividly depicts the unredeemed as repugnant insects dangling over hell’s gaping pit.
Politicians aware of losing members of their constituency are also using imagery based on igniting fear and hatred. Study the verbiage. Pay attention to the metaphors, the images, and most of all the slogans that are used.
Remember what Orwell said in “Politics and the English Language”: “This mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern English prose, and especially of any kind of political writing. As soon as certain topics are raised, the concrete melts into the abstract and no one seems able to think of turns of speech that are not hackneyed: prose consists less and less of words chosen for the sake of their meaning, and more and more of phrases tacked together like the sections of a prefabricated henhouse.”
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I believe what is worse is the fact that the mass accepts the fact they are receiving less information. The presidential elections have become a joke of what they had been. Answers giving on the stand used to be 10,000 words but as time went by, the attention of the mass has decreased greatly. Now we don't want so much information. More important then information, we want messages in a manner that is short enough that it couldn't be accepted as an answer for a written exam.
ReplyDeleteAs time goes by, we'll receive less information because we'll be listening for even less time. In a few steps down the world of information, we'll be having the presidential debates in 255 characters; which is ironically, enough characters to fill up the space for a text message on a cellphone. That way, the answers can then be fed live to our cellphone's mailbox and we won't even have to watch the debates. Presidential debates will adapt to 'chat speak' and abbreviate words to further decrease the intellect in the mass. Because we'll be so absorbed in reading text messages, that we will no longer have the English written language as a priority in our intellect. We're bound to have 'Texting 101' as a college course in the future.
People of the 21 century are less prone to rely on tactile information to support their ideas. Information is relayed from second hand sources via internet, television, cell phone, or word of mouth. People have come to rely on these methods rather than first hand experience and live interaction that reporters in the past used as an unbiast platform for their most important interviews.
ReplyDeleteModern man has become less acute to the subtleties of the person whom they speak about by posing their argument on the side of the source that they last referenced or has won, often without foundation, the most publicity. It is in this way media taints the receiver with its own arbitrary opinion and leaves the modern detective defunct.
A perfect example of how misinformation can be blown completely out of hand is in the case of the "birthers" who proposed that president Obama was not a legal U.S. citizen. The case can be argued that no matter how much evidence is presented (ex: birth certificate from Hawaii) the over enthused "birthers" will still be convinced that the false article remains as the only real proof to support their false beliefs.
“The speed of communication may be wondrous,” but the speed of rate by which information is being passed around is often too rapid to retain its accuracy. It is like that game children play called telephone chain, where the first one whispers something to the second and by the time the last person repeats the statement it is exaggerated and incorrect. If consumers do not seek news from reputable sources they may learn from experience that the information is distorted or untrue.
ReplyDeleteA perfect example would be recent emails titled “Guns on your next Tax Return.” The email goes on to explain that Senate Bill SB-2099 would require us to put all guns in our possession on our 2009 Federal Form 1040. The Bill would also require fingerprints and a tax of $50. per gun. Imagine how quickly this information disseminated in a County crowded with farmers, hunters and sportsmen. Two days later an email followed stating, “SORRY – there is no such bill in Congress, and the emails about SB 2099 being sent around are false.” How many people forwarded the first email? How many even read the second one? Yes, there is a bill in Congress that requires licensing and registration. Yes, this Bill does include some fairly stringent registrations, transfer, and notifications, but that is not what is important here. The important point is that someone originated this email. Someone decided to put in writing false information, without verifying sources, and then forward the information as truthful and accurate.
Disseminating information that “ignites fear and hatred” makes people take action. It can divide the masses into those who agree and those who disagree. Each group then rallies to gain more supporters and if necessary the information becomes more fearful and hateful. In a geometric progression people will spread lies and soon we will all have to make a decision to join in or become “repugnant insects dangling over hell’s gaping pit.” We can only hope that somewhere in that progression someone will stand tall, decipher the “metaphors, images, and slogans used” and seek out the truth so it may be known to all. Hopefully that someone will be you and me.