Are we are all being lied to?

[SmittynMo]

Last edited Tue Nov 18, 2014, 01:46 PM - Edit history (1)

My speculation is taken from things I have observed from this site and others.

Fact 1:
The 1%. According to new research by Emmanuel Saez of the University of California at Berkeley and Gabriel Zucman of the London School of Economics, the richest one-hundredth of one percent of Americans now hold over 11 percent of the nation’s total wealth. That’s a higher share than the top .01 percent held in 1929, before the Great Crash.

We’re talking about 16,000 people, each worth at least $110 million.

Fact 2:
SCOTUS has totally fucked over the voting system, allowing unlimited funds to be spent. For the most part, the GOP members of SCOTUS won. So the 1% now buys elections. Proof of this happened a few weeks back.

Fact 3:
I read/listened somewhere yesterday,(I think it was TYT) that the 1% is also buying TV and radio stations across this country, in large numbers.

Fact 4:
Where can you go for a dependable, trustworthy news source? FAUX? CNN? MSNBC? CSPAN?
These stations are paid and bought by the 1%. So we are stuck with no unbiased news source.
Sadly, the news is so slanted, you don't know what to believe anymore.
It is never unbiased, showing two sides to every story.

Fact 5: The GOP is a large percentage of the 1%.

Conclusion: The 1% pretty much controls most of the media. The American public heavily depends on the media. Put them all together and you get a small percentage of people controlling what you hear and see, how to slant your opinion, and what you decide. We are all being brainwashed. Other than the sites I visit daily, I try not to watch the media. I'm trying to save my brain from all the lies, corruption and bullshit.

Save your brain today. It's worth it.

[freebrew]

1. All the time...

everyday, 24/7.
Nothing.
But.
Lies...

[gordianot]

2. Why lie when so many either do not care or buy what they are told.

[Faux pas]

3. Kickin'

[2naSalit]

4. O f course we are

And don't forget to add NPR to that list...

For example: (from yesterday)

http://www.npr.org/2014/11/17/364727163/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-keystone-xl-oil-pipeline

[RussBLib]

5. I watch Al Jazzera now and then

If they are all biased, then WTF, but I have seen more in-depth programs and interviews there than anywhere else.

Their website is pretty good too - http://america.aljazeera.com/

Where else are you going to see Greg Palast's stories on TV?

[brooklynite]

6. So, you'll be leaving DU then?

I mean, it's absolutely hopeless, isn't it. Why bother to hang around?

Seriously - name a 2012 race that the Citizen's United money "won". Show us how Sheldon Adelson's money propelled Gingrich to the nomination.

Did the Koch Brothers spend a lot of money this year? Yes. Would we have lost those seats anyway? Probably.

[SmittynMo]

8. I'd never leave DU

I love this place. Gives me a place to vent.

[Darb]

15. Head meet sand.

This past election, basically the second since CU, does show signs pointing to the overwhelming advantage Republicans have in shaping the narrative. The first one was just the beginning, they will improve each election, and not only that, they will keep the pressure up year round, not just in election cycles, but 24/7/365.

I think that attitudes like yours are going to hurt the Democrats very, very badly.

It is all out war for the hearts and minds, and many are tiny, distracted, lazy, willfully ignorant, easily duped minds.

[SmittynMo]

16. It is not my intention to hurt the dems.

It's merely there to point out what is going out there, in respect to the 1% controlling the media, national, and now local. Their views = our views. I call bullshit!!!!

If it gets to the point where no one believes the news, voter turnout will become a lot worse than it is now. It's exactly what the GOP wants.

A smarter person than I once said, "If you cant impress them with facts, then dazzle them with bullshit". It works every time. And the GOP are masters at it, getting better at it every day, as you stated.

[forthemiddle]

19. In Wisconsin this year

Walker was far outspent in terms of outside groups. Mary Burke (herself a member of the 1%) also lent her campaign more than $5,000,000, yet she still lost!
So in order to get all money out of politics we have to look at both parties. Although the Democrats make noise about how evil Citizens United was, I bet you that none of them really want it to go away.
Although Walker still won, here Citizens United was much better for the Dem.

[FiveGoodMen]

7. Well...

If your TV or radio is on...

If your newspaper is open...

If you're reading someone's blog...

...then yes.

Oh, and especially if you're in church!

[bigwillq]

9. By the government?

You betcha.

[unrepentant progress]

10. 'Lied' is such a strong word

Let's just say you're being motivated to reason correctly.

[Arthur_Frain]

11. The short answer is yes

But I would add that the only time it's all over is when the last one of us gives up.

[JayhawkSD]

12. Where are the lies?

You ask if we're being lied to, but your post merely cites how the rich control most of the wealth and buy the elections. This is all well known and no one even pretends it is otherwise. Why are you asking about lies?

Of course we are being lied to. We are lied to by the media, by politicians, by corporations, and by each other. Dishonesty is a staple of our social fabric today. What does that have to do with any of your five facts other than, marginally, with number four.

[SmittynMo]

13. The 1% are in control

of the information you receive across a broad spectrum of media. And it's no surprise that they are represented by the GOP. They are purchasing more media stations across this land to spread their vile, vicious, one sided, GOP lies.

A perfect example is Gruber and his ignorant comments. He was a CONSULTANT, with a big mouth. And now all of the media is exploiting his ignorance, just to try to stop the ACA, which everyone knows is high on the GOP agenda. They truly want millions of people freak out and lose their insurance. What the hell is wrong with this country? Instead of offering a solution to fix the typos and other errors, they want to destroy what the Dems have done to help so many people. It's sickening.

The GOP is like the Twilight Zone. For the next 60 minutes, we are in control of your television set. Do not attempt to change the channel,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Except they want 24 hours a day, not 60 minutes.

The 1% GOPers are out create an oligarchy and control what you see and hear.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. About point 4. The outlets you mention are all mostly commentary with a taste of news

MSNBC does not even have a show they call 'The News'. It's all commentary. That means it is by nature biased, and actually advertised as such. The American public does consume much media news, but very little of it comes from the cable commentary outlets you list. Because they are openly biased, they are commentary outlets, with heavy editorial hand.
If you want to talk about what Americans get in media news you have to focus on the 3 major broadcast networks, which draw far, far larger numbers of viewers. The myth is 'American all watch FoxNews' but the fact is otherwise.
If you combined the entire viewership for those cable outlets in their 'Newshour' or counterpart time slots, the total will still not be as high as the number of viewers at the lowest rated of the 3 Networks by itself.
Combine all cable, you are in a 3 million viewers range, let's say 4 million just for fun. Take the lowest rated Network Newscast, they get about 5.5 million. The others get about 8 and about 7. So over 20 million people each night watch Network News, while maybe 4 million watch 'cable News'.
Not saying the Networks have great news coverage, but I am saying that to discuss what 'the American public' watches you need to look at what they actually watch. It's fun to say 'they all watch FoxNews cause they stupid' but it's just not the case. And that should be to some extent, good news to those who think FoxNews is #1 because FoxNews tells them so.

[polynomial]

17. A great deal of the American electorate and non-electorate have

What could be considered as a huge vacuous psyche, in our culture is a mental - learning theory grown out of the foundation of behaviorism, called commercialized cable and free air television relentlessly gamed by one percent big money that cycles and turns back profits toward themselves.

Some finally figured it out, those commercials are actually money revenue for the one percent. And it is growing the profits that return many fold besides conditioning the electorate and non-electorate.

That paradigm, that thought pattern you hear very often, I saw it on television…Or everybody knows it because it was on the radio. Yes, we have a tidal wave of people who cannot see past the noise of lies.


Think of all the metadata files now going to be in the hands of the Republicans. The Democrats know very well the power it holds and the damage that will be done if it is abused.

But that is an advantage if played correctly. Those in the know, technically and intellectually responsible realize the calculus necessary to develop and distribute good foundational cultural ethos that is going to move society forward. Likely many on the Republican side don’t even realize what I just said.

A good example of the mindless empty headed, or insipid actions to those Southern Right political persons that insist to shut down the government because it is a practical way to negotiate.

To elect oneself to stop service to the very people that elect someone is insane, worse are those that elect those individuals to office. That is not a patriot or service to the country. In fact that opens the door to terrorism, Bush knows that very well.

[Thor_MN]

18. If I answered "Yes", that would mean that I lied and therefore could not have answered Yes...

[TBF]

20. This is who owns the media -

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