George Carlin and Noam Chomsky on the limits of debate in the media.

[Ichingcarpenter]

"limits of debate in this country are established before the debate even begins, and everyone else is marginalised and made to seem as either a communist, a kook, some sort of disloyal person or a conspiracy theorist - Something that shouldn't even be entertained for a minute that powerful people might get together and have a plan. DOESN"T HAPPEN. You're a kook and a conspiracy buff."

George Carlin



"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum - even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there's free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate."

Noam Chomsky

One needs to think about this when viewing your TV.


.

[Overseas]

1. K&R and Many Thanks !

They really describe it well. Chomsky has nailed it-- fake lively debate.

[LWolf]

2. k&r

[riverwalker]

3. a perfect example

Is how Paula Zahn and Kyra Phillips of CNN treated former weapons inspector Scott Ritter in 2002 with ridicule, sneers and scorn when he tried to explain that Iraq had NO WMD's.

http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0912-02.htm

[HowHasItComeToThis]

4. YOUR POINTS ARE WELL TAKEN IT IS ALL ON A STAGE

[DefenseLawyer]

5. They're scared, man.

George Hanson: They're not scared of you. They're scared of what you represent to 'em.
Billy: Hey, man. All we represent to them, man, is somebody who needs a haircut.
George Hanson: Oh, no. What you represent to them is freedom.
Billy: What the hell is wrong with freedom? That's what it's all about.
George Hanson: Oh, yeah, that's right. That's what's it's all about, all right. But talkin' about it and bein' it, that's two different things. I mean, it's real hard to be free when you are bought and sold in the marketplace. Of course, don't ever tell anybody that they're not free, 'cause then they're gonna get real busy killin' and maimin' to prove to you that they are. Oh, yeah, they're gonna talk to you, and talk to you, and talk to you about individual freedom. But they see a free individual, it's gonna scare 'em.
Billy: Well, it don't make 'em runnin' scared.
George Hanson: No, it makes 'em dangerous

[Joe Fields]

6. I have been saying that for many years, just not as eloquently as those two.

[unblock]

7. alternatively, one can avoid "debate" on tv altogether.

i'm sure my blood pressure has dropped considerably since i stopped paying attention to m$m political/news crap.

[Wind Dancer]

8. Recommended!

It keeps getting worse, too.