Quote:
Originally Posted by W.HI.P
I'm not dropping anything.
Brainwashing is what is going on American television sets.
If you fail to see it, i feel very sorry for you.
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I guess it depends on how you define brainwashing but this is what I see:
US corporate media is run in a capitalist system where ratings are king. Each news corporation has its own flavor but they all stay within the acceptable limits of their mainstream audience. If they did not, viewers would simply change the channel or read a different newspaper.
This type of system will naturally not challenge viewer's/reader's personal views of the world. People do not like their personal worldview to be wrong so it's not in these new agencies' interests to tell the complete raw truth. This is what you see W.H.I.P.
But, there is a limit as how far they can sugarcoat what is going on. Hell, even Noam Chomsky admits that the Wall Street Journal is pretty accurate because US businessmen must have an idea what is going on so they can make rational business decisions. Other newspapers are not that far off either. Plus, with the availability of alternative new sources on the internet, it forces a check on these news agencies.
I will admit, and I'm sure every American on this board will agree with me to some point, that US news is not ideal in any way and that it gets extremely annoying how they care more about appealing to viewers/readers instead of getting the raw truth. But this is not brainwashing. While political agendas do have a role in news, they do not control it. There is no conspiracy where the US government is trying to tell us where to think. It is in their interests to keep us within a certain threshold, yes, but it is not worth it for them to try too hard.
If you want to see brainwashing look at North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, China, Burma, Arab countries, etc. This is a lack of free speech. US news has its problems but it is not brainwashing unless you choose a different definition and then we are arguing semantics.