In my last blog, “Can we trust the Media?”, I explained why the notion of “the liberal media” in America is outdated, although conservatives keep perpetuating the myth. I neglected to add there is persuasive evidence that the USA has for some time been controlled by an aggressive “conservative media”, which could pull off what seemed impossible to many only a while ago – elect John McCain over Obama. That occurrence would be a sure sign for me that American democracy has been ambushed by a relatively small power elite, given the wounds the Republican agenda has inflicted on the average American and way of life (which pales in comparison to the “collateral damage” suffered by the populations of other countries, especially Iraq).

Mark Crispin Miller (media critic, author, and professor of media studies at New York University) has tracked the current media control by “rightist interests” to a deliberate campaign which began in the mid ‘70s, after the defeat in Vietnam and the resignation of Nixon. He points out, “The Heritage Foundation, the Hoover Institute, the Manhattan Institute, the Carthage Foundation, the Olin Foundation – these entities were all set up to begin to exert control over the whole national conversation….The Right has had to take over the media for a particular reason, and that is they don’t actually have tremendous grassroots support. Their agenda – not raising the minimum wage, cutting Social Security, sending everybody’s jobs overseas – that’s not a particularly popular agenda. So what they do is obfuscate, largely by determining the direction the national conversation takes in the media.” Miller, and other media experts like Ben Bagdikan, have likened America’s current media to a free-enterprise version of the Soviet Union’s Ministry of Culture during the Cold War in terms of its ability to control the government’s message (“brain wash”). Indeed, Miller’s book “Fooled Again” makes the case that the Right stole the 2000 and 2004 elections, and presumably is aiming for 2008.

While some might try to dismiss Miller and other critics as left wing conspiracy theorists, the facts and tactics are all out in the open for those who observe or do a little internet research. Starting at the very top, George W. Bush is open and unapologetic about his administration’s ties to and support for big business; his closest advisers have used a revolving door to move between top corporate and government jobs; when questioned or pressed, he never admits fault but counterattacks and tries to turn the table on his “attacker”. Hate, bullying and fear are standard devices of persuasion. We can see the same tactics and talking points (in a more exaggerated manner) in Republican attack dogs like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and Bill O’Reilly.

Sadly, these tactics seem to be very effective in controlling the “national conversation” and tilting the balance in favour of the Right. Compare for example, the constant hounding and impeachment of Bill Clinton for Monica Lewinsky and the Teflon-like way that Bush and his administration have slid out of a series of possibly criminal actions: the deceptions leading to the invasion of Iraq, Abu Graib, Guantanamo Bay, the “outing” of CIA agent Valerie Plame and more. Indeed, Vincent Bugliosi, a high profile ex-prosecutor and one of the most successful crime authors, has just released a book entitled, “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder”, in which he sets out the legal case for holding Bush criminally responsible for the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq. Instead, of being a hot media commodity, Bugliosi has been shunned by the mainstream media and some of his requests for advertising space has been rejected in spite of his stature and the fact that his book has been on the New York Times bestselling list. This should be shocking an outrageous, but like so many other incidents, seem to be sliding harmlessly into oblivion.

The upcoming Republican convention will be a good opportunity to watch the “conservative media” in action. As a Canadian, I will be paying attention, not only because of America’s impact on Canada, but because our own Prime Minister, Stephen Harper (backed only by the mandate of a minority government), has been aggressively pursuing Bush-like policies, even to the extent of rigorously controlling his government’s “talking points”. He seems intent on calling an election to coincide with the US election, possibly counting on a Republican victory to give him a boost.

What can Individuals do?
In my first blog, I discussed the lack of creative vision from our leaders in these crucial challenges for humanity and increasing hardship for individuals. Yin-Yang philosophy teaches us about complementary or seemingly opposite forces. In this case, Leaders cannot exist without Followers, the vast majority of ordinary people who work hard to make ends meet and whose main conscious contribution to society’s governance is voting. Repeated opinion polls (certainly within North America) show that there is a significant gap between people’s acknowledged concerns - e.g global warming and energy conservation - and their willingness to make practical changes to remedy those concerns. They talk the talk but are unwilling to walk the walk. Why do ordinary individuals not care, not feel able to affect society or are simple unwilling to change? Here are a few (far from exhaustive) reasons:

Within the last 50 years, technology has dramatically changed our lives in ways still not generally acknowledged. The speed and power of computers, combined with a competitive job (free) market, make us work longer hours in more stressful conditions. Many are too exhausted after a working day to think of their own future, much less our national or planetary future. This inaction, although understandable, gives our rulers carte blanche to do what they will, which in turn takes our problems worse. On the individual level, living with continual stress can and does eventually result in a wide variety of serious illness, which impacts both our quality of life and our bank accounts. Stress and pollution are invisible and indirect, but do cost huge $ in time!

Secondly, although technology has provided us with more information and seeming choice, this does not necessarily or even mostly translate into better decisions and improved quality of life. Indeed technology consistently makes our lives more complex and confusing. We have become so accustomed to judging in terms of Quantity (size, volume, $), we find it hard to recognize innate Quality in things and people. The sheer volume of information and choice is often so overwhelming and confusing, we become numb and incapable of action. Those who want the Free Market to determine all social decisions in terms of bottom-line profit are turning their (and our) lives over completely to Quantity and away from Quality. Just look around to see the results!

A third reason why individuals feel and act powerless is that real power has become extremely concentrated in the hands of a relative few, who purposely foment confusion and distraction in order to keep and further their power. Corporations, which have somehow (I wonder how!!) come to be seen as the indispensable engines of our economy, exercise enormous power through their sheer wealth and size of their work forces, since they can manipulate their performance and can easily transfer (or threaten to) their operations to other, less regulated countries. Big corporations also powerfully influence major media organizations (purveyors of “facts” to the populace) because they own them or perhaps have an enormous advertising budget, which media corporations cannot afford to lose. In addition, in many countries (certainly in America), a relatively small number of individuals regularly move between corporations and government, which is supposed to control those corporations. Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz and George W. Bush himself are brazen and unapologetic examples. Many very credible books have been written on the use and abuse of corporate power, but it’s complex and lacking titillating celebrity gossip.. so most people don’t read them!

For the sake of blogging brevity, I will just mention one more, but very important reason. By and large, individuals lack the necessary level of awareness and consciousness (and presently the will and means to achieve it) in order to cope with the complex, interconnected society our technology has enabled. We are exhausted, over-worked and confused. We are even confused by the volume of supermarket-like choices that promise to take us out of our confusion!

What can we do? Perhaps the most promising and radical change we can make is within ourselves, since that is something which is direct and immediate; what is within us, determines all our external actions. This subject is worth many blogs and even multiple volumes of books. The good news is that profound change is possible (although not easy) and that consciousness of this possibility and actual practice is increasing. It is a major part of this blog to encourage and enable such change over disparate social, ethnic and religious backgrounds. I will close from a quote by Albert Einstein on my website’s landing page.

“Perhaps, someday, solitude will come to be properly recognized and appreciated as the teacher of personality. The Orientals have long known this. The individual who has experienced solitude will not easily become a victim of mass suggestion”.

Andy James

Where is the vision for humanity from our leaders, media and institutions apart from trying to keep the Consumer Society afloat?This lack of leadership is shocking in an era of obviously diminishing resources and exploding populations.The imbalance between limited supply and ever rising demand will continue to worsen, since China and India with their enormous populations, have been persuaded that Free Market consumption is the best way forward.They are only just beginning to emerge as economic powerhouses and already are dramatically impacting world prices and availability, especially in oil and food.

What we are facing is not just a recurring economic cycle, but a series of unusual, perhaps unprecedented, challenges which threaten to rapidly converge into a "perfect storm" for our civilization.In my book, Ageless Wisdom Spirituality: Investing in Human Evolution, published in 2003, I mention three major areas of concern, which are even more urgent now since 5 years have passed with no action:

1. The Health of the Planet.This includes not only Global Warming, but massive pollution of the earth, air and water and the exhaustion of non-renewable resources, especially oil, the foundation of our present civilization.The extinction of species at the rate of thousands each year - the greatest since the disappearance of the dinosaurs - should be ringing alarm bells in our heads, but most of us don’t pay any attention.
2. The Poverty Gap.It is a fact that the present "Free Market" policies, which came to prominence in the 1980s with Reagan and Thatcher, have accelerated the gap between rich and poor, both within individual countries and between the richer and poorer countries.If life for most seems to be getting more of a struggle, it actually is. This obscene poverty gap, which even the poorest can now witness for themselves on TV, increases misery, frustration, volatility and strife. As our technology advances, a small number of people, even with obsolete technology, can kill hundreds or thousands.
3. The (unregulated) Implementation of Science and Technology.The new technologies of the 21st century - robotics, genetics and nanotechnology - are not only frighteningly powerful in their potential as weapons, but will be capable of self-replication and incorporation into human beings.Accidents or unexpected consequences will be correspondingly magnified. This "Sci-fi" scenario is not centuries off in the future, but perhaps just one or two decades.In our present Free Market environment, if some innovation is potentially profitable, it will be implemented despite potential dangers (usually dismissed as "unfounded" or "unreal" until they actually happen).

All of the above are global problems which require global cooperation and long term planning and sacrifice.  Our present world is set up for competition and short term gratification with no prospect for real change in sight. Even Barack Obama, the world’s greatest single hope for change, is operating well within the established boundaries of American politics and economics.Indeed, despite his charisma and speech-making genius, polls show him at present running neck-and-neck with his presidential opponent, John McCain, tied to Bush’s disastrous policies and self-admittedly weak in economic policy! The established powers do not want change because they now have power.Change must arise elsewhere.

What can be done? Are there any positive signs? What part does religion (including Fundamentalism) play in our present and future?Why has the Media, especially in America, lost its soul and its courage?All these questions and more will be explored in upcoming blogs.
 

My purpose in writing these blogs is to bring about new conversations and understandings, which will help shift our collective behaviour out of its present well-grooved and destructive rut. This cannot be done without a shift of individual perspective and consciousness. I welcome feedback and support - we're all in this together! We live on a beautiful planet, populated with beautiful life forms. Let's treasure our good fortune.
Andy James