If religion was the “Opium of the masses,” then media news is definitely turning into the Valium.

The entire critical analysis of this book will be ‘sexed up’ under the banners – “ALL POLITICIANS
AND COMMERCIAL EXECUTIVES ARE PSYCHOPATHS!!!!!” and “FALKLANDERS
SHOULD HAVE MOVED OR PLAYED FOOTBALL!” I will be lambasted as an ill-informed
scare-monger, but no one would flinch a muscle at those headlines. Tell us something we don’t
already know’ would be the unuttered response. The press used to hold honour and credibility for
being able not just to bring us hidden details behind events, but to influence and even change those
events. The press used to be the prime tool for holding people in government and commerce
accountable. Now, the culture of spin and use of the media is so widespread, the press undermines
its own credibility by becoming a mere mouthpiece for trendsetters.
Even the elder-statesmen programmes of the BBC, including some documentaries, have
bought into this culture to a degree that’s alarming, so that the news is no longer the priority but the
creative language, the targeted responses, the idiosyncrasies and celebrity of individual presenters.
All of this de-sensitises, in the long-run, so that we also become passive to the realities behind the
dialogue, bludgeoned by yet another pile of dead bodies and yet another air disaster and yet another
patronisingly infantile point-scoring skirmish – ‘The IRA are dead you know, dead!’ without a
single consideration for the embedded potential of another uprising and the litter of family
members’ corpses a glib cajoling brouhaha like that could generate. Fucking leech. But, oh… for the
heady days of outrage and drama.
Important documents affecting those who would put their lives on the line for us are not
inaccurate and scare-mongering but “sexed-up.” Wow! Isn’t that trendy, isn’t that cool? The
wanker who introduced it into the English language will be quick to tell anyone who is ordering
drinks at the bar, no doubt expecting a free drink in celebration. It will be the pinnacle of his career
– “hey, you remember ‘sexed-up’? that was me, yeah.” Children are no longer enticed or
manipulated into sickeningly dreadful and spirit-breaking, ultimately suicidal sexual abuse. No,
we’re saved the affront of that because they’re now “groomed,” presumably with an ornate
horsehair brush, so isn’t that nice? A North Korean dictator and Iranian premier will now share the
same fate as our first-name-terms Saddam even if they only develop the capacity to make “WMD”s
which are presumably the same pointy multi-Hiroshima/Nagasaki WMDs that democracies are
allowed. Exceptions will be made for China and Russia because they already had them and China
will take over the world soon, so best be bezzies with them now, however they treat their own
populace and people who disagree with them, eh? WMDs don’t cost us the earth and never will;
they’ll never be used, not even by the Americans, it’s all just comparing penises in the urinals.
They trip off the tongue as easy as lollipops. Just as the “Credit Crunch” is actually a candy bar that
you can pay for on tic. And you will have to soon, with all the businesses that have hit the wall and
livelihoods ruined and people reduced to begging off the state or resorting to shooting their family
and then torching their remaining belongings. Anything than let anyone else get their hands on
them. I mean, what other life is there? What a let-down to society for them to get into that state.
What were they thinking of? I mean, it was embarrassing enough, at the Bank of Shafters’ annual
general meeting, to tell shareholders they had made a million less this year, after the rolling
multibillion profits for the preceding ten years. But no worries, it is only a crunch time and it will
presumably pass as quickly as munching that unchewy bar. Reality is not currency. The world turns
on confidence and confidence relies on image and the oral tradition of speculation. Image is
everything, so even ‘Global Warming’ ruins our short-term expectations and investment in the next
season’s bikini-wear more than it ruins the earth. Summers are even more disappointing. Entire
countries have gone bust, but keep on erecting buildings and playing golf and who wants to be a
millionaire – “ooh, you must be the only one who hasn’t seen Mama-Mia. It’s just the feel good
antidote we need, in these depressing times.” Ditch the green - we now need another coal industry.
Yeah, black is the new black.
The media would have us believe there is hope. Yes, it is not science that has proved the
potential saviour of the planet, or carbonless hydrogen-fuel development, or any results from
countless arguments at any one of the famed summits. No, it is media-coverage of Obama’s
showboating rhetoric to the Berlin populace. Yes, according to the new messiah, we have half a
chance to redress this illness. I don’t share his optimism as much as his conviction that we must take
collective decisive action. Any politician would look foolish not to acknowledge the problems we
face, but the press prefer to concentrate more on his highlighting of the US shortcomings more than
the US shortcomings, so that’s ok then. Yes, the idea of saving the planet might be bullshit, but you
better believe that is NO way for the world President to get sufficient votes to occupy the post. I
mean look at his predecessor. Jesus. Presumably, the bunkered gun-toting variety of Americans –
who believe that the second coming (amendment) of Obama upon Bin-Laden will lead to salvation
from all terrorism – will succeed in “brokering” peace for the entire planet. Or else. So, they either
need him to be a president that wants to appease them and considers them more convivial than the
peace-keepers serving in Iraq, or he just has to like guns. When commerce hits the fan what other
currency do you have? How could we possibly be expected to exist without guns? How do you deal
with megalomaniacs? Of, course there never was any other way to broker the Iraqi peace that exists
now, just as taking Mugabe out of the picture will naturally necessitate American invasion.
Militants and military people, the world over, glorify their profession. Although many who
have served on a front line see the futility and stupidity of war, the brutality of it and the innocent
human toll; it also fosters a false sense of pride amongst those who revel in their expertise to take
life, to hold the power and control. The hunter’s instinct. As if that’s what makes them a man and if
you’re gonna have anything to do with them and their family, your respect will depend on how hard
you can punch. They’re bullies, legitimised by the armed services even in non-combatant roles.
When you can bark your orders and people jump, you can have all your own way. It’s easy to be
respected, when you can do that after passing an exam, or you’re in line for automatic seniority,
within such a closed institution. And then you can automatically expect it when you get out and into
the community. The British MOD have been in the news for prejudice against homosexuality and
bullying people into suicide (just the weak ones) and as long as they can issue PC statements they’ll
get away with it. It’s all part of the training – if you can’t hack it in the barracks, how will you go on
under torture? So, we need to turn people into Pit-bulls as long as they can drop it when they get
back into their civvies, or cover it with Pit-bull shit when they get criticised. I wonder if they are the
ones who just get away with not being traumatised, or if the process makes them psychotic? Anyone
would have to stretch their mentality to get friends and brothers out of panic situations. It takes
something else, to deal with situations you have little control over, especially where peoples’ lives
are in the balance. You cannot disrespect that. But it is glorified to everyone under the banner of
nationalism, no matter what state your government is in, or the reasons they put people in that
situation, to start with.
If anyone is in doubt, show primary school kids repeating in their cute little voices how
grateful they are our country was saved by these people. What’s sickening is what we are teaching
them. The total absence of critical awareness. On Armistice Day, remember all the heroes who
fought, but not the innocent civilians who didn’t and lost their family members, or got raped and
robbed. See what the little impressionable blighters have to say then, you might get a shock. We all
know that war is sheer unadulterated madness. Propaganda is manipulative delusion adding insult to
injury. This is the reality. We should use this education to motivate how we can avoid war, but why
should war ever cease to exist, when it is always a last resort for settling differences? Are you going
to have a war every time you have a difference with someone? So how come we’ve found other
ways to deal with domestic problems, peacefully, but not internationally? Nationalism, that’s how.
‘United Nations,’ is a pseudonym. It is the war-mongers that should be the ones to lose their
rights and it will take more than The Hague, after the horse has bolted, to enforce it. So, in the
meantime, forget nuclear, it’s a lame deterrent; build up your ground, air and sea forces, (that means
groom your children for it), you’re going to need them again and again and again. Babylon stokes its
furnaces. Funnel funnel funnel.
 Beware: if people reluctantly went to war for the two Bs who they hated, how many will
offer their lives to Obama to rout the Taliban from their caves, or is he going to carpet bomb again?
He’s a good talker. I wonder if he’s gonna talk himself out of this one by a power-share deal with a
reformed democratic Taliban party, in exchange for handing over all terrorists? I wish he would.
Just because someone chooses a political stance, they don’t have the right to exist? I don’t see
anyone having a go at the neo-Nazi movement in France, or lynching Gerry Adams, do you? We’re
grateful they wised up and so many innocent lives are spared, aren’t we? Obama was refreshingly
measured in his victory address, but according to all the critical, objective, experienced news-
readers… No! “America has changed overnight!”
Just a word of appreciation. All credit to those forging those peaceful relationships, in the
crucible of Iraq. The human qualities displayed by those trained killers are a daily testament to
restraint under the severest pressure and antagonism. Army-life has obviously had to get more
sophisticated taking on the role of liberators of enemies, where uniforms have been done away with
and identification of friend or foe and shifting positions comes down to the initiative of a nineteen-
year-old carrying instant death in his arms. We’re being asked to put our hope for humanity in the
hands of those who employ this tactic. Any such hope is as precarious as the position those soldiers
are placed in – one civilian getting a little too close with something a little too bulky under their
garments and those who have got used to smiling and shaking hands could all be dead in seconds.
By friend or foe.
Dumb-down and sensationalise media holds large accountability for our lax perspectives,
prejudices and apathy; particularly through ‘Reality’ TV and news reporting. It is a major
contributor to our mental subjugation and illness. Substance is not important. Even in legal circles,
an obvious innocent can be convicted and blatant criminal acquitted on mere rhetoric, or trial by
media. Some documentaries get away with more scare-monger than objective research, as long as
the presenter’s eyes have that star-lens twinkle, an open collar, a conservative jersey we can trust
and that authoritative bold headline tone. Slave labour, genocide, ethnic cleansing, mass starvation
and invasion are the elixir of media rhetoric. Anything just short of it, like reality, isn’t good telly.
Crucial follow up will get a cursory glance until the next action-packed, quick-draw mobile phone
footage comes in. And we drop everything for Ross and Brand dropping their balls, then taking
them in again. We do see through it, yet we hold our hands and eyebrows up then go and check if
there’s more about it on the net, or switch over to see how long they can pan it out before we see
that it was Bradders that ran over his dad, all along. Tania’s not nearly innocent enough. No, surely
a red-herring, or the scriptwriters dropped another ball, there. Art mirrors life. Not a word anyone
says in that soap washes. Similarly, the media keeps us informed as to who is who and doing what,
before they do it. And we’ll keep up, to stay one up on our sad mates, before we watch it. We want
to be told the ending, now. And we want the media to tell us who is the most successful, so we can
follow them. Let’s see, it’s not The Beatles, Dylan or Faithless – it’s a toss-up between Girls Aloud,
Sugar Babes and the reformed Spice Girls. Love is soooooo all you need… NOT! You’ve got to
really really really want a zig-a-zig, ahhhh.
An arc-light shines, occasionally, in this day-for-night: we’re treated to a glimpse of the
hopeful faces of impressionable children gathered in Liverpool centre, all gazing at La Princess in
excitement and wonder; all those intelligent little faces reminding us what present and future, if any,
our predatory, self-seeking culture is leaving them.
What’s such a shame is that the arts and media sectors have set the best examples of how
richly our lives are enhanced by diversity. They are always at the forefront of this. How grateful we
should be for this awareness they give us. And yes, it’s easy to say that is due to capitalistic
progression, but if you researched how much effort, determination and time goes into art and media
projects, it is a wonder anyone makes any money from it. For all the box-office smashes and famed
arts sales there are millions of projects that make losses. But we still get to see so many people of
different cultures interacting and have so many global influences in our society. Our fascination
with other cultures and history is so easily accommodated and widely researched, nowadays. And
we’re blessed for it.
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