I think the reason people find mainstream news increasingly offensive is because it blatantly treats the public like idiots. (lemmygrad.ml)

submitted 9 months ago by yogthos@lemmygrad.ml to c/comradeship@lemmygrad.ml

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It's easy to see through the hamfisted narratives they put out, and how they're trying to manipulate you.

What makes it particularly offensive is that these people think themselves to be so very clever and their audience so utterly dimwitted to be manipulated in such a transparent way.

Nobody likes to be talked down to in that way, and people can increasingly see that the reporting in the news doesn't match their lived experience.

I imagine that's one of the big reasons why mainstream media lost the younger generation. And now that people are looking for news outside the mainstream, it becomes increasingly more obvious just how propagandized the mainstream is.

The way mainstream media has been covering Israeli genocide in Gaza is a great example of this. Everybody knows what's actually happening, and how the media runs cover for Israel.

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[-] Blursty@lemmygrad.ml 25 points 9 months ago

They know but the propaganda gives them a license to hate. Roderic Day was talking about this recently. They know it's not true, not so deep down, but the choose to pretend to believe it anyway. It's an excuse and a crutch.

I'm offended, you're offended, but liberals love this stuff. They're really offended when you tell them it's not true. They go nuts. I've lost old friends through doing this.

https://redsails.org/brainwashing/

https://redsails.org/masses-elites-and-rebels/

and people can increasingly see that the reporting in the news doesn’t match their lived experience.

I would have disagreed with this until very recently. It's become very hard to defend the legacy media these days with the genocide. Or am I myself just thinking wishfully? I was already amazed at what people will swallow so far. Surely this fully removes the mask?

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 18 points 9 months ago

Both of those are great essays. I think he's spot on with his analysis there. And I do think there's evidence that the genocide narrative is not playing well in the west. We're seeing mass protests in many western countries, and all the surveys show that people are predominantly supporting Palestine. This has been the biggest narrative collapse for the west that I can remember.

[-] Blursty@lemmygrad.ml 17 points 9 months ago

Maybe I've become overly cynical from previous shattered hopes and expectations from the liberal masses but I can see a future where the genocide stops, the Biden regime takes credit and the people just shrug and move on to believing the next pile of horseshit they're fed. Facing up to the truth of the world around you takes courage, and I fear that's sadly lacking.

I think I'm in dire need of some revolutionary optimism. :-(

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 16 points 9 months ago

I tend to be fairly optimistic, but I have come to realize that substantial change takes longer than you'd expect. The reality is that most people just want stability, and they don't want to rock the boat too much. However, as material conditions continue to decline, people are starting to come around to the idea that change is needed and that the system isn't working for them. And those of us who understand the problems and the way forward have to help others find their way. Educating people who become disillusioned with business as usual is the most important task for communists right now.

[-] starkillerfish@lemmygrad.ml 12 points 9 months ago

ive only seen people watch mainstream news on tv as background filler/noise. it doesnt feel like people actually engage wit it, just sort of passively absorb, then having something to discuss at work over coffee

[-] yogthos@lemmygrad.ml 13 points 9 months ago

I don't know anybody who uses tv news as an actual source of information either. I haven't even watched news on tv in over a decade now myself. Nowadays, use social media and news aggregators as a starting point. I find social media in particular is useful because people often add context and analysis around the stories, so when you read the article you get a much better understanding of the content. For example, a lot of factual information has been published in western mainstream media regarding the state of the war in Ukraine, but unless you learn to parse it out from all the fluff then it's easy to miss. So, if you just read these articles uncritically you end up with a completely wrong impression of what's happening despite the information being technically there.

[-] acabjones@lemmygrad.ml 11 points 9 months ago

Is this actually true of the typical imperial core person? I legitimately do not know. I was recently wondering how much your average unproletarianized person understands how much the tides have turned against the west in the last two years, and how it's going to materially affect their lives. If they haven't yet seen this then the MSM may not seem like constant gaslighting, as I assume we commies perceive it to be.

I'm a millennial and don't have a good read on the mindset of younger folks.

[-] RedClouds@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 9 months ago

My experience is only one, and I'm in the millennial age bracket as well (Also a PMC, for what it's worth most of the people I know benefit pretty ok from this system) but no, no they do not realize how much media lies to them, and manipulates them. I think most people know 'something' is off, but the misdirection of the other political party keeps them pointing fingers at the wrong people.

[-] PoY@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 9 months ago

but that has always been the case.. it's just that they're more obviously trying to tell everyone that they're wrong but they can't stop people from disagreeing online

this post was submitted on 23 Jan 2024

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