I don't think a lot of people on DU get it. [View All]

[ithinkmyliverhurts]

It's not about truth; it's not about what's right; it's not about vision; it's not about ideals. It is only, ONLY, about message. There are some on this board that I know who are either connected now or who have played the game in the past. Polling, especially in this administration, goes on 24/7. But the polling doesn't ask what's popular. It asks a simple question: here are my ends "x"; what are my means "y" of getting there.

I honestly believe this is the equation at the root of every conspiracy theory on this board (whether the theory is accurate or not). Truth DOES NOT matter. Intentions make no difference. Whether Bush is lyimg or not is onconsequential (and if we can catch him, we're damned lucky). It's message, and only message. So-called media bias is nothing other than the message that gets out that you disagree with. The message only gets out there because people want to hear it. What you call bias or corporate interests I simply call mass mimeticism. There are literally hundreds of stories out there that are either picked up or not. News organizations used to poll stories. Yes, they used to poll stories. I will say it again: they used to poll stories. With the advent of the internet, that's no longer needed. With the advent of Right Wing think tanks, that's no longer needed. There's already a buzz by 4:00 AM. There's already a story.

You can bang your head all you want. You can create complicated narratives all you want (many of which I think are "true"). But the fact remains quite simple: power lies not in truth, justice, or equality; it lies in the telling of the story. Whoever frames the the best story wins. It's not whoever wins the the facts of the story. It's who can frame it. Who has the most compelling narrative?

Here's why the republicans win every time: they frame every story, EVERY STORY, in a dichotomy (either this or that). You then have 3 1/2 minutes to construct an argument. That's it. Hell, it takes us (and by "us" I mean liberal-progressive-moderates) three minutes to explain why the dichotomy is a false dilemma (which, of course, it is). We need to have a litany of talking points in which we frame (or, in the case of our modern media, reframe) our talking points. There is one truth to the conservative mantra: they perceived that they were being wronged by the media and they got stronger. They understood the power of message over truth. They said "fuck it" to having their opponents framing any debate and constructed their own framework and repeated that framework until it stuck.

You can go down the liberal issuees that are historically the progressives' strongest: the right to choose and civil rights, for example. We have clear cut messages on these two. We cannot be shaken from our message. Why not? Because of "truth"? Do we not feel as strongly on other issues? Then why doesn't the nation come flocking to our side? Because of message. Because some piece of shit, monkey-fuck-wad can use "compassionate conservative," reformer with results" slogan and woo them over.

It's not truth, people. Truth, justice, and equality are on our side. It's message. It's not bias; it's how we frame our message. The media is easy to figure out. The repubs have a failed world-voew that unfortunately works well on T.V. (and this isn't some kind of bias either). We need to get off of our intellectual pedastals and our self-righteous high horse and fatten some lips (metaphorically, of course).

Of course, that's my opinion, I could be wrong. Heh, heh, heh (he's a mole; he supports Lieberman, he's 16 and doesn't know what's right; he's a freeper; he's a piece of shit drunk who's bored with translating Vulgate Latin on a Tuesday night). I report, you decide.

O.K., I admit, for that last one, if anyone, ANYONE, ever meets me in a cafe or a restaurant and asks, "You wouldn't happen to be grendlesuncle, would you?" I will buy you a piece of cheesecake or the pastry of your choice. Or, perhaps more fitting, you can kick me in the balls as hard as you like.

Enough.