A Narrative of Narratives: Seeing the "Establishment" Media for What it Is
[Image: Mr Fish].
Publication date: 2021-12-14
A wonderful writer, Caitlin Johnstone, publishes each year a reflection on her journey as a "writing activist", what she stands for, and if and how that is changing for her.
Caitlin's primary narrative is that narrative is the key mechanism used to influence our thought and that until we recognize this we are controlled by these imposed constructs. Ms Johnstone is not alone in this analysis. Other independent thinkers assert the same, and have shown that established powerbrokers themselves adhere to this analysis and use the mechanism. This is not a fanciful idea but a utilized mechanism for social control. The delegitimized quote of then new CIA director William Casey declaring to USA President Reagan that "We’ll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." is affirmed by a witness, Barbara Honeggar. Even the mechanisms by which the corporate media are corralled have been well described by Herman and Chomsky in Manufacturing Consent, decades ago.
A high profile admission of the realization that he had been "narrative controlled" or "propagandized" was made by Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. If someone in that position and with solid academic training (Professor of International Law at the University of Glasgow) becomes aware of their own failure, should you be ashamed if you may have been misled by media narratives? Of course not. That is their purpose.
An alternative media sphere emerged as the internet boom took off. This "new media" is maligned by the existing media for it challenges their dominance, and is inhabited by a wide collection of materials from the humorous but power structure irrelevant content, like "cat videos", to varying degrees of political commentary. Some of this commentary is heavily influenced by established monied interests or branches of intelligence agencies like the UK's 77th Brigade or media organisations funded by government agencies like Bellingcat. It truly is a "wild west" attempting to grab your attention and control what you think about the state of the world.
The great film "The Matrix" gave the alternative media, or the "5th estate", a term for becoming aware of a reality hidden behind these narratives. It is the "red pill/blue pill" moment. Can you accept that the information that you have regularly consumed is controlled towards achieving national political, geo-political or financial interests of which you are largely unaware? If you do, what will that mean for you? How will you reassess your knowledge of the national, global political or economic conflicts? These influence games are occurring in that "wild west" space of attention and narrative reality creation.
Food for Thought
A recent video (see sources) released by Alexander Mercouris considers the recent "Summit of Democracy" instigated by the USA against an historic background of influence upon the United Nations (UN) by the USA. Mercouris posits that during the cold war, Russia regularly used its veto at the UN Security Council to stymie USA/NATO efforts to advance their interests against those of the USSR but that Gorbachev's reforms in the 1980's provided some more freedom for USA maneuver, and that during the 1990's the USA had close to free reign of influence over the Security Council.
Mercouris continues with his analysis looking at the 1991 invasion of Iraq (and the forced repulsion of Iraq troops from Kuwait), the 1998 "Operation Desert Fox" attempt by the USA to wage an air war against Iraq, the 1999 dismemberment of Yugoslavia, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, concluding with the 2013 and onward Syrian proxy war. For some strange reason he omits the 2011 “We came, we saw, he died” NATO led Libyan military campaign.
Mercouris’ contention is that Russia and China began to align their use of veto power in the UN Security Council since 1998 and that the "Summit on Democracy" was a failed attempt to create a parallel institution to provide international legal legitimacy to USA policy. This author remains unconvinced of the argument, but that is not the point. What is exciting is the ability to engage with independent thinkers and consider their propositions. The proposition is interesting, and the core of the idea is novel.
In this "wild west" of narrative and analysis, it is important to develop an ability to scrutinize a voice; to understand their background and biases. Mercouris is British, of Greek decent, with socially conservative values, and is a trained lawyer. He was legally disbarred because of a grave error some decade or so ago in which he misled the court. It seems likely that he had personal difficulties at the time. He has since been making use of his legal training, and interest in history, to create another career in geopolitical analysis. As an adult one should be able to take all of this background and lay it across whatever arguments are made and form an independent assessment of the arguments provided, with full knowledge of past events.
The large problem for the majority of society is that they have not the time to devote to developing these background analyses to thus form independent assessments. This is exactly why the "narrative industry" succeeds. The social control achieved through propaganda or narrative management is created by the lack of time for people to find interesting sources and perform background assessments.
Even if one manages to create the time and develop the understanding that commercial media, and to a large extent state media, are vehicles for narrative delivery, and locate a collection of interesting sources to imbibe, the question becomes what do you want to know?
Understanding
An old scale exists for understanding:
Data: the base of understanding. For example, at what temperature does water boil at one atmosphere of pressure? 100 degrees centigrade.
Information: the question itself, to which the data provides an answer. This provides the first element of insight. In the above the caveat of "one atmosphere of pressure" is the insight.
Knowledge: knowing which questions to ask. Which questions will yield new insight?
Wisdom: understanding whether the asking of questions is even relevant. Which areas of inquiry are worth pursuing?
Mithrandir and the Fates
Following the delivery of judgement by the UK High Court on the Assange extradition appeal, Randy Credico had the privilege of interviewing (see sources) a collection of individuals who are knowledgeable about the case and its implications. The discussion begins by covering recent developments and then diverts into a discussion of whether UK judges or lawyers understand the USA's first amendment, pursued by Daniel Ellsberg.
The discussion then moves into the Knowledge and Wisdom layer around 00:56:21 at which point Craig Murray comments on the future of the case and the mechanisms used by power structures to divert attention away from the core issues of the case. This is beautifully followed by Nils Melzer highlighting that the case itself is not the issue, though important, but allows a "key hole" through which to see the operation of the largely privatized institutions of democratic governance destroying journalism and dissent. Moving on, Roger Waters insists that the only influence left is that of the populace to which John Pilger agrees and cites the recent and largest demonstration in history by India's farmers to defeat Indian Prime Minister Modi’s agricultural “reforms” as an inspiration to resist the destruction of journalism.
During the latter part of the discussion the challenge of the atomization of society, including a reduction in social empathy, and a lack of creative commentary by artists takes focus.
These are essentially prohibited or “irrelevant” narratives. You should not devote your time to thinking about them, dear passive observer, says the “established” media.
A Short Simplification
A confluence of interested parties are involved in the persecution of Assange.
The military didn't like the releases of the information documenting their war crimes. The USA State department are ropeable about the exposure of their connivances and malfeasance in international affairs. The USA's Democratic Party are stir crazy about the exposure of their subterfuge to undermine Bernie Sanders’ primary challenge to the next-in-line Clinton. The CIA is madder than a hatter about the release of Vault 7. And, the "establishment" journalists are ashamed of the light that Wikileaks has shone back on them for being not just ineffective, but lackeys to power establishments.
The simple truth is that Julian Assange, a father of two, is being slowly killed because he empowered whistleblowers to securely, and anonymously, supply damning original documentary evidence of the evils of governments everywhere, to be published in searchable form.
Everything else is narrative misdirection.
Afterward
If we are aware of the mechanisms of social control being wielded by purloined institutions of democratic governance, and a commentary is provided highlighting that abuse, should we not engage in solidarity to promote that information to reach a greater audience?
The writing of history is largely to the victors, colleagues, for better or for worse.
Should we promote voices elevating awareness of the struggle between the illusioned and disillusioned when that contest is active, or wait for dusty books to be later written?
Be the light.
Sources
Annual Write-Up On What I'm About And What I'm Doing Here, Caitlin Johnstone, Her newsletter, 2021-12-02
Writing A New Narrative - #SolutionsWatch, James Corbett, Corbett Report, 2021-21-01
CIA: Mission Accomplished; Americans Believe What We Tell Them, Ray McGovern, His newsletter, 2019-07-04
Demasking the Torture of Julian Assange, Nils Melzer, His newsletter, 2019-06-26
Twitter Executive Revealed to Be 'Psyops' Soldier Linked to Spreading Disinformation Across Social Media: 'A Threat to Our Democracy', Tareq Haddad, Newsweek, 2019-10-01
Reuters, BBC, and Bellingcat participated in covert UK Foreign Office-funded programs to “weaken Russia,” leaked docs reveal, Max Blumenthal, The Grayzone, 2021-02-20
Summit for Democracy Flops as States Reject US/UK Attempt to Create United Nations Alternative, Alexander Mercouris, His youtube channel, 2021-12-13
LIVE with Daniel Ellsberg, John Pilger, Roger Waters, Nils Melzer, Craig Murray & Stefania Maurizi, Randy Credico and Guests, Live on the Fly with Randy Credico youtube channel, 2021-12-10
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