Sorry if this gets long, I have no where else to vent this kind of thing.
I was flipping through the radio stations and I happened across some DJ discussing the Paris attacks. He was supporting the idea that all encryption should be back door-ed by governments. At the same time he was supporting France rounding up everyone who was an Isis "sympathizer", while simultaneously supporting the US immigration of more Syrian refugees. It became clear that he has been given explicit instruction on what topics to discuss, and what spin to apply to them.
This led me to the conscious realization (I never put it all together before) that every (probably) single historical event has been perverted to accomplish some agenda. The real motives behind wars, (gulf of ton kin for example). H1tler's real views on war and his motives, 1S1S, the disgusting list of C1A deposed leaders around the globe, The US grade school brainwashing program about naz1 h0l0caust, The "black ships" forcing Japan into global trade, ad nauseum.
It is sad that I have to initially doubt, then question, every single news item I hear, down to some kid emptying his piggy bank to help some mosque. It is exhausting. I guess I understand why some people want to live in complete ignorance, and why some others live off the grid.
Sorry for taking up your time, like I said, I am just sickened by the scale and depth of the manipulation that is occurring constantly, everywhere, all the time. Thanks.
view the rest of the comments →
pitenius ago
Is it, OP? Is "everything you thought you knew about the world a product of propaganda"?
I'm trying to save you a bit of sanity, here -- not be a dick. I'm a bit worried about your user name, but I'll trust first, I guess.
What do you "know" about the world? A better question might be "How do I know the things I believe about the world?" A lot of philosophers seem to think there are two methods of "knowing": rationalism and empiricism. The first are things that you can deduce from "known" rules -- math, ethics, hard proofs. These tend to be absolute but based on human definitions. (Consider the whole field of economics. You can "prove" that a minimum wage causes unemployment, etc.) The second are things that you "know" from experience: politicians lie, banks always cheat people, there was a war in Viet Nam... I suspect much of this empirical knowledge is still in place for you! (Yay?)
Sure, there's a layer of "analysis" that is subject to debate. And the plausible conclusions change as you add empirical knowledge. This revelation, however, agrees with a piece of the unshakable, rationalist knowledge: argument from authority is not a valid justification. The scary part of this realization is that much of our mental terrain is a gray area, which we have to explore and map tentatively.
Watch out, though. You can't replace one authority with another and achieve anything. Swapping a Pantaglossian "Truth, Justice, and the American Way!" for a nihilistic "It's all the Illuminati!" is just replacing one authority with another. In fact, whenever ideas "snap" together, I tend to believe it's a sign that my mind is getting tired (usually from constant rationalization of conflicting ideas) and I'm starting to accept whatever shit is in front of me.
You can engineer these moments. If you have ever sailed, you know that the wind applies one pressure, the water applies another, and the vector of motion is opposed to both of them. Now imagine that the "official narrative of events" is the wind. They're both rather changeable. Let your "cultural backdrop" be the water. It's more or less constant. What you believe to be your free thoughts is the "motion of the boat". You don't have to merely accept the "official narrative" -- opposition can be managed, too.
You'll be okay, I think. Did you honestly expect that all people were good? That they were honest? That they had other people's best interests at heart? When has this ever been true? Is it true for you? It's no shame to take your own side in a fight. For some reason, our "cultural backdrop" demonizes taking our own side as imperialist, or "unforgiving" or something. It enables people to lie to themselves well.
Just keep exploring and questioning -- and be aware that if you have a emotional response ("I am just sickened by the scale and depth of the manipulation") that is a) not a thought b) not necessarily true and c) probably useful to someone else.
trucking_foal ago
Well said. I am frustrated that the wind and the water are, at times, a mirage. Even a sailor knows that without real wind, or water, you cannot sail. I have always been aware that Walter Benjamin's notion "history is written by the victors" was effectively true; I guess I am just discouraged by the long term complexity, and saturation of disinformation. It would be nice, once in a while, to be able to read/hear facts, without some obscuring underlying agenda. To be able to "trust".
pitenius ago
It's cool, man. Hell, in my experience you can't even trust voat. Anonymity lets us speak openly, but also sock puppet. (There's no way in hell what I wrote merited 6 independent opinions...)
Sailors never trust the sea... I think sometimes people try to make themselves the victor by actively writing the history. Don't be discouraged. Just live your life! Collect your experiences; make your analyses and let others find their paths. So... Trust but verify? (I think that was Reagan and it sounds right to me...) It's all a story. And facts can push the truth around. Just enjoy the ride. I've seen conspiracists fall down a dark hole of paranoia. I've seen other people who had been driven batty with lots of inside information claw their way back to reason. (He's justifiably suspicious, so I'll spare him a link.) Don't despair. It's a dark temptation.