FOX News Labels Dissent As Anarchy

This morning (10/27/07) I was flipping channels and I stopped on FOX News to see what spin they were giving the events of the day. What caught my attention was the videotaped footage of the 9/11 Truth protester heckling former President Clinton. As I continued to watch, the anchors mentioned the anti-war protester who confronted Condoleeza Rice and they went on to call these people/movements anarchists and fascists in a new and different form. They further commented on the internet as being a hot-bed of dissent and contributing to this very serious, growing problem in America.

I could not believe what I was hearing. FOX News is now trying to spin dissent as anarchy. I think this is extremely serious. Whatever small opinion you may have about FOX or other forms of main-stream media, it is a very influential tool in manipulating public opinion. The fact that FOX is characterizing these people as anarchists marginalizes them, implies that they are dangerous and opens the door for the Government to use Orwellian tactics in order to silence them.

I am outraged about this. I am a mom, a wife and a professional. I disagree with this administration and its policies and I am concerned about the future of this country. I am not affiliated with any political party and my only agenda is to support the constitutional rights of my fellow citizens. I will stand up and speak out until such time as I feel things are getting better. I will not be silenced or bullied. I refuse to allow FOX News or any other entity to label dissent and free-speech as anarchy. I think this is something all ATS members should be made aware of, if they label us as anarchist then it's not hard to imagine them labeling us as terrorists.

Did anyone else view this segment? I am no techno-guru so I have no idea how to obtain or post the footage from this morning's broadcast. A bit of help with that would be great.



[edit on 27/10/07 by kosmicjack]

[edit on 27/10/07 by kosmicjack]

It's probably quite unlikely you'll find it on the web.

This is actually a favoured tactic used against those who disagree with the establishment's ideals - and it works, purely because of the fact that many of the people who disagree ARE infact Anarchists.

Unfortunately, the spin that the media and many mainstream book authors (either unwittingly or otherwise) tend to colour anarchists as 'crazed bomb-wielding terrorists' (this is probably in no small due to those teenagers whom don't actually mind the prospect of being a crazed bomb-wielding terrorist).

I do infact know, for example - that many of the protestors at the G8 in scotland, 2005 were anarchists (many of them were not, however).

So, it is both a clever way of shutting up dissenters, and absolute sheer f*$&ing ignorance at the same time.

And these people are supposed to be politicians.


EDIT: i totally disagree on the point about fascists - fascists are scum of the earth and should not EVER be spoken of in the same sentence as anarchists.

This is what i mean by 'colouring' Anarchists, people put them on the same level as fascists or terrorists.

[edit on 27-10-2007 by Throbber]

Anarchy is often used as a synonym for chaos, a practice which serves to discredit the political philosophy known as anarchism.

Anarchism refers to a diverse set of political beliefs which are not inherently opposed to government. Many anarchists will refer to theselves as libertarian socialists, the emphasis of their ideology being centered on decentralization, freedom of association, a free press, and social equality.

A federalist democracy is not by any means incompatible with anarchist ideology. What is incompatible with anarchism is fascist authoritarianism.

If you're curious about anarchist philosophy, a good archive of online texts can be found at:

www.anarchyisorder.org...

Personally, I like the historical writings of Mikhail Bakunin and Pierre- Joseph Proudhon. The more contemporary writings of Daniel Guerin are also worthwhile.

Personally, I'd be more worried about these people:

www.cbc.ca...

reply to post by America Jones

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Thanks for a very enlightening explanation of anarchy. I hadn't really thought of it like that before. I am sure you have educated many members, not just me.

However, the broader point in my OP is that FOX News was characterizing the various dissent movements as "dangerous to society", exploiting the more stereotypical view of anarchy, in order manipulate the hearts and minds of naive suburbanites everywhere - to strike fear in their hearts with regard to contrary perspectives on U.S. policies.

I am a media watcher. Not in the traditional sense of "8 hours of t.v. a day" - but I like to contrast and compare, to look for angles as well as objectivity and to see the big picture of what is happening in the world. Above all other mainstream-media outlets, FOX News covers stories that have been addressed on ATS. Some stories mirror ATS completely with regard to their content and timeliness. Clearly, they are keeping an eye on ATS. I discussed this in another thread:

ATS Going Mainstream OR Vice Versa?
www.abovetopsecret.com...'

This is the time in the thread that I usually add that I am surprised that more ATS members are not concerned by this OP. But, not anymore. I have learned that, despite all of the hype and dogma, ATS is a pretty complacent place.

Getting to think about it your probably right!! Anarchy is about letting anything slide and I dont think anarchists would care if other people called themselves anarchists juist because they didnt fit some definition.

So yes those other poltical movement are anarchists.

and thats my opinion

I'm kicking this thread up to the front page because I think it's important. I think ATS members should be made aware of this. I would like to know if any other members viewed this segment and, if so, what was your impression of the way they characterized dissent, particularly on the internet. I think there is definitely an attempt being made to marginalize dissent against this administration and its policies.

I won't say "I told you so..." but I will say that I am glad that others have noticed this trend as well. Mark my words, this is a turning point for the American Republic. More evidence that it is dead.

As a former Bush supporter and a media observer, I can assure you that every neo-con strategy or agenda starts with spin and talking points. Here are their new marching orders. Dissent is now dangerous.

www.informationliberation.com...

reply to post by Throbber

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Well said.

J.

reply to post by Miishgoos

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QUOTE: 'So yes those other poltical movement are anarchists.

and thats my opinion'

It's also hogwash!

J.

Nice thread, I really liked the added explanation of anarchism. You would never hear that on the news. I always thought it had a Nichien element where a healthy society should always replace the people at top, constantly ushering in new people and systems to keep the problem of power corrupting to a minimum.

I think the reason good threads like this don't get responses is because they are so obvious to most, and the ones who need to hear it are not on the net, they just watch FOX news, I think those are the ones we need to talk to, in person at home and work.

Excellent thread.

It seems to me that this indoctrination of the masses to believe dissenters are the "evil doers" and against all things caring, loving and compassionate is being painted with slow, long strokes of the brainwasing paint brush.

Taking advantage of a massive event like 9/11 where peoples fears are heightened creates a fertile ground for people being willing to believe firstly what they dont understand and secondly what makes them feel better, albeit temporarily.







[edit on 10-11-2007 by the titor experience]