The Propaganda War Against Us: The First Shot Is Fired

Originally posted by NeoParadigm
reply to post by Hefficide

 

But assuming that the whole situation with terrorists using online forums is true, how should the media report on it then without you finding an agenda behind the article itself?

Or are you saying that the whole story is a fabrication?

It's not just the story, but how the story is phrased and structured. It is propagandized. You'll notice that there are no comments like "While 99% percent of those who online forums are law abiding citizens" or "while online forums are a common part of everyday life". What is said is:

For years, extremists have used online forums to share information and drum up support

Bin Laden, who was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in May 2011, issued his messages in much the same way.

Intelligence officials have suggested that the plot was detected, in part at least, through NSA surveillance programs that have been under harsh worldwide criticism for privacy intrusions in the name of national security.

The flow of the narrative is pretty stark to anyone who understands the tools of manipulation.

1) Islamic extremists are not the subject of the article, though most would assume them to be. The subject is online forums. It is clear to see that these are the target.
2) No real information about online forums is provided. Just vagaries, always associated with "terrorists" and "extremists".
3) The PRISM program, though not named, is referenced and heralded as a good thing.

The conclusion I come to, in reading this article is that it is propaganda meant to create suspicions about online forums while simultaneously selling domestic spying to the average citizen as a necessary evil.

That is a piece in a puzzle that also included rhetoric of ate suggesting that conspiracy theorists are right wing nut jobs - a fairly new and common development - these pieces ( with others ) fit to create a predictive model of what likely will come.

reply to post by Hefficide

It's not just the story, but how the story is phrased and structured. It is propagandized. You'll notice that there are no comments like "While 99% percent of those who online forums are law abiding citizens" or "while online forums are a common part of everyday life". What is said is:

Could that maybe be because that is a given? They don't need to add that because it is completely obvious.

It is not their fault that you are giving it a meaning that is not there.

So you believe that there are terrorists out there that use online forums, you believe that the story itself is real.

So I ask you again, how can the media report on this story without using the words "terrorists" and "online forums"?

You have to admit that regardless of it being just a news story, or it being a conspiracy and propaganda used to point the finger at forums in general, you were always going to interprete it as the latter, because they used those words.

Can we agree that this is a logical fallacy?

The flow of the narrative is pretty stark to anyone who understands the tools of manipulation.

It isn't to me, and I know I can recognise tools of manipulation just fine....

1) Islamic extremists are not the subject of the article, though most would assume them to be. The subject is online forums. It is clear to see that these are the target.

The subject is the story that terrorists use online forums. Everything on the internet is already a potential target for surveillance, and we know this, so what is your point? What does this story change?

2) No real information about online forums is provided. Just vagaries, always associated with "terrorists" and "extremists".

What info would you expect? What do you mean with "always associated", we are talking about one (duplicate) article. The story is about terrrorists that use online forums. Again, how are they not going to use those words?

3) The PRISM program, though not named, is referenced and heralded as a good thing.

This might be true. Hardly shocking. It still doesnt make this article "a shot across the bow" or other dramatic stuff.

The conclusion I come to, in reading this article is that it is propaganda meant to create suspicions about online forums while simultaneously selling domestic spying to the average citizen as a necessary evil.

So how does this work?

A small minority off all media users will read it, and then? Can you explain from there on what events will be set in motion because of this article.

Again, what will it change, knowing that the whole internet is already being watched?

That is a piece in a puzzle that also included rhetoric of ate suggesting that conspiracy theorists are right wing nut jobs - a fairly new and common development - these pieces ( with others ) fit to create a predictive model of what likely will come.

So because the article mentions terrorists using online forums, and conspiracy theorists use online forums too, conspiracy theorists are now terrorists because of association.

That is your assesment of the meaning behind the article?

A giant leap if you ask me.

So by your logic everybody that uses the internet is a potential terrorist to them?

And then what? They already monitor the whole internet, so how is this going to change anything?

Originally posted by CrypticSouthpaw

Originally posted by SquirrelNutz
Wow - a few thoughts on this.

1) You (general) had to know this day would come.

2) 'They' are kinda right (when you get right down to it) - the fact that this could eventually be the impetus for shutting you down, IS a little disturbing, but this type of 'activity' certainly stands in the way of Big Brother's ultimate plan*.

3) But, you are also right - in terms of the propaganda, and the liberties that will, no doubt, be taken (Read: 'abused') to suppress, control, and/or eliminate 'potential threats' to this plan (*complete control of everything and everyone)

4) What about Facebook? Surely, in some roundabout way, that could be considered a 'Forum' given the propensity for people to not only post political content but also for those posts to evolve into actual discussions every bit as serious, heated, threatening, etc, as we get in here at ATS.
(how many other people just got captured there?)

We have the playbook right in front of us (Orwell 1984) yet [the populace, in general] choose to ignore it.

We are doomed, I'm afraid.

Edit to add: The old boiling Frog anecdote - wouldn't people be a lot more likely to respond and take notice if we [the people] compiled a list of freedoms or crazy / threatening legislation that has been implemented that simply did not exist 5 or 10 or 20 years ago? (Hmmmm... a project)

edit on 8/16/2013 by SquirrelNutz because: (no reason given)

Quit over reacting bro.

The government does not have as much control as you think.

The main reason why they are trackin you guys FOR ONE.
Is Terrorism.


The whole reason why the world is in a state of Psychosis Is becuase 1. The Bible is coming Real
2. People are freaking out.
3. The world is supposed be induced in evil, As it was written. Do you know why tho? What purpose would all this pain and suffering and corruption have.

Well if we were to just hand you a perfect society. With Pepetiual resources used in constant development so people wouldn't have to work.

Now, it would be Much more difficult to cleanse the earth of stupid people. If the stupid people Arn't given the oppertunity to make their Ego Blatently Obvious for people to spot out.

In a perfect society, You wouldn't beable to tell if people are greedy or back stabbing because.... Everything is provided for us.
Even if someone bumps ahead of you in line. Its not even reason to cast them into flames.
Because eventually youl get your food and won't really care if that guy was a dick or not.

With the society we have now, You can almost immediately tell if the person is corrupted or not.
So... Sorry you guys have to suffer, But it makes it much easier to for me to spot these people when the time comes.

Im sure there are some rich people out there who were very wise with their money and distributing it amongst friends and family. Those people will be left alone. Its the people who have branded themselves with Sin. And the wolves will come Hungry as ever. Then the earth will be changed. Right after this catastrophic war. Right now we are in the trials, People are given an extended time to cope. And co-operate with the change.

The new world Order is Front. There is no new world order. Just Masons acting sac-religiously.
They have done a pretty good job. At enticing both sides. I have done my own research. They seem to want the prophecies to move along as should. So are these people totally evil? Some of them are. Others are just doing what must be done in order to TEACH EVERYONE. The capacity for Evils. What they can do to our planet. And what we can do to ourselves.

Eventually we will be alone again, for a short time. Right now tho, Since we discovered nuclear fission. They will not leave us alone until EVERYONE is on the same page. No more Nukes. Its devistates the land, We have other weapons we can use that are less harmful. But yeah, Thats why everything is the way it is. Its a test. Because Baal gets to scoop up the corrupted, The ones who don't want to live on Earth and he takes them away from Earth never to Return.

The underlining point of this all. Is all of this is to break you down physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Shatter all your walls, So that you will want to leave here and never look back. Only the weak will leave.
The strong will stay and Protect Earth for as long as she lives.

Great post.

I don't think I was over-reacting, btw - In that regard, I don't see how our posts (ideas) need to be mutually exclusive notions. Particularly your very last line. (emphasis mine)

Either way, I agree, and thanks for the contribution / rebuttal.

reply to post by NeoParadigm


Rather than over parse into minutia, I'll seek to reply in a direct and cohesive manner.

In my opinion the specific inclusion of "online forums" in this witch hunt for the terrorist bogeyman is contrived and meant to poison the well by association. This technique is ancient and tried and true. It works.

IE Terrorists are bad. Terrorists now use online forums. Therefore online forums are bad too.

reply to post by Hefficide


I explained how that line of reasoning which brought you to your conclusion, is a logical fallacy.

Let's agree to disagree then.

See ya around.