Lying Media Bastards
December 02, 2004
Burn Baby Burn
While many of us try to be calm, rational individuals, occasionally you run into people so maliciously stupid that you want to whack them with a fucking shovel.
Like this guy, for instance.
An Alabama lawmaker who sought to ban gay marriages now wants to ban novels with gay characters from public libraries, including university libraries.A bill by Rep. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, would prohibit the use of public funds for "the purchase of textbooks or library materials that recognize or promote homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle." Allen said he filed the bill to protect children from the "homosexual agenda."
"Our culture, how we know it today, is under attack from every angle," Allen said in a press conference Tuesday.
Allen said that if his bill passes, novels with gay protagonists and college textbooks that suggest homosexuality is natural would have to be removed from library shelves and destroyed.
Let's say I write a book about a talking dog.
Is my book promoting talking dogs?
Is my book suggesting that it's natural for dogs to talk?
Idiot redneck lunatic.
He does make one good point, though, when he says his culture is under attack. He's right. To the extent that his culture is sexist and racist and homophobic and harmful to other people, yes, I want to fight it and destroy it and remove it from the face of the Earth.
December 01, 2004
Le News
Guinea Pig Kids- !!! 1984 meets Charles Dickens. According to this article, New York City's Administration of Children's Services is forcing parents of HIV-positive children to give their children toxic, experimental AIDS drugs. If the parents refuse, the ACS apparently has the power to take custody of this children, who they then take to Incarceration Children's Center in Harlem, and then start the experimentation. Sounds so outlandish that I'd figure it was just anohter conspiracy theory-- if the source weren't the BBC.
The Great Indecency Hoax- y'know how conservatives now act like the Religious Right is the new sherrif in town because of that exit poll which claimed that 22% of voters made their presidential choice because of "moral issues"? Well, according to this article (which cites The Economist magazine, although I can't find the details) this number actually represents a huge drop from the 35% who say they voted based on morals in 2000, and the 40% in 1996. I don't trust polls, but this should be shoved in the face of anyone trying to push the "the Christian Right is back!" idea
Nationwide Strike Cripples Italy- "Millions of Italian workers are taking part in a one-day general strike against the economic policies of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi." I wonder what happens the next day?
Lockheed and the Future of Warfare- the vast interconnections between the Lockheed corporation and the US government, with the eerie quote, "The fox isn't guarding the henhouse. He lives there."
Shopping protesters arrested for 'nothing'- this story really pisses me off. Three people went to their local shopping mall on Black Friday (by the way, when did this term become so widespread? The media was using it like it'd been de facto for decades) for a goofy anti-consumerism protest in which they pretended to be promoting a new product called "Nothing." Kinda clever, kinda funny. Till the security guards kicked them out for violating the mall's soliciting policy. "Soliciting" usually refers to hyping or attempting to sell a product, which these folks were not doing. The mall decided to go with the irritating-as-fuck, knock-knock joke logic that these protesters were too soliciting-- they were soliciting "a response."
So then the mall threatened to call the cops and kicked the protesters out. On the way to their car, the police showed up, claimed the protesters were trespassing and arrested them.
You can read a first-hand account of the madness here.
Buy Something!- interesting critique of the annual "Buy Nothing Day" protest.
Dolphins Protect New Zealand Swimmers from Shark- not political, just a reminder that dolphins rule.
2004 Elections- more reflections on the election by Noam Chomsky. His most interesting point is that the election would have looked amazingly different if either of the candidates had actually dealt with the issues most important to Americans. He then cites some national attitude surveys which claim that the majority of Americans have "Blue" stances on the "Blue" issues, and that those issues are the ones most important to them.
Rocket Fuel in Milk, Lettuce- can someone explain to me how fucking rocket fuel is getting in my food? It's not like rockets are criss-crossing the nation, there are just a few that go up every year. Still, there it is.
Ukraine's postmodern coup d'etat- I haven't been keeping close tabs on the Ukrainian election and fallout, but this article claims that the issue isn't as easy as "bad candidate steals votes from good candidate."
Bhopal a reminder of boardroom bullies- on its 20th anniversary, let's take a minute to remember Union Carbide's atrocity in Bhopal India. An explosion at a shoddy chemical factory killed 20,000 people, and has left the land and its people a legacy of poison and pain. Union Carbide paid the Indian government $470 million, which when trickled down to the survivors, amounted to $300-$500 a person. The company and its CEO were charged with murder in India, but they refuse to face an Indian court. More info at Bhopal.net.
This Time Last Year- another live report from Iraq by journalist Dahr Jamail.
'They hate our policies, not our freedom'- the Pentagon hid this report (.pdf) by the Defense Science Board (which is supposed to advise the Secretary of Defense), finally acknowleding its contents the afternoon of the day before Thanksgiving (effectively burying it). As one might guess, the contents are highly critical of the administration, its efforts, and its rhetoric.
Al-Qaeda a Paper Tiger?- a number of news sources are now claiming that Al-Qaeda is, and always has been, a tiny organization that does not pose half the threat that we all think it does.
Media Mambo
The Great Indecency Hoax- last week, we wrote about how the "massive outcry" to the FCC about a racy Fox TV segment amounted to letters from 20 people. This week, we look at the newest media scandal, the infamous "naked back" commercial. On Monday Night Football, last week, ABC aired an ad for it's popular "Desperate Housewives" TV show, in which one of the actresses from the show attempted to seduce a football player by removing the towel she was wearing to bare her body to him. All the audience saw, however, was her back. No tits, no ass, no crotch, just her back.
No one complained.
The next Wednesday, Rush Limbaugh told his shocked viewers how the woman had appeard in the commercial "buck naked".
Then, the FCC received 50,000 complaints. How many of them actually saw this commercial is anyone's guess.
The article also shows the amazing statistics that although the Right is pretending that the "22% of Americans voted based on 'moral values'" statistic shows the return of the Moral Majority, this is actually a huge drop from the 35% who said that in the 2000 election or the 40% who said that in 1996 (when alleged pervert Bill Clinton was re-elected). This fact is so important I'm going to mention it over in the main news section too.
Brian Williams may surprise America- Tom Brokaw's replacement anchor, Brian Williams, dismissed the impact of blogs by saying that bloggers are "on an equal footing with someone in a bathroom with a modem." Which is really funny, coming out of the mouth of a dude who's idea of journalism is to read words out loud off a teleprompter. Seriously, if parrots were literate, Brian Williams would be reporting live from the line outside the soup kitchen.
In related news, Tom Brokaw has quit NBC Nightly News, and it appears that unlike his predecessor, the new guy can speak without slurring words like a drunk.
PR Meets Psy-Ops in War on Terror- in February of 2002, Donald Rumsfeld announced the creation of the Office of Strategic Influence, a new department that would fight the war on terror through misinformation, especially by lying to journalists. Journalists were so up in arms about this that the Pentagon agreed to scrap the program.
Don't you think that an agency designed to lie to the public might lie about being shut down, too?
This article gives some examples about the US military lying to the press for propaganda and disinformation purposes.
Tavis Smiley leaving NPR in December- African-American talk show host Tavis Smiley is opting to not renew his daily talk show on National Public Radio. He criticized his former employers for failing to: "meaningfully reach out to a broad spectrum of Americans who would benefit from public radio but simply don’t know it exists or what it offers ... In the most multicultural, multi-ethnic and multiracial America ever, I believe that NPR can and must do better in the future." He's 100% correct. NPR is white. Polar bear eating a marshmallow at the mayonaise factory white. And the reason it's so white is that it is trying to maintain an affluent listener base (premoniantly older white folks) who will donate money to their stations. This is a great paradox of American public broadcasting, that they have a mandate to express neglected viewpoints and serve marginalized communities, but those folks can't donate money in the amounts that the stations would like to see.
U.S. Muslim Cable TV Channel Aims to Build Bridges- it sounds more positive than it is "Bridges TV" seems to simultaneously be a cable channel pursuing an affluent American Muslim demographic, and a way of building understanding and tolerance among American non-Muslims who might happen to watch the channel's programming. I was hoping it would be aimed more at Muslim's worldwide, but it ain't. Still, I'd be interested in seeing how their news programs cover the issues.
Every Damned Weblog Post Ever- it's funny cuz it's true.
Wikipedia Creators Move Into News- Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created collectively by thousands of contributors. It's one of those non-profit, decentralized, collective, public projects that show how good the internet can be. Now, the Wikipedia founders are working on a similar project to create a collaborative news portal, with original content. Honestly, it's quite similar to IndyMedia sites (which reminds me, happy 5th birthday, IndyMedia!). I'll admit, I'm a bit skeptical about the Wikinews project, though. IndyMedia sites work because they're local, focused on certain lefty issues, and they're run by activists invested in their beliefs. I'm not sure what would drive Wikinews or how it would hang together.
CBS, NBC ban church ad inviting gays- the United Church of Christ created a TV ad which touts the church's inclusion, even implying that they accept homosexuals into their congregation. Both CBS and NBC are refusing to air the ad. This is not too surprising, as many Americans are uncomfortable about homosexuality, and because TV networks are utter cowards. But CBS' explanation for the ban was odd:
"Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples...and the fact that the executive branch has recently proposed a Constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast."
Whoa, what? First of all, the ad does not mention marriage at all. Second, since when do positions opposite of the Executive Branch constitute "unacceptable"? This doesn't sound like "we're not airing this because it's controversial", this sounds like "we're afraid of what the President might say."
Lying Media Bastards is both a radio show and website. The show airs Mondays 2-4pm PST on KillRadio.org, and couples excellent music with angry news commentary. And the website, well, you're looking at it. Both projects focus on our media-marinated world, political lies, corporate tyranny, and the folks fighting the good fight against these monsters. All brought to you by Jake Sexton, The Most Beloved Man in America ®. contact: jake+at+lyingmediabastards.com |
Media News |
December 01, 2004Media MamboThe Great Indecency Hoax- last week, we wrote about how the "massive outcry" to the FCC about a racy Fox TV segment amounted to letters from 20 people. This week, we look at the newest media scandal, the infamous "naked back" commercial. On Monday Night Football, last week, ABC aired an ad for it's popular "Desperate Housewives" TV show, in which one of the actresses from the show attempted to seduce a football player by removing the towel she was wearing to bare her body to him. All the audience saw, however, was her back. No tits, no ass, no crotch, just her back. No one complained. The next Wednesday, Rush Limbaugh told his shocked viewers how the woman had appeard in the commercial "buck naked". Then, the FCC received 50,000 complaints. How many of them actually saw this commercial is anyone's guess. The article also shows the amazing statistics that although the Right is pretending that the "22% of Americans voted based on 'moral values'" statistic shows the return of the Moral Majority, this is actually a huge drop from the 35% who said that in the 2000 election or the 40% who said that in 1996 (when alleged pervert Bill Clinton was re-elected). This fact is so important I'm going to mention it over in the main news section too. Brian Williams may surprise America- Tom Brokaw's replacement anchor, Brian Williams, dismissed the impact of blogs by saying that bloggers are "on an equal footing with someone in a bathroom with a modem." Which is really funny, coming out of the mouth of a dude who's idea of journalism is to read words out loud off a teleprompter. Seriously, if parrots were literate, Brian Williams would be reporting live from the line outside the soup kitchen. In related news, Tom Brokaw has quit NBC Nightly News, and it appears that unlike his predecessor, the new guy can speak without slurring words like a drunk. PR Meets Psy-Ops in War on Terror- in February of 2002, Donald Rumsfeld announced the creation of the Office of Strategic Influence, a new department that would fight the war on terror through misinformation, especially by lying to journalists. Journalists were so up in arms about this that the Pentagon agreed to scrap the program. Don't you think that an agency designed to lie to the public might lie about being shut down, too? This article gives some examples about the US military lying to the press for propaganda and disinformation purposes. Tavis Smiley leaving NPR in December- African-American talk show host Tavis Smiley is opting to not renew his daily talk show on National Public Radio. He criticized his former employers for failing to: "meaningfully reach out to a broad spectrum of Americans who would benefit from public radio but simply don’t know it exists or what it offers ... In the most multicultural, multi-ethnic and multiracial America ever, I believe that NPR can and must do better in the future." He's 100% correct. NPR is white. Polar bear eating a marshmallow at the mayonaise factory white. And the reason it's so white is that it is trying to maintain an affluent listener base (premoniantly older white folks) who will donate money to their stations. This is a great paradox of American public broadcasting, that they have a mandate to express neglected viewpoints and serve marginalized communities, but those folks can't donate money in the amounts that the stations would like to see. U.S. Muslim Cable TV Channel Aims to Build Bridges- it sounds more positive than it is "Bridges TV" seems to simultaneously be a cable channel pursuing an affluent American Muslim demographic, and a way of building understanding and tolerance among American non-Muslims who might happen to watch the channel's programming. I was hoping it would be aimed more at Muslim's worldwide, but it ain't. Still, I'd be interested in seeing how their news programs cover the issues. Every Damned Weblog Post Ever- it's funny cuz it's true. Wikipedia Creators Move Into News- Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created collectively by thousands of contributors. It's one of those non-profit, decentralized, collective, public projects that show how good the internet can be. Now, the Wikipedia founders are working on a similar project to create a collaborative news portal, with original content. Honestly, it's quite similar to IndyMedia sites (which reminds me, happy 5th birthday, IndyMedia!). I'll admit, I'm a bit skeptical about the Wikinews project, though. IndyMedia sites work because they're local, focused on certain lefty issues, and they're run by activists invested in their beliefs. I'm not sure what would drive Wikinews or how it would hang together. CBS, NBC ban church ad inviting gays- the United Church of Christ created a TV ad which touts the church's inclusion, even implying that they accept homosexuals into their congregation. Both CBS and NBC are refusing to air the ad. This is not too surprising, as many Americans are uncomfortable about homosexuality, and because TV networks are utter cowards. But CBS' explanation for the ban was odd: "Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples...and the fact that the executive branch has recently proposed a Constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast." Whoa, what? First of all, the ad does not mention marriage at all. Second, since when do positions opposite of the Executive Branch constitute "unacceptable"? This doesn't sound like "we're not airing this because it's controversial", this sounds like "we're afraid of what the President might say." More Media News |
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