The corporate media lies and distorts and omits salient facts, yes?

[scarletwoman]

Haven't we DUers discussed this a brazilion times over the years? Haven't we examined and analyzed and fact-checked and gotten outraged by the shit they pull for years on end? Haven't we long and loudly condemned the corporate media's obvious bias in favor of the right wing point of view, and pointed out this bias in case after case?

That being so -- and isn't it so? Therefore, that being so, why is it that when this same corporate media publishes something -- ANYTHING! -- having to do with Hugo Chavez, that so many DUers immediately drop all skepticism and rush to join the bash Chavez bandwagon?

Would someone please explain this glaring disconnect?

Just thought I'd ask...

sw

(Credit goes to laughingliberal who brought up this point in this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7858350&mesg_id=7858350)

[The Magistrate]

1. A Number Of People, Ma'am

Are a bit apologetic for being on the left at all, and find criticism of a revolutionary figure a convenient way to demonstrate they are 'not that different from anyone else'....

Many have no understanding whatever of what revolution entails, and are therefore genuinely affronted by necessary actions taken against counter-revolution, judging them by standards of settled peace rather than war-time....

[John Q. Citizen]

2. That makes sense, plus there are some counter revolutionaries here as well it seems to me.

But the counter revolutionaries aside; Humans seem to thrive on scape-goats and hobgoblins, especially in group dynamics and from afar.

And we are all humans on this board.

[scarletwoman]

3. Ah, dear Magistrate! Thank you for your response.

An interesting thought: "...a bit apologetic for being on the left at all".

My first reaction -- a juvenile one, I admit -- is to take a certain delight in knowing that the possibility of being associated with someone like me just aggravates the hell out of them.

Anyway, since there have been a few new "evil" Hugo (and "evil" Sean Penn who supports Chavez) threads popping up today (one author of which who is happily now among the unlamented departed), I just got a bug to bring up this point about believing the media.

It seems to me that Chavez is neither Stalin nor Robespierre. Your point about "necessary actions taken against counter-revolution" is well taken. Thank you, dear friend.

sw

[The Magistrate]

4. Soviet Communism Did A Lot Of Harm To the Left, Ma'am

For decades here in the U. S., it was necessary for leftists to demonstrate they were not totalitarians, or at least argue against the idea that they were totalitarians, to participate in political life. It inculcated a defensive habit of mind that still shapes many, and which is, indeed, sort of expected in a leftist by the political culture at large.

By the standards of revolution, and certainly by the standards of Latin American strong-men, Col. Chavez has behaved with extraordinary mildness; one need only look across the border to the the actions of the right in Columbia to see the general case in the region, and the excesses to which counter-revolution will go with a blink. People who have engaged in open rebellion have simply lost property; mostly they have not even gone to jail, let alone turned up as mutilated corpses at the side of a road.

[scarletwoman]

5. Very true. It brings to mind how labor unions had to denounce any connection to socialism

in order to survive -- and they do not seem to be surviving very well even so.

I don't expect to live long enough to witness a rise of a viable Left in this country.

sw

[laughingliberal]

6. Absolutely nailed it, Sir. nt

[EFerrari]

7. The right wing stink tanks like the Heritage Foundation write pretty much

the same general smears against our president and Hugo Chavez. It's the same people minding the same interests and using the same media outlets for the most part. When you think about it, the right has very little imagination or creativity at their disposal. They usually just rewrite the same few accusations. Incompetent totalitarian who pals around with terrorists. Coming for your property, your free speech, your grandmother. And things are about to get much worse. Over and over and over.

Working at one of those places must be a lot like working in a laundromat!

[laughingliberal]

8. Exactly! I just can't understand those who know perfectly well that the MSM

lies its posterior off sucking down every anti-Chavez story as if it's the revealed word of the deity. The very same who would (correctly) throw a fit about Obama being accused of taking over our country and becoming a dictator will, with no sense of the irony at all, parrot the talking points of the right about Chavez. And not a peep about the assassinations in Columbia (as already noted by the eloquent Magistrate).

How do people manage a cognitive dissonance of that magnitude?

[EFerrari]

10. Maybe our training from the cradle that America is exceptional

makes it difficult to make the comparison? And after you read five hundred stories that assert this "fiery leftist strongman friend of Fidel" is a thief, the default turns into "true" just from the repetition.

[laughingliberal]

14. Apparently. But I expect more of Democrats who routinely have to filter out the lies and distortions

The question with the corporate controlled media must always be 'who benefits?'

For God's sake, the man works with Teddy's son to get heating oil to the poor in our country! Where are these people's minds?

Perhaps I expect too much cause I always believed we were the smart party.

[EFerrari]

15. It's funny because I knew very little about him until I went through

the process Hissyspit just went through here at DU, which is being in a thread with one of these weird stories and watching it being dismantled, clearly and unambiguously. And then, the same process over and over again. After a while, you just start looking for the hook and they get more and more obvious as they rerun the same three or four narratives with slightly different details.

Hugo Chavez is the Harlequin Romance library of the internets. lol

[scarletwoman]

16. "Hugo Chavez is the Harlequin Romance library of the internets." OMG! That's hilarious!

:rofl:

:yourock:
sw

[malaise]

19. 100% correct

There is an amazing overlap between the operatives who have been destabilizing foreign governments for decades and those stink tanks. After eight years of Bushco they see controlling power in the US the same way they view their global hegemonic ambitions. The masks are off and the neo-liberals in the stink tanks, media, political institutions and corporations intend to facilitate the dominance of the richest across the globe.

[laughingliberal]

9. Rec

and thanks for the attribute! :)

[scarletwoman]

17. I believe in always giving credit where credit is due.

I really admired your post in that other thread, and I wanted the excellent point you made to get more visibility. :)

sw

[Hissyspit]

11. I've noticed that too:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=125&topic_id=279507&mesg_id=279685

Even after the debunking was posted numerous times in numerous threads and it was shown that it was coming from a right-wing source, people just kept acting like it was true and it was obvious proof that Chavez is a lunatic. Embarrassing.

[EFerrari]

12. I wish now that I'd been keeping a list of the whoppers.

My favorite one so far (even though the earthquake weapon was pretty good) is when the Financial Times said Chavez stole an oil rig and I got this image of him riding through the streets of Caracas like the Terminator. lol

[The Magistrate]

20. That One, Ma'am, Is Simply Incredible....

[devilgrrl]

13. But Hugo Chavez!!! He EVIL!!! He dicktator for life! Reuters & The Associated Press say so!

IT MUST BE TRUE!!!! :wow:

[Echo In Light]

18. k/r