ACORN, Longshoremen, video editing and propaganda

[Cerridwen]

Many years ago, my then SO and I went to the rodeo. Before you give me grief, I hate the rodeo and so did then SO. I think we went to see if it was as bad as we remembered it from our childhood. It was.

During the rodeo, a "bucking bronc rider" was thrown, got his foot caught in a stirrup, was dragged around, wound up under the horse's hooves, and was beat up pretty badly but survived to regale his grandchildren.

The next day it was "reported" in the local fish-wrap/"news"paper. According to the "report," that horse turned and trounced on the rider -- purposely and with malice aforethought -- and did pretty much everything but breathe fire. I wondered at the time if the "reporter" had seen the same thing I did. Should I trust my own eyes or the report of the "reporter"? I checked with my SO. His eyes were in agreement with mine. The "reporter" must have had some serious drugs -- or an agenda.

You see, according to said "reporter," not only did the horse throw the rider, it went back and jumped up and down on him, walked away, then returned to jump up and down on the rider again...and again...and again. I'm surprised they didn't test the horse for rabies. In short, the "reporter's" report had little...or nothing to do with what we had actually seen. But who would know that except for those of us who were there?

Which brings me to video and editing.

Many of us saw the edited video that would ultimately destroy ACORN.

Now there is a new video about how a longshoreman responded to members of the media. It too, is edited. The man being filmed makes mention of being threatened...but that's not in the edited video. The video gives a certain perspective and is obviously edited; but we're to believe it shows the "truth."

I know that not everyone much cares for science fiction. It is an acquired taste so to speak. But, in this instance, I'm going to highly recommend you watch an episode of Babylon 5 which is titled, The Illusion of Truth (Season 3, I think). Get it from your local library.

If you are not aware of how easily the media can create a "truth" from lies, this episode might help you to see, how such can happen. The thing about this episode is, it shows the original interviews and then shows how they were edited to show a certain perspective.

Please, soldier on through the acting you don't like and the sci-fi stuff you can't stomach and just watch for how, and how easily, "reality" can be manipulated...then catapulted into our "common knowledge."

[DrunkenBoat]

1. k&r

[Broderick]

2. War

Big business and the media vs. America

[Cerridwen]

14. Yes. It is.

So now, do we fight "Marquis de Queensbury Rules" rules? Pinky out; language appropriate; limbs of the piano covered?

[Broderick]

16. Absolutely not

Worker rights were not won by milquetoast.

[Cerridwen]

17. Thank you.

I agree.

Throughout history, We, the People, have won through "unconventional" means.

[Luminous Animal]

3. Thanks for this OP. I mentioned 3 times in the other thread that the video was

clearly edited. DUers need to get in the habit of demanding the ENTIRE video before making judgment. I do have my bias though. I figure if a video of a real life event has to be edited that much, someone is purposely hiding something.

[Cerridwen]

5. I saw that. Thank you. Something is up with regard to that video.

The guy in the video talks about being 'threatened' but the threat, if there was such, has been edited out.

What was on the sheets the camera-person was filming when that guy first came into the video? What, exactly, were they filming? Does that TV station have a history of supporting, opposing, or remaining neutral about stories of the union issues?

Too many unanswered questions.

[StarsInHerHair]

4. in America we have a Censored Media, like Fiji & the Soviet Union, we don't see

the unvarnished truth

[Cerridwen]

6. Also true.

What is reported is spun and what makes the evening "news" is selected.

Remember the anti-war demonstrations? Yeah. Not much reporting on those.

[StarsInHerHair]

10. exactly. & when you can see the 'media' deciding for us who is a candidate

& who is 'unelectable'

[Cerridwen]

12. Precisely. n/t

[lonestarnot]

7. Only thing that should be done about that is turn it off.

[Cerridwen]

8. That's what we were told to do about limbaugh.

Ignoring a problem does not make it go away.

[lonestarnot]

9. Does in my world these days. That blob job no longer exists.

[Cerridwen]

11. Except that he still has influence in the republican party and is still

telling his listeners what to think and how to think it.

[lonestarnot]

13. That is their fucking problem.

[Cerridwen]

15. Actually, it is ours. n/t

[Cerridwen]

18. Kick. Because I really want people to see how easily this is done. n/t

[Lydia Leftcoast]

19. A further example: Palestinians supposedly dancing in the streets after 9/11

I lost the link when my hard drive crashed a couple of computers ago, but in contrast to U.S. TV, which showed the heads and shoulders of people dancing, giving the impression that it was a huge crowd, German TV pulled back from the image and showed that it was no more than five or six people dancing and that everyone else was walking past and paying no attention to them.

The film was edited to give a false impression of mass rejoicing among Palestinians, and it was actually only a few people.