Ruling from the Shadows the Art of Public Manipulation

originally posted by: Irishhaf
a reply to: dfnj2015

Be aware is a good step but every so often you have to unplug the constant access to24/7 broadcasting makes it fiendishly easy to sway people.

I know for me every so often I have to unplug, stay away from news, TV etc and focus more on interacting with people around me in the real world rather than the digital interactions.

I agree which is why I've stopped watching all the news altogether. Nothing they say has anything really meaning having to do with my life. I walk down the street and I don't see any problems at all with immigration. Scapegoating is the fastest and easiest way to rise up in political power. I just have no interest is baseless points of view based on superstition and not hard research with good methods. I would rather rely on my personal experiences about where this country is going and how good the economy is doing.

originally posted by: mtnshredder
a reply to: dfnj2015
The fact that you don’t think MSM is biased to the left and your post history makes me discount about anything you could possibly say on the subject

Try to grasp this concept. A Democrat from Texas is further right than a Republican from New Jersey. What I've said for years and consistently is MSM and CNN are not left wing at all when you compare them to real left wing media outlets like truthout.org and Mother Jones. They may be slightly to the left of your favorites but from my perspective they are simply corporate stooges serving their advertisers like all the others.

Funny, you discount everything I say but I did not discount what you said. I think I am a better person than you.

originally posted by: HalWesten
What I disagree with is the notion from the OP that the MSM isn't left-leaning. They most certainly are and some have fallen off the cliff.

The problem is not me. The problem is everyone criticizing me has no idea what "left" means. I once heard Sean O'Reiily say he was "fair and balanced" and that he had "leftist on my shows all the time." The problem is when you are that far to the right everyone is a leftist.

MS-NBC and CNN are corporate media outlets. They are not leftist organizations trying to bring about a redistribution of power away from their advertisers. They are just NOT anti-Corporation.

If you want true left leaning commentary go to this site:

truthout.org...

and this one:

www.motherjones.com...

There are stories on these sites the corporate media would NEVER run.

If CNN and MSM were really left wing they would be talking about voter suppression, "More People Are Voting — But 1,688 Polling Places Have Closed in 6 Years"

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: GeertrudeS

From my experience, the only way to defend yourself from the psychological manipulations of propaganda is to be aware of its existence. I would rather error on the side of being slightly paranoid about such things than to be manipulated in mindlessly echoing ideas from the center of my brain that I think are me thinking for myself.

I believe this is spot on.

You can’t just take the ostrich approach and bury your head in the sand/ignore everything. You still have to engage with the world... but also understand how to decipher it/ignore the garbage.

The easiest way to do that IMO is understanding how to scale things using observable data/against other data to understand the severity of a problem.

For instance, the media likes to use lots of absolute values/statements. Financial news in particular has a LOT of misleading statements/information. Almost zero scaling. Same goes for economic data, environmental data, etc.

Virtually no one takes the time to go beyond the headline to truly understand a subject - particularly if the headline jives with their view of the world. But the media knows this and prays on people’s biases banking on the fact they won’t start doing their own fact checking.

If you haven’t, I recommend reading “How to Lie with Statistics” - it will change the way you absorb news/media indefinitely.

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: LogicalGraphitti

originally posted by: dfnj2015
I don't think they media has left bias. I think American people have a ratings bias towards left wing wedge issues.

I will read what you linked to. But, I need to take issue with your assertion that the media isn't left biased. It is, for the most part, left biased. That includes foreign media such as the BBC and the Guardian, etc. The fact is, most media are based in the largest cities where liberalism is the norm. The heads of media companies are tied to Hollywood (i.e., the entertainment business) and journalists come from universities where the professors are mostly socialists.
The media are the strongest force around us. They set the benchmark of what they want people to believe. Right now, networks like CNN and MSNBC are in driven by one mission and that is to make Trump look as bad as possible. They desperately want a Democrat in the White-house.
Anyone that sits and watches 24x7 news channels (including Fox) is being manipulated.

The media is all owned by Republicans. You will never hear any channel organize strikes or supporting labor rights. You will never hear any channel running stories that really expose someone paying for advertising in a bad light. It's rigged to be a certain way.

As I said, I don't think it's left wing at all. What I said is they are driven by profits. And they will say anything just to get ratings. It's about making money. Ratings equals money. So I don't think they are left-wing at all. What they are is good at saying click-bait fake news crap that get's people like you riled up and angry so you keep watching.

100% true.

It’s a business. Some channels might be left leaning/right leaning but underneath its alllll for profit.

Use CNNs Acosta or FNCs Carlson. The more bombastic they are, the more out there they are, the more eyeballs they grab. This leads to more viewers/readers... more likes/follows... and more add revenue - which in turn leads to negotiating larger contracts.

They just say what sells to a given viewer demographic - that’s the unexciting truth.

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: mtnshredder
a reply to: dfnj2015
The fact that you don’t think MSM is biased to the left and your post history makes me discount about anything you could possibly say on the subject

Try to grasp this concept. A Democrat from Texas is further right than a Republican from New Jersey. What I've said for years and consistently is MSM and CNN are not left wing at all when you compare them to real left wing media outlets like truthout.org and Mother Jones. They may be slightly to the left of your favorites but from my perspective they are simply corporate stooges serving their advertisers like all the others.

Funny, you discount everything I say but I did not discount what you said. I think I am a better person than you.

Agreed here - you’re crushing it IMO today.

People really need to understand that there is a political spectrum that doesn’t perfectly align with generic party labels.

For my area, I’m pretty conservative... but I’d probably be a left winger in some parts of the country.

The news media are just people trying to make a buck and gain some celebrity. Politicians are no different - they say what they need to to get elected/re-elected. Neither of those groups give one ounce of a crap about you and likely only buy half of the BS they’re selling to you.

I’m honestly shocked people don’t realize this to be true. But then again most people are unwilling/haven’t been taught to see the world as it is/objectively as that can be uncomfortable. It’s easier/happier to hold out hope or see things as you want to see them.

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: LogicalGraphitti

originally posted by: dfnj2015
I don't think they media has left bias. I think American people have a ratings bias towards left wing wedge issues.

I will read what you linked to. But, I need to take issue with your assertion that the media isn't left biased. It is, for the most part, left biased. That includes foreign media such as the BBC and the Guardian, etc. The fact is, most media are based in the largest cities where liberalism is the norm. The heads of media companies are tied to Hollywood (i.e., the entertainment business) and journalists come from universities where the professors are mostly socialists.
The media are the strongest force around us. They set the benchmark of what they want people to believe. Right now, networks like CNN and MSNBC are in driven by one mission and that is to make Trump look as bad as possible. They desperately want a Democrat in the White-house.
Anyone that sits and watches 24x7 news channels (including Fox) is being manipulated.

The media is all owned by Republicans. You will never hear any channel organize strikes or supporting labor rights. You will never hear any channel running stories that really expose someone paying for advertising in a bad light. It's rigged to be a certain way.

As I said, I don't think it's left wing at all. What I said is they are driven by profits. And they will say anything just to get ratings. It's about making money. Ratings equals money. So I don't think they are left-wing at all. What they are is good at saying click-bait fake news crap that get's people like you riled up and angry so you keep watching.

Even the Huffington Post, a so-called bastion of left aggregates, was co-founded by Andrew Brietbart.