LauraGrad
29-10-2004, 10:11
I was just reading the thread re weapons of mass destruction. The media in the united states plays a huge role in propaganda for its government. In the aftermath(months after) of 9/11 the Bush administration kept re releasing footage of the twin towers...no disrespect intended but honestly there are only so many angles from which you can show what happened. This only increased hatred and led the American people to believe they were at war with anyone who went against them. After the Pentagon was hit, a senator rushing out of capital hill was heard to declare 'this means war'.
War against who? And so war in Afganistan began, as did media saturation of Bush, the states man, the saviour of democracy and all things true. The world became awash with images of Al qaeda being exterminated and to quote Bush 'Let Freedom Regin'. In the following weeks as Bin Laidin was still delcared missing, media interest lost it's momentum. The complete devastation of Afganistan was put aside. Government funding for reconstruction decreased significantly. Demands not requests,were
immediately issued to the international community for assistance
it was almost reminisent of the ruly teenager leaving the mess for the grown ups to clear up. Today Afganistan is free from Al Qaeda, girls can go to school, women are faced with more equality. The same thing was declared by Bush Sr over a decade ago when Al Qaeda were put in to government. To this day there has been little or no news about the progress of Afganistan. And when Bush cast drawing pencil on the 'axis of evil' terrorism took a new direction.
In general terrorist acts focused on attacking military and government institutions. The loss of life here was in excuseable but in todays world to be expected. It can be argued that terrorism took a new direction after 9/11. Not only a direct attack on civilan life but one of the global centres for finance. 9/11 was disgusting. Personnally I think the tide changed in the months leading to the invasion of Iraq. Security forces were so bent on proving Sadam had WMDs that basic meaures for even their own troops were ignored. The Iraq government and some militant groups began to stock pile 'normal' weapons with in Iraq. This has resulted in the enormous loss of life. Both civilian and military. Repeated bombings of barricks, hospitals schools, kidnapping of innocent people. Day after day hundreds are being killed. Even look at Beslan, while not related to Iraq, the measures militants will take to draw attention to themselves is gone well past alarming.
Can the media be blamed for focusing too much on certain issues, for terrorist using the media to promote their own vendettas? Or for governments have too much control over censorship and media coverage. The media can claim highlighting the prisoner abuse scandel. But nothing of the abuse that is believed to have occured in Camp X-Ray. In a few months when all this media focus dies down and
the long war in Iraq is lowering opinion polls who's next?
I did't agree with the invasion of Iraq with out UN backing had Bush waited I am fully convinced he would have recieved international support and today the situation would be less dire. As I said this rant started when I read the thread on WMDs and watching the shinanigins in Florida again and none of that oh we're trying a new system, it should have been implemented months ago. It just really gets me that peoples fundamental right to participate in free elections can be dropped at the flick of a switch. To me free elections are a part of any democracy and based on the preachings of Bush he claims to believe this too. For any American citizens you can actually say that your vote can change the world. IT CAN. The outcome of the elections next are going to affect the rest of us so please, not only use your vote but do it sensibly.
War against who? And so war in Afganistan began, as did media saturation of Bush, the states man, the saviour of democracy and all things true. The world became awash with images of Al qaeda being exterminated and to quote Bush 'Let Freedom Regin'. In the following weeks as Bin Laidin was still delcared missing, media interest lost it's momentum. The complete devastation of Afganistan was put aside. Government funding for reconstruction decreased significantly. Demands not requests,were
immediately issued to the international community for assistance
it was almost reminisent of the ruly teenager leaving the mess for the grown ups to clear up. Today Afganistan is free from Al Qaeda, girls can go to school, women are faced with more equality. The same thing was declared by Bush Sr over a decade ago when Al Qaeda were put in to government. To this day there has been little or no news about the progress of Afganistan. And when Bush cast drawing pencil on the 'axis of evil' terrorism took a new direction.
In general terrorist acts focused on attacking military and government institutions. The loss of life here was in excuseable but in todays world to be expected. It can be argued that terrorism took a new direction after 9/11. Not only a direct attack on civilan life but one of the global centres for finance. 9/11 was disgusting. Personnally I think the tide changed in the months leading to the invasion of Iraq. Security forces were so bent on proving Sadam had WMDs that basic meaures for even their own troops were ignored. The Iraq government and some militant groups began to stock pile 'normal' weapons with in Iraq. This has resulted in the enormous loss of life. Both civilian and military. Repeated bombings of barricks, hospitals schools, kidnapping of innocent people. Day after day hundreds are being killed. Even look at Beslan, while not related to Iraq, the measures militants will take to draw attention to themselves is gone well past alarming.
Can the media be blamed for focusing too much on certain issues, for terrorist using the media to promote their own vendettas? Or for governments have too much control over censorship and media coverage. The media can claim highlighting the prisoner abuse scandel. But nothing of the abuse that is believed to have occured in Camp X-Ray. In a few months when all this media focus dies down and
the long war in Iraq is lowering opinion polls who's next?
I did't agree with the invasion of Iraq with out UN backing had Bush waited I am fully convinced he would have recieved international support and today the situation would be less dire. As I said this rant started when I read the thread on WMDs and watching the shinanigins in Florida again and none of that oh we're trying a new system, it should have been implemented months ago. It just really gets me that peoples fundamental right to participate in free elections can be dropped at the flick of a switch. To me free elections are a part of any democracy and based on the preachings of Bush he claims to believe this too. For any American citizens you can actually say that your vote can change the world. IT CAN. The outcome of the elections next are going to affect the rest of us so please, not only use your vote but do it sensibly.