Tuesday, 14 April 2009

Follow-up to 'The role of violence'

In that post I started by considering the case of the old woman who had been 'counter-protesting' at a rally for gay rights. I stated that she had been attacked, as I had been led to believe by the Fox News story to which I linked.
I have subsequently seen the video of the event, and she was not touched. The giant foam cross that she was waving in the protesters' faces was knocked out of her hands and stamped on. The news story said things such as 'the violence shocked me' and 'she is now considering whether to pursue assault charges', which cunningly implied a physical attack without ever telling a direct lie.

This was my first encounter with Fox News, and I was both shocked and impressed. This sort of deliberate deception is a way to ensure that the truth is hidden, and yet it is merely hiding the truth. There was not a single untruth in the whole article; it is a perfect example of the sort of deception that I use much of the time in everyday speech, both for (everyone's) amusement and when I actually do not want to reveal something.
When it's not expected, this is extraordinarily effective. The power of brainwashing is alive even in the western world.

No comments:

Post a Comment

The leader for this story is not a good leader

  Consistent and stoic, Leah Williamson is most natural of unnatural leaders | England women's football team | The Guardian ...