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Post by jeremiah on Dec 7, 2022 23:23:50 GMT -5
A few years ago I was gifted a small book published in 2005 called, The Pocket Thomas Merton. He was a philosopher who died in 1968. As I read his writings now I find it incredibly relevant, especially the section I'll be quoting, "Events And Psuedo-Events."
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Post by jeremiah on Dec 7, 2022 23:34:18 GMT -5
"Nine-tenths of the news, as printed in the papers, is pseudo-news, manufactured events. Some days ten-tenths. The ritual morning trance, in which one scans columns of newsprint, creates a peculiar form of generalized pseudo-attention to a pseudo-reality. This experience is taken seriously. It is one's daily immersion in "reality." One's orientation to the rest of the world. One's way of reassuring himself that he has not fallen behind. That he is still here. That he still counts!
My own experience has been that renunciation of this self-hypnosis, of this participation in the unquiet universal trance, is no sacrifice of reality at all. To "fall behind" in this sense is to get out of the big cloud of dust that everybody is kicking up, to breath and to see a little more clearly."
-Thomas Merton
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Post by jeremiah on Dec 8, 2022 23:50:59 GMT -5
"The things that we do, the things that make our news, the things that are contemporary, are abominations of superstition, of idolatry, proceeding from minds that are full of myths, distortions, half-truths, prejudices, evasions, illusions, in a word-simulacra. Ideas and conceptions that look good but aren't. Ideals that claim to be humane and prove themselves, in their effects, to be callous, cruel, cynical, sometimes even criminal."
-Thomas Merton
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Post by Lark11 on Dec 9, 2022 16:53:47 GMT -5
"Nine-tenths of the news, as printed in the papers, is pseudo-news, manufactured events. Some days ten-tenths. The ritual morning trance, in which one scans columns of newsprint, creates a peculiar form of generalized pseudo-attention to a pseudo-reality. This experience is taken seriously. It is one's daily immersion in "reality." One's orientation to the rest of the world. One's way of reassuring himself that he has not fallen behind. That he is still here. That he still counts! My own experience has been that renunciation of this self-hypnosis, of this participation in the unquiet universal trance, is no sacrifice of reality at all. To "fall behind" in this sense is to get out of the big cloud of dust that everybody is kicking up, to breath and to see a little more clearly." -Thomas Merton A healthy functioning democracy requires an informed populace. So, if you aren't following the news and happenings in the world, how do you participate as a citizen in a democracy? Ignoring all "new information" in favor of some manner of monastic meditation or study of scripture may provide some manner of spiritual benefit, but the fact remains that there are pressing secular concerns that demand one's attention in a democracy. Criminals, despots, and corrupt officials love uninformed and disinterested citizens/subjects, because the uninformed will never discover their wrong-doing and demand that consequences and accountability be meted out for same. |
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Post by jeremiah on Dec 10, 2022 13:55:44 GMT -5
(Lark I'm having technical difficulties quoting your response.) That's a good point and I think there is a balance. The foundational understanding is how much of the mainstream media is manufactured propaganda meant to deceive and control us. We as Americans are so divided against each other, but it's really the govt corruption on both sides that's the problem, robbing us of our freedom, rights and prosperity. I think the biggest problem is when the most authoritative source to inform us is the mainstream media or a politician. I try to ensure the Bible and Constitution remains my guiding light in life and politics, not what Trump, FOX or anyone else says that I consider far worse than them. For example, we are not a Democracy. I know the media and politicians love to say that, but we are a constitutional republic and there is a big difference. A Democracy is mob rule and many of the founders hated democracy and spoke out against it. Art 4 Sec 4 of the USC ensures a republican form of govt. A great foundational video on govt I recommend everyone to watch is this one right here. Whoever takes time time to do so it's sure to learn something important rumble.com/v1k1yb5-overview-of-america.html |
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Post by jeremiah on Dec 10, 2022 19:42:33 GMT -5
"Why can we not be content with the secret gift of happiness that God offers us, without consulting the rest of the world? Why do we insist, rather, on a happiness that is approved by the magazines and TV? Perhaps because we do not believe in a happiness that is given us for nothing. We do not think we can be happy with a happiness that has no price tag on it."
-Thomas Merton
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Post by jeremiah on Dec 11, 2022 11:25:51 GMT -5
"The real violence exerted by propaganda is this: by means of apparent truth and apparent reason, it induces us to surrender our freedom and self-possession. It predetermines us to certain conclusions, and does so in such a way that we imagine that we are fully free in reaching them by our own judgment and our own thought. Propaganda makes up our minds for us but in such a way that it leaves us the sense of pride and satisfaction of men who have made up their own minds. And, in the last analysis, propaganda achieves this effect because we want it to.
This is one of the few real pleasures left to modern man: this illusion that he is thinking for himself when, in fact, someone else is doing his thinking for him. And this someone else is not a personal authority, the great mind of a genial thinker, it is the mass mind, the general "they" the anonymous whole.
One is left, therefore, not only with the sense that one has thought things out for himself, but has also reached the correct answer without difficulty-the answer which is shown to be correct because it is the answer of everybody. Since it is at once my answer and the answer of everybody, how should I resist it?"
-Thomas Merton
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Post by Lark11 on Dec 15, 2022 2:13:40 GMT -5
I have far too many books in a stack waiting to be read to add Thomas Merton to the list, so I'm just going off the quotes you cite.
It seems to me that Merton, or you, or both are conflating multiple separate-and-distinct concepts.
I guess I'll dive right in with your following quote:
It's fine to lean on certain sources to form the foundation of your value system and critical thinking. If you want to rely on the Bible and the Constitution for that, then that certainly provides a foundation. A foundation that can serve as the anvil on which you form and shape your decisions. But, those sources are used to develop a decision-making process. They provide factors, criteria, and/or a methodology for making decisions. However, they are simply not the same as that information needed to make those decisions. The two cannot be conflated. There's a difference between sources used as part of forming an internal decision-making methodology and information used in making an informed external decision.
For example, the Child Tax Credit. Can you rely on the Bible and the Constitution to tell you whether to support it? No, obviously not. You need the facts explaining what it is, how it works, who it benefits, and what it costs. Once you have that information, then you can run it through your decision-making methodology to reach a decision. How do you make an informed decision without the facts?
Moving on to your next quote, I have a number of issues with the following:
As a general rule, I have a problem with absolutes. They almost never hold true and, as a result, they obscure the truth rather than reveal it. What does the term "mainstream media" even mean? Who is included in the definition? It's so broad as to have no meaning at all. Like so many of the scare words that permeate our civil discourse ("woke," "socialism", "mainstream media"), they have, at best, a fluid meaning that changes based on the usage and, at worst, no real meaning at all, serving instead as a cudgel for attacking the other side and a dog whistle for attracting like minded supporters.
"Manufactured propaganda"? Just...no. Are there bad actors out there posing as legitimate media? Sure. I have a few in mind as I write this. But, there are so many diverse voices and viewpoints in the media ecosystem, including professional journalists who take pride in doing the job right and doing the job according to established journalistic norms and principles, that there is no mass/uniform propaganda effort. There are so many examples of media breaking stories, both large and small, that shake the pillars of society. Was CBS News pushing propaganda when Edward R. Murrow took down Joe McCarthy for his House Unamerican Activities Committee? Was the Washington Post pushing propaganda when Woodward and Bernstein broke the Watergate scandal? Was the Boston Globe pushing propaganda when its Spotlight team broke the story of the Catholic Church covering up sexual abuse by its clergy on a systemic level?
Propaganda commonly involves pushing a specific viewpoint. What viewpoint are all of those diverse stories pushing? I think Merton is using the term "propaganda" differently than the common usage and, as a result, trying to cite him for support of the common definition of "propaganda" doesn't work. But, before we get into Merton's definition of 'propaganda" we need to unpack his primary views first.
Because Merton believes (and, apparently you do too) that God has granted life to each person on the planet, he seems to believe that God-given existence alone should equate to happiness. And, as a result, that devotion and internal reflection on God and existence should be the focus, and, in fact, is the true/sole path to authentic happiness.
Given the position that authentic happiness comes from mere existence and reflection on same, Merton seems to believe that any outward effort (for growth, achievement, personal enjoyment, charitable endeavors, etc.) is inauthentic. Not only does he view the external as inauthentic, but he apparently views any media coverage of the "inauthentic" as improper because in his view it disseminates, promotes, or even celebrates "the external" in ways that lead people away from the authentic. He doesn't seem to view media coverage as "propaganda" because he believes it to be fake, false, or produced in bad faith, but simply because he believes it celebrates the "inauthentic" over the "authentic." He simply doesn't view the events that are covered to be worthy of coverage.
Once again, I have a problem with absolutes. How can all "the things that are contemporary" be "abominations"? When Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine, that was an abomination? When Gandhi fasted or engaged in nonviolent resistance to lead the campaign for Indian independence, that was an abomination?
Finally, Merton's view that media coverage of these "abomination" events is propaganda is strange, but his view that media coverage deprives consumers of their ability to make up their own mind is underselling the greatest and most unique ability that humans possess: the ability to think critically and exercise reason. The thing that most differentiates us from the "beasts" is our critical thinking ability. There are undoubtedly people out there who believe every single thing that their chosen news source tells them (how else to explain QAnon and the January 6th insurrection?), but I believe the vast majority of people evaluate and analyze what they are reading before taking it to be true. And, information is vital to learning, growing, and thinking critically. Ultimately, depriving yourself of information and predetermining that any and all news is "propaganda" necessarily forecloses the ability to think critically.
You don't secure personal freedom by avoiding information, news, or facts, but rather you secure personal freedom by strengthening your ability to think critically and exercise reason, which necessarily requires absorbing information, learning, growing, and evolving. Knowledge is power, which is precisely why the framers enshrined the freedom of the press in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution.
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Post by jeremiah on Dec 17, 2022 23:23:26 GMT -5
Lark,
My point is that there is much propaganda in the mainstream media which is a conscience effort by globalists to decieve the American people into giving up their rights, prosperity and sovereignty to the NWO.
Mainstream media; CNN, MSNBC, FOX etc are members of the Council on Foreign Relations which is a powerful organization committed to destroying America from within for their globalist vision of the future.
The WEF, the UN, WHO, almost all elected Democrats and many elected Republicans are all working toward the NWO. Agenda 21, Agenda 2030, the Great Reset, all things things they're doing is treasonous. The mainstream media is their mouthpiece.
Independent thinkers and independent news stations are exposing this fkobal conspiracy and coup against the American people.
The corruption is fairly obvious to anyone paying attention. Why so many go along with it is almost unexplainable. I think it may because they're inundated with the propaganda. It's like a spell cast on it's viewers.
Facts, truth, information is all very important, but as Jesus said, "In the last days, make sure nobody deceives you."
These last days were in the the book of Revelation being findings with it's antichrist and false prophet soon to be revealed as the leader of the global govt and one world religion.
My screen is so messed up right now. Sorry for the typos.
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Post by Lark11 on Dec 18, 2022 3:12:54 GMT -5
In order to have a substantive discussion, the participants must share a common understanding or set of facts. We do not.
Unfortunately, you have gone too far down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole for us to have a meaningful substantive discussion. It would really behoove you to reconsider your beliefs, because I think you have embraced some unhealthy, unsupported, and troublesome ideas, but that's up to you and I doubt anything I say will make much of an impact.
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Post by jeremiah on Dec 19, 2022 1:42:08 GMT -5
The NWO is not a theory, but it is a conspiracy.
The Bible makes it clear in Revelation what the global govt and one world religion will be like.
There is a spirit of truth and a spirit of error. Jesus said He is the Truth and everyone on the side of truth listens to Him. His sheep know his voice. This is the conclusion of the matter for those who refuse to love the truth:
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
II Thessalonians 2:9-12
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Post by jeremiah on Dec 19, 2022 2:02:29 GMT -5
"I have watched TV twice in my life. I am frankly not terribly interested in TV anyway. Certainly I do not pretend that by simply refusing to keep up with the latest news I am therefore unaffected by what goes on, or free of it all. Certainly events happen and they effect me as they do other people. It is important for me to know about them too: but I refrain from trying to know them in their fresh condition as "news." When they reach me they have become slightly stale. I eat the same tragedies as others, but in the form of tasteless crusts. The news reaches me in the long run through books and magazines, and no longer as a stimulant...when you hear news without the "need" to hear it, it treats you differently. And you treat it differently too."
-Thomas Merton
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Post by jeremiah on Dec 24, 2022 13:20:27 GMT -5
"TODAY, WITH THE enormous amplification of news and of opinion, we are suffering from more than acceptable distortions of perspective. Our supposed historical consciousness, over-informed and over-stimulated, is threatened with death by bloating, and we are overcome with a political elephantiasis which sometimes seems to make all actual forward motion useless if not impossible.
But in addition to the sheer volume of information there is the even more portentous fact of falsification and misinformation by which those in power are often completely intent not only on misleading others but even on convincing themselves that their own lies are "historical truth."
-Thomas Merton
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Post by jeremiah on Dec 31, 2022 1:00:35 GMT -5
"IN PRIMITIVE SOCIETIES, where men are just beginning to read and having nothing to read but propaganda, we can say that they are its innocent victims. But in an evolved society there are no innocent victims of propaganda.
Propaganda succeeds because men want it to succeed. It works on minds because those minds want to be worked on. Its conclusions bring apparent light and satisfaction because that is the kind of satisfaction that people are longing for.
It leads them to actions for which they are already half prepared. All they ask is that these actions be justified."
-Thomas Merton
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Post by jeremiah on Jan 2, 2023 2:15:33 GMT -5
”HOW ARE WE to avoid the common obsession with pseudo-events in order to construct what seems to us a credible idol? It is a nasty question, but it needs to be considered, for in it contained the mystery of the evil of our time.
I do not have an answer to the question, but I suspect the root of it is this: if we love our own ideology and our own opinion instead of loving our brother, we will seek only to glorify our ideas and our institutions and by that fact we will make real communication impossible.
I think Bonhoeffer was absolutely right when he said our real task is to bear in ourselves the fury of the world against Christ in order to reconcile the world with Christ."
-Thomas Merton
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