PHM-Exch> Cassandra (2)

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Alison Katz <katz.alison at gmail.com>


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I think this analysis of the Cassandra piece is unnecessarily dismissive of
the world’s people in general  and fails to distinguish between  groups of
people who are responsible and groups of people who have to submit . . . .
and then all the degrees in between.

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I also think it ignores the single most important determinant of people’s
apathy and inaction (if that is really what it is) which is disinformation,
blasted 24 hours a day at the public by powerful groups of powerful nations.
****

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I agree with the author that the majority of the world’s people, let’s say
a good 80%, perhaps more,  are too busy merely surviving.

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As for (most)of the rest of humanity, there is a very simple reason why
they are not sitting up and doing something.****

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They are massively disinformed. Deliberately “dummed down” rather than
“doomed down”.  Let us not forget that the poor - even in rich countries -
really don’t have  much time or energy left after a day’s work in a their
toxic work environment to inform themselves properly.****

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However unbearable it is, just take a look, now and then, at mainstream
news and even documentaries shown every night on TV (which is the media
that controls and directs the population). The lies, the distortions, the
manipulation have not ceased. And I am talking about European media which
(apologies to our US American friends) I am told are more sophisticated
than US American TV.****

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I really do not think that people are aware of how close to the brink we
are.  It has taken 30 years of solid struggle for environmentalists to get
climate change into the news.  And that has been a miracle.****

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The struggle has to be directed at the control of information (and that
includes the privatization of knowledge and research) by the private
sector.  That kind of struggle is out on the streets.****

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One of our greatest difficulties is the question of serious, independent
science. We used to be able to rely on the criterion of “published in a
peer reviewed journal”.  Unfortunately today, that means very little,
because many of the “best” scientific and medical journals are also
controlled by private interests.  ****

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The solution? Education including university level, as a public service,
with zero interference from private interests. What does that imply? Not
just tax reform but a tax revolution. All public services (including
independent media) could be funded if the tax base had not been so
comprehensively demolished in the neoliberal decades. ****

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But there are signs of indignation (and more) everywhere, so on that note,
happy holidays everyone and an *Incandescently Indignant New Year! *****

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