The Asshole Of Propaganda – From Patrick Henry to Rambo

Pssst, wanna buy a myth?

(Note: A politically correct title would be The Face of Propaganda, but propaganda doesn’t have a face and political correctness is the face of political decadence.)

I Know Isis Fighters. Western Bombs Falling on Raqqa Will Fill Them With Joy

(The title of a propaganda article by Jürgen Todenhöfer, theGuardian and ICH, Nov. 27, 2015)

The thrust of a propaganda article, like the tip of a knife, comes with the title. This one wants to stick us with the impression that killing people and children under western bombs fills Isis fighters with joy because they gain sympathy, support and recruits. It does, of course, but is this a source of joy? Compare: Cutting off your arm will fill you with joy because you’ll gain sympathy, support and monthly disability payments. The next amputation volunteer can now step joyfully forward.

Such nonsense. This same garbage was thrown at the victims of Israel’s vicious bombardment of Gaza last year. Col. Richard Kemp told us on the Christian Broadcasting Network:

Hamas wants the Israeli Defense Force to kill their children, their women, that’s what they want to happen. They want to get the propaganda; they want to get the publicity, the sympathy and the pity of the world by getting the Israelis to kill their population. That’s exactly what their tactic is.

Netanyahu and Hillary C. were among others who vomited variations of this theme.

Herr Todenhöfer is not quite as blunt. He insinuates that Isis and the people of Raqqa are two different things. They are not, but believing it makes it easier to sell the joy-of-death pitch. The bombs falling on Raqqa fall on Isis and the 200.000 people under their jurisdiction, people who Isis fighters interact with through family and as friends and neighbors, with teachers, nurses, carpenters, mechanics, shop keepers and bakers. They also represent protection from the violence that has raged for more than a decade and killed well over a million of their people. No foreign goons will be kicking down doors in the night abusing, beating, arresting, raping, killing, smashing and stealing as long as Isis are in town. Isis are the resistance fighters against the invading, bombing, destroying, killing and occupying foreign forces, but this must remain hidden at all costs in compliance with the wishes of the invading, bombing, destroying, killing and occupying foreign forces. Carpet-bombing the community of Western citizens with propaganda daily accomplishes the cover up.

Jürgen Todenhöfer, a right-wing racist progressive, does his part in the propaganda bombardment. Right-wing racist progressive! Yes. I’m not using these terms loosely or as invectives. I’ll explain each one starting with progressive.

Progressive
The title of this article has a sharp-edge as well as a point. Where the point thrusts at Isis the edge slashes at the military industry. Jürgen’s criticism of the bombing vibrates throughout the article in harmony with demonizing Isis. He informs us, as everyone already knows, that military solutions to combat terrorism have increased the number of terrorists (resistance fighters) dramatically. It also increases the growth of the military/security sector of the economy dramatically. He doesn’t mention this or even insinuate it, but his designated audience hears it loud and clear.

As the military sector grows it sucks resources from other sectors of the economy antagonizing major players within housing, retail sales, infrastructure, publishing, etc. Jürgen represents a resistance from within the halls of power to the military/security department’s ever-larger portion of the money pie. This resistance takes a progressive stance by opposing the prevailing policies and structure of power. Such resistance always forms in the wreckage of unsuccessful military enterprises.

During the last part of the Vietnam war for example, Mr. Hermanson, CEO of the Bank of America, testified before a senate committee about the need to pull out of Vietnam to save the imperial system. He himself didn’t take part in demonstrations, but some suits from a group called Executives Against the War did. Progressives.

Executives Against the War, Sweden 1972

Right-wing
To illustrate the growth of terrorists resulting from the war against terrorism, Jürgen writes,

In 2001 there were roughly a couple of hundred terrorists in the mountains of the Hindu Kush who posed a threat to the international community.

Can a couple of hundred terrorists in the mountains threaten the international community? The international community! Todenhöfer exposes who his homies are and his right-wing bend. It is common for today’s ruling players to designate themselves as the international community.

Racist

France is currently bombing everything that looks like camps or barracks: small factories, communal buildings, hospitals. The majority of the Arab world has seen photos of dead children in Raqqa.

Contemplate the naming of France! Looking through miles and miles of comments about Isis over the years, it is unlikely to find one that doesn’t slap a frightening qualifier on the name; extremist, perverted, atrocious, pernicious, barbaric, vicious, etc. or describe them as fundamentalist Islamic terrorists, liver-eating sociopaths, … You know the drill. Although it would be truthful, accurate and relevant to designate the bombers of hospitals and murders of children as merciless weapon-dealing French Christian terrorists such truth and accuracy do not appear in the media of the west. We are served the single and neutral word France. Notice any imbalance?

The bias describing the two antagonists is background. Jürgen informs us that Isis would have a good chance of winning battles on the ground because,

These fanatical fighters have excellent military training and love death. Western soldiers love life. The west cannot beat Isis with military means.

They love death. We love life. Them bad. We good.
Herr Todenhöfer couldn’t write such an absurdity if he weren’t a fundamental racist. His lack of frightening qualifiers naming Isis allows him to make his racist claims all the more poisonous. Starting with a joy-of-death and nailing it with a love-of-death demonizes Isis more than any frightening labels can achieve. Loving death is antithesis to any life form. Therefore Isis fighters must be something less than human.

Jürgen, who starts with a claim to “know Isis fighters”, can’t see the difference between loving death and not fearing it. This racist, former right-wing politician is blind to the obvious truth about their fearlessness. That would portray them as heroes and reveal an even deeper truth. The destruction of their homes and the slaughter of their loved ones have defused their respect for death. They’ve become equal the courage of Rambo: Live for nothing, or die for something. Or as Patrick Henry proclaimed 250 years ago, “Give me liberty or give me death!”

Jürgen’s claim to knowing Isis stems from his visit among them for 10 days. How long did the slave owners know their “darkies”? How long have the Zionists known the Palestinian “vermin”? The masters are always eager to share what they “know” about their slaves and servants.

If you can’t smell the asshole propaganda of the west, I’ll give you a clue, it’s not the fragrance of truth, peace, justice or love of liberty.

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“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth.
They have the power to make the innocent guilty
and to make the guilty innocent,
and that’s power.
Because they control the minds of the masses.”
Malcome X

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