Aug 09
16
Questions We Should Ask
We start today, with a little wind-up. Just like a clockwork
mechanism, a Blog should wind up the tension, to allow the bell to be struck
with a clear ringing blow. So get a coffee, put your feet up, take a deep
breath and…
Why did God prohibit Adam and Eve from partaking of the
fruit of the tree of knowledge?
A Psychologist might say that to find themselves, God’s
first children had to learn the difference between left and right, light and
dark and right from wrong.
Learned Theologians might interpret the act of prohibition as
God’s desire to teach his children a lesson in authority.
The Feminist Rights social worker would most probably say –
well God is a man, so of course he didn’t want Eve to become “aware” by eating
the apple. Males throughout the ages have practiced intellectual repression of
women and the apple is where it all started.
Stephen Jobs would probably say – Why the hell do you think,
we called it an Apple? We did not think anyone would actually buy one…
But seriously, we thought that the complex child-ingrained
sub-conscious brainwashing by the Christians would win us at least all of the
business of the excommunicated Roman Catholics. (Think about it…..)
And the Rabbi would explain that the possession of knowledge
requires the wisdom to know when and how to use that knowledge.
God was saying that only he had the knowledge and wisdom to
dispense knowledge as he saw fit.
The Internet is the modern day tree of knowledge. Wikipedia
is nearly full. Bush lawyers, self proclaimed homeopaths and doomsday seers
abound, fed by the rumours, parodies, half truths and outright lies that constitute
the most popular of the Doomsday/conspiracy theory sites.
On the other hand, in 1985 when I had a bad back it was a
homeopath that fixed my back; for a one off fee of $20.00, (in five minutes)
which made the chiropractor I had been going too for two years look like a
quack by comparison.
I also have an open mind regarding weapons of mass
destruction, astrology, UFO’s and Pornography.
(Umm, ok, that’s a no but possibly, yes definitely, maybe
and why not – although I find some of it personally objectionable.)
So let’s be careful. They say what we eat is what we become.
Therefore, MacDonald’s for breakfast lunch and tea for eight
weeks is probably not a good idea
But, more than eating the wrong the foods, we can also read
the wrong content, watch the wrong movies, listen to the wrong songs and be
influenced against common sense logic by repeated memes in the News.
Some News articles are (surprise, surprise) not actually
designed to tell you the news.
“There is no such thing at this date of the world's
history in America
as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who
dare write your honest opinion and if you did you know beforehand that it would
never appear in print.
John Swinton, former Chief
of Staff for the New York Times from a speech at the New York Press Club in 1953
(Full quote here)
and locally;
….Spinning is spinning, of course. Every press secretary
will push favourable interpretations of the words and actions of his or her
employer….
…As one practitioner explains it: “In opposition you're
selling stuff. In government you're trying to convince people not to buy. In
opposition you beat everything up. In government you're trying to hose things
down….
…..”He never took his foot off your throat,” (Referring
to Mr. Howard – Ed.) says Spencer…..
…..It is about dominating the news cycle. Nothing is left to
chance…..
So when the Government says” This is for your own good” we
have to consider whether or not they mean it’s actually for our own good or if
the words came out of press release written for the minister from an industry
lobbyist.
For example – “the Government is watching the iiNet case
closely”.
Who was it that determined that iiNet should be the victim.
Who was it that determined that the company who provided the
infrastructure for the majority of file sharing in Australia,
Telstra, should not be the defendant in this case.
Telstra and iiNet have a common Modus Operandi. Both
companies think that the content companies should pay for requiring ISP’s to
act as defacto collection agents and police.
So far Australia
is still the lucky country.
The iiNet court case might change that.
Lies Heresy and Deception.
The other day, I attended one of those show and tell
exhibitions at a leading think-tank where the latest gadgets had been rolled
out for assessment of potential industry participation.
One that struck me as becoming very relevant – very very
soon, was a portable voice stress device that operated on a mobile phone.
I was asked to read approximately 30 words off the phones’
screen into the microphone and the device would measure my stress levels.
I did.
It did.
Wow! It was spot on with my hesitation, pronunciation and
stress level. Needs a little work – but – it’s nearly there…..
Maybe one day soon, a similar device will be installed on
all reporters phones at press conferences to gauge the honesty level of the
various press announcements.
Then we would know whether our newscasters are lying to us –
or at least – if not lying, what their real personal opinion is.
Can it be adapted to the internet to analyse word
association links to determine stress levels at the time of writing about the
rapidly approaching “End is Nigh” latest conspiracy?
I’m not sure. Possibly that software might be reserved for
three and four letter acronyms Government owned agencies that can discover
where the real trouble spots might be appearing.
Conclusion:
The Tree of Knowledge unfortunately is full of serpents keen
on convincing you of the truth of their viewpoint. Some serpents
wear suits and ties and have offices in London
circuit and have large expense accounts for buying Ministers lunch. Others wear
jeans and a T-shirt and have no business blogging.
Somewhere in between the opposing points of view is probably
the real truth.
Humans can no longer depend on the Government to “Tell them”
what to think any longer.
Mankind needs to learn, by itself, using common sense what
is real, what is a lie and what requires further additional proof.
Good luck with that and unfortunately I need to say the
following;
Until stress detectors become common-place – listening to
the news or reading some Internet Blogs can be hazardous to your logical
psychological well being.
Unfortunately, the Blogsphere is the only weapon against
commercially dictated news articles.
References:
Supersize Me
PRIME Minister Kevin
Rudd has learnt from what John Howard did and refined it. They run a
relentlessly efficient operation in running the news cycle. – Laurie Oakes
P2P – Power to People.
by Tom
Koltai at 09:06PM (EST) on April 15, 2009 Permanent
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