In previous columns, I have mentioned two of the most detrimental aspects of U.S. society - the fact that we live in constant fear of evil people attacking us and that we live our lives based on the pursuit of wealth and status.
But how have these two ideas come to dominate our psyches?
The answer is quite simple. Fear and consumerism are the natural and functional products of the mainstream media, and the interests that they represent.
Fear and consumerism keep many U.S. citizens completely pacified in the face of the grave injustices that are being committed all over the world - not only by our government, but by U.S. businesses as well. Our pacification allows the elite economic and political interests of our country to perpetuate their domination over the rest of the world.
First, the mainstream media almost solely rely on statements from the White House to obtain information about international issues. This is why the language of White House news releases and conferences is characterized by euphemisms and generalizations.
The war in Iraq was dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom not because bringing Iraqis freedom was the main goal of the operation, but because that sounds a lot better than something like Operation Illegal Invasion Based on Shaky Intelligence.
Because it is the job of policymakers to gain support for their agendas, it is understandable that they rely on euphemisms instead of cold, concrete language. But it is the job of the media to analyze and evaluate these policies and not simply regurgitate them as truth.
It is downright irresponsible for a news network like Fox News to give its coverage of the war the same name - Operation Iraqi Freedom - as the already illusory name used by the wagers of said war.
The media also share in the fear-inducing devices and language employed by the government. The best example of this since the attacks of Sept. 11 has been the creation of the Terror Alert System.
With this system, the U.S. government has attempted to control the level of our fear - sometimes low, sometimes elevated - but always present. My mom, for instance, is always checking the running lines at the bottom of the television to see how scared she should be.
Furthermore, when the media are not attempting to scare us, they instead try to sell us things. When we are not worried about dying, the media make sure we are worried about having the right body type, the right kind of car and the right kind of hamburger - and this, of course, creates the wrong body type.
We might think that we are coerced into consuming only through commercials, but any time we are viewing television, are watching a movie or are listening to mainstream music, we are being bombarded by messages and requests to be, think and buy a certain way.
Fear and consumerism share a shocking amount of characteristics.
They contribute to our pacification as political subjects. When we are concerned only with our protection and our material worth, we have little time to think about - let alone actively participate in - our democratic system. We might think if we vote for one of two corporate stooges every four years, we are doing our civic duty, but we have much more power than that.
We can voice our opinions to our representatives in Congress. We can make use of independent media sources, which do not water down complicated issues into rehearsed talking points and 30-second sound bites. We can join grassroots political organizations that make marginalized opinions more powerful.
When we don't take these actions, we are playing into the hands of the forces which created our pacification in the first place - corporations and their political allies in both parties who profit both politically and economically from our fear and consumption.
For example, NBC is owned by General Electric, one of the biggest corporations in the world and one of the U.S. government's largest defense contractors. GE makes money not only when we watch the news and buy appliances, but also when we go to war to alleviate our fears of Islamic terrorists.
Corporations like GE do not just vote every four years. They typically make up the most active and powerful lobbies in Washington, supporting and financing politicians of both parties and being rewarded through corporate welfare and preferential tax treatment.
When our lives are dominated by fear and material desires, we cannot keep corporations and politicians from molding the world to their liking. If we want to stop the violence and exploitation that these institutions create, we must organize and educate ourselves so that we can decide what kind of world we want.
- Danny Burridge is a senior political science major. Send him an e-mail at db134102@ohiou.edu.
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Danny Burridge
