Trying To Hold Back The Inevitable Change
I finally got around to watching the Sasha Baron Cohen speech
where he argues for censorship of social media. Well, part of it anyway. Part
of me couldn’t help agreeing with him when he was describing how hateful ideas
are allowed to spread in an un-policed atmosphere. But the better part of me
kept asking, “Instead of trying to battle the hateful narratives, why aren’t
you helping to build a better narrative?” Because a better world is not brought
about by tearing down all that is bad, it is brought about by ambitious,
beautiful, truthful creation.
Cohen defends the work he has done, saying that by going
under cover he uses characters to expose the inner darkness in the human psyche.
He pretends to be a Kazakhstani in order to lead people in a anti-Semitic song.
He pretends to be a homosexual at an MMA fight in order to expose whatever
homophobia exists within the crowd. I don’t consider myself very knowledgeable
about Mr. Cohen, but I don’t find what he does to be elevating.
For one thing, the line between what is real and what is
staged in Cohen's work is very blurred. How many people in a given crowd are plants that are
there to incite the crowd in whatever direction Cohen wants them to go? The impression I get from watching his work is that he does not wish to expose the unpleasant underbelly of American politics so much as get a laugh at the expense of the uneducated. I'd like to point out that social media has had no part to play in their lack of education.
For me, Sasha Baron Cohen is pretty representative of the
media he feels should instruct society. At no point while listening to Cohen talking
about the dangers of social media (read free speech for non-sanctioned voices) did
I ever once hear him question the official media. Nowhere does he blame it for
building Donald Trump into a celebrity for the last thirty years. Nor did he
mention the media’s incessant coverage of Candidate Trump at the expense of Bernie
Sanders. The choice he sees is between the status quo and inevitable fascism.
Only CNN and MSNBC, only Trevor Noah, John Oliver, and Sasha himself, are
worthy of steering humanity to the best of all possible futures. Like most everyone else in corporate media, there is little self-reflection. I guess when someone is paid to apply your makeup, there is little need for a mirror.
But the official, the sanctioned, the approved, the
corporate media, has done more to promote fascism and mix fact with fiction than
could ever be achieved by even the most ardent of hate groups on social media.
Most of the hate speech you find on social media is from those who have been
raised on corporate media, a media that feeds ignorance, kills empathy, and sanctions
violence. The heroes our media has given us solve problems with guns. It sanctifies
all violent actions by wrapping them in the American flag, and never fails to
support whatever war our government is pushing. The media creates a landscape
where intelligent and respectful conversation is not to be found and where
violence is inevitably the solution to every conflict. If this is not a
breeding ground for fascism, what is? It teaches us that every talent, from
cooking to dancing to surviving on an island, is a competition where only the
strong and ruthless claw their way to the top. Your goal is not to cooperate
and coexist, it is to survive and conquer. Fascism, much? Seeking to silence hate speech on social media is like cutting
at the head of the hydra while the corporate media heart remains untouched.
Corporate media is not a solution to any of our problems, it
is the problem for which we must find solutions. Solutions will only be found
outside the corporate media, can only be found by those unwilling to confine
themselves to the approved talking points the media tolerates.
There are many intelligent and fearless voices that will not
be found in corporate media. The messages of Caitlin Johnstone, Jimmy Dore,
Danny Haiphong, Glen Ford, Aaron Maté, Greg Palast and Glenn Greenwald (just a
few of my favorites) are shared by caring citizens on social media to spread
facts and viewpoints that never see the light of day on a mainstream media
intent on fomenting hatred for liberals or conservatives, depending on which
media you consume.
Of course, there is risk involved in change. There is the
potential for things actually getting worse once the established narrative is
overthrown. But we have to understand that the established narrative is
speeding towards crisis on multiple fronts and it has no answers to any of the
problems. It cheerleads our reckless steps away from discussions and agreements
with other nations regarding nuclear weapons, it ignores or downplays the environmental
destruction our economic system is at the root of, turns a blind eye to homelessness
and incarceration. It excuses whatever takes power away from
average citizens and gives it to powerful interests, saying it is done in the name of freedom. Corporate media is, in short, a fantasy world. Its cinema
is juvenile and violent, its music crude and sexual. Its reporting is
non-factual, angry, and intolerant of dissent. The only voices allowed to speak are
those in the media and class bubble who are utterly disconnected from
the lives of the common citizen.
Change can only come from outside that bubble, and those
within the bubble, clueless as they otherwise might be, are at least aware of
that. And so they are busy attempting to silence voices that give the lie to
who they are and what they are doing.
Social media gives a voice to the voiceless, provides
community to those who can find no source of community in a media that is
decadent and pushes consumerism as the solution to humanity’s problems.
Undoubtedly there are unsavory interests on the internet seeking to garner
support for their opinions. As bad as they may in fact be, they are not the
biggest threat at the moment. If tomorrow actual fascists were to take control
of our media, I cannot think of a single news reporter or talk show host who
would not show up the next day and read the script put in front of them. We already
have a media that glorifies war and violence, is mostly silent as the police become
increasingly militarized and unaccountable, and wishes to silence any voice that
disagrees with the official narrative. Corporate media is not the cure for fascism,
it is fascism in a fairly advanced state.
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