Liberty Blitzkrieg – by Michael Krieger
I warned everybody about this in several posts last week. How some of the worst cretins rummaging around the carcass of American freedom and democracy instantaneously began salivating ferociously at the opportunity to look heroic by coming out in opposition to a grossly exaggerated Nazi threat hyped up by the corporate media. The events in Charlottesville presented such a tremendous opportunity for sleazy people in power to preposterously frame themselves as “speaking truth to power,” I knew they’d milk it for all it’s worth. Days later, and they’re still doing it.
Of course, the “journalists” of corporate media, i.e., public relations stenographers for billionaires, are doing everything they can to push this ridiculous narrative. Unsurprisingly, The New York Times has helped lead the charge, with David Gelles penning an article on Saturday that has to be one of the most revolting pieces of shameless propaganda ever composed in the english language.
The article, titled The Moral Voice of Corporate America, should be etched in stone and thrown into time capsule so generations hundreds of years from now can accurately comprehend just how absurdist things had become by mid-2017 — the waning years of the hopelessly stupid American empire. A time when everybody enthusiastically lost their minds in a manic and desperate effort to avoid stark reality.
Although the article is legitimately unreadable, as students of how the media manipulates the attitudes of the general public, we can’t simply ignore it. I’ll limit my use of excerpts, as I genuinely feel nauseous sharing any of it. The first few paragraphs show you all you need to see.
The nation has split into political tribes. The culture wars are back, waged over transgender rights and immigration. White nationalists are on the march.
This is why we appreciate The New York Times. The paper’s measured take on the true state of America helps keep us all measured and grounded in reality.
Amid this turbulence, a surprising group of Americans is testing its moral voice more forcefully than ever: C.E.O.s.
After Nazi-saluting white supremacists rioted in Charlottesville, Va., and President Trump dithered in his response, a chorus of business leaders rose up this past week to condemn hate groups and espouse tolerance and inclusion. And as lawmakers in Texas tried to restrict the rights of transgender people to use public bathrooms, corporate executives joined activists to kill the bill.
These and other actions are part of a broad recasting of the voice of business in the nation’s political and social dialogue, a transformation that has gained momentum in recent years as the country has engaged in fraught debates over everything from climate change to health care.
In recent days, after the Charlottesville bloodshed, the chief executive of General Motors, Mary T. Barra, called on people to “come together as a country and reinforce values and ideals that unite us — tolerance, inclusion and diversity.”
Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan said, “The equal treatment of all people is one of our nation’s bedrock principles.”
David Sirota had the best response yet to the above.
https://twitter.com/davidsirota/status/899363436500365312
There’s a concerted effort going on to frame the very people the American public should be united against, as the last remaining brave and heroic bulwark against hordes of marching neo-Nazis about to take over the country. In addition to being incredibly sleazy, intentional and dishonest, it’s also a clever diversion tactic to keep our eyes off the ball.
If CEOs were such heroes where were they while the NSA was trampling all over the Bill of Rights? Why did we have to wait for Edward Snowden to find out about all those unconstitutional surveillance programs. Blowing the whistle on that would’ve demonstrated real courage, unlike condemning Nazis, which everyone can do with zero risk to themselves or their careers.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we all know what happens to people who actually talk truth to power in the U.S. They end up in asylum or in jail.
Just a slightly different outcome awaits corporate criminals when they destroy millions of lives with their corruption and fraud. The phrase “too big to jail” comes to mind, and there’s nothing heroic about that.
In Liberty,
Michael Krieger
Read
“Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work”
by Paul Babiak and Robert D. Hare
https://www.amazon.com/Snakes-Suits-When-Psychopaths-Work/dp/0061147893/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1503422338&sr=1-1&keywords=snakes+in+suits