The Citadel’s Walls Crumble

April 14th, 2016

Awake Goy

I recall an analyst predicting that the internet will soon separate the informed (barons) from the dumb (peasants). I could see where he was coming from, but in the 1980s it was no more than theory. It is time to put his prophecy to the test.

Without doubt the emerging intelligentsia is internet savvy. The cognoscentes harvest their information from diverse, often opposing sources. The dumb are those hooked on mainstream media. One grudgingly concedes Winston Churchill was right:

The best argument against democracy is a five minutes conversation with the average voter.

If you can remove the average voter from commenting on sports or celebrity matters, you get a repeat of last night’s BBC or CNN news broadcast. In other words, he doesn’t have an opinion so he reflects news fed to him by people he doesn’t know.

When browsing online media’s readers’ comments there is marked separation between those who draw on diverse sources for their information and those still dependent upon mainstream news.

Does it matter? Yes it does, because like it or not, mainstream media still shape public opinion. This leaves the rest of us preaching to the already converted, so little change can be expected.

In terms of comparison, think of the political and financial elite safe in their fortress; the citadel’s walls and turrets are Press and Police. We, the peasants bleakly tap on the impregnable walls whilst those inside do their worst.

Last year, the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism put out its The State of the News Media 2011 report which found that more Americans now get their news from online sources rather than from print sources. And, even though traditional newspapers are increasingly making the migration online, they are still losing $7 in print ads for every dollar in online ads they gain.

The cracks are appearing as media is obliged to concede pretence of mirroring broad opinion. This acts as an antidote to the elite’s propaganda. It is heartening to see the better informed making valid points in reader or viewer response.

Opinion, like satire, can be expressed indirectly. For example the Daily Mail disables account of any who question the holocaust. However, each holocaust lie attracts readers’ red arrows great in number. Their point is made, which isn’t lost on editorial or the dumbed-down sheeple.

The tide is turning; media’s influence is waning, a trend that can be accelerated. Whenever you see, read or watch anything that runs counter to media’s narrative share and encourage others to share. Let us take for example a YouTube or Renegade article you find illuminating.

Send the link to 100 people or share on social media. Your message should be: “Hi, I found this interesting; perhaps you have an opinion on it? If you like it ~ pass it on.”

If 1,000 share the article or YouTube created by one person, this enlightens 100,000 and more people. In this way we finally smash through the citadel’s walls.