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meatcleaver -> RE: Japan not the aggressor in WWII (11/6/2008 1:08:24 AM)
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Rather ironically there was an American documentary, I repeat, an American, documentary on Belgium TV yesterday called 'Make War Easÿ'. It illustrated how American politicians have repeated lied to promote wars and the American mainstream media collaborated in those lies while any desenting voice was sidelined by being accused of being unAmerican, unpatriotic or too old and stupid in the head. War and militarism has become such a part of US policy that American Presidents use it for cover because if you are a good American you just don't criticize ther Commander in Chief in times of war. MSBC's Donahue was one of the main desenting voices and showed how it was tried repeatedly to keep him quiet.
It was illustrated several times that when it comes to promoting wars, American journalists and media become part of the Whitehouse propaganda machine. For example, when Colin Powell gave out the evidence that Saddam had WMDs, all the mainstream media in America said Powell had put forward so many facts the charge against Saddam was irrefutable. Even the New York Times agreed, Powell had produced evidence. The American Broadcast media had turned into a mob and lost all decorum in declaring Saddam having WMDs. The documentary then produced European newspapers printed on the same day as the American ones and all refuted the evidence Powell had given with checkable facts where possible, the rediculous sources of his evidence and an analysis of his language and how he was trying to hoodwink people that didn't listen hard enough.
The documentary also analysed how war had become part of the enetertainment industry and how as each war is fought, there are programmes or part of the news given over to analysing (and salivating over: my term) ever newer technological weapons. It also analysed how America was taught to differentiate between the morality of killing. Becoming a human bomb and killing a mass of innocent people is evil, killing a mass of innocent people from 30,000 feet, irrelevent. It also pointed out with each war through the century, technology (as is the myth in America) does not kill less innocent victims. WWI, 10% of victims were civilians, WWII, 50% victims were civilians, Vietnam 70% of victims were civilians, Iraq 90% of victims were civilians.
This sort of collaboration between the Whitehouse and the tamed mainstream media occurred throughout the post war period from Korea, right through to Iraq and every war inbetween. As one talking head said 'We have become what we claim to despise, an Empire.'
This was a 100% American documentary and featured no Europeans, either in the making of the documentary, its production or featured in the documentary itself. It was sober and informative in its analysis and seemed pretty well balanced in its presentation.
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