Participation propaganda pattern
I've read a lot of technical publications in the WW1 era, in the context of building digital models of antique crap. I'm constantly immersed in WW2/Korea era radio. I lived through all the more recent wars.

These inputs started to create a pattern of sorts. Specifically, I've noticed that the ROAR of all-consuming propaganda for WW3 is identical to the ROAR for WW1. In both cases, the propaganda fills not just the mass media but tech stuff. In WW1, every automotive and electrical and agricultural trade journal was PACKED with pro-war propaganda. In WW3, websites like Wired and ArsTechnica are PACKED with pro-war propaganda.

There was no ROAR in WW2. In fact the radio coverage, while maintaining a pro-Allied attitude, was careful to include our failings along with our strong points, and constantly emphasized that both sides were emitting propaganda.

I decided to assemble a table of the major wars that USA STRONG has participated in, starting with WW1.

Name of war	Aggressor	Reason	Participation justified?	Propaganda needed?
WW1	Krauts	Europe felt froggy	NO	YES
WW2	Krauts, Japs	Insane emperor-worship	YES	NO
Korea	China*	Expand China's power	NO	NO
Vietnam	China*	Expand China's power	NO	YES
Iraq 1	Iraq	Expand Saddam's power	NO	YES
Iraq 2,Afghan	Unknown*	Unknown*	NO	YES
WW3	USA STRONG	Putin and Muslims have insulted Our Prophet Satan!	NO	YES

Focus on the last two columns, US Participation and US Propaganda. With one exception, it's a pretty good correlation. We ROAR when ordinary Americans understand that the war is wrong. When ordinary Americans see the war as justified, there's no need to ROAR.

Korea is the exception. Our war machine and war mindset were still running strong, so Truman could just pop the clutch to get it underway again. No propaganda at all. TV, radio and magazines from the period contain EXACTLY ZERO mention of Korea, and no insults against the North Koreans. There is an occasional generic mention of "our current military activity" or similar phrases.

Also, the draftable generation had been undisciplined while growing up because Dad was fighting and Mom was making airplanes. Result was a tremendous crime wave by teenagers after 1947. These youngsters may have felt the need for Army discipline, and their parents certainly did.

= = = = =

Footnotes:

China was the aggressor in both Korea and Vietnam, but our leaders chose to portray both as anti-Russia wars. Russia had no problem with this portrayal because we were keeping China nicely occupied AND we were damaging our own culture. Our leaders were incidentally helping Russian interests, so Russia was happy to keep our suicide going.

The Iraq2 & Afghan wars were portrayed as necessary because 9/11. We still don't know who actually aggressed or why. We know who piloted the weapons, but we have no idea who ordered or commissioned the pilots. Maybe Saudi, maybe Israel, maybe FBI. The simplest assumption is that Goldman Sachs commissioned the attack to destroy their competitor Cantor Fitzgerald, since Cantor was in fact the prime target.

Possibly a later generation will be permitted to learn these facts, but I doubt it. The one thing we know for sure is that Iraq and Afghanistan were only marginally and indirectly involved in the attack, so our "response" in those countries was effectively an unprovoked aggression on our part. Some other war may well have been justified, but those wars weren't.


Thus a simple rule of thumb: When you see Lusitanias, you know the war is unjustified.

.... Later thought here.

Labels: STRONG!

  ¶ 4:09 AM