Monday, August 01, 2016
How the symmetry works
Just firmed up another piece of the Switchover. I've been trying to pin this down. Returning to VOA as a news source led to a more precise thought....
Before 1989, especially in the '60s, opposition elements in Eastern Europe used America as a point of reference. American propagandists in VOA and RFE understood this and 'linked' to it emotionally. They didn't issue any crude pro-American propaganda or instructions for rebellion. They just gave news with little bias, CONFIDENT that the American EXAMPLE would give these opposition groups a magnetic pole.
Now that the Bloc is the other way around, Russian propaganda is doing the same thing. Russia didn't develop the various opposition movements in USA STRONG and EU, but
most of these movements look to Russia as a point of reference. Russian propaganda outlets emphatically DO NOT favor these movements. As I noted earlier with some frustration, RT and Sputniknews sound a lot like CNN or NBC.
Symmetry. RT doesn't NEED to favor the Populists. RT only needs to remind us that Russia itself is nationalist, that Putin is popular because he defends Russia's people instead of Israel or Saudi or Goldman. RT simply sends news of Russia with little bias, CONFIDENT that the Russian EXAMPLE will give us a magnetic pole.
Empires create a narrative of inevitability. All of the Imperial evils are stated as Facts Of Nature, as automatic consequences of the arrow of history. When you can see that life outside the Empire is not only possible but ACTUAL AND NORMAL, you have more hope.
¶ 1:48 AM 
