I'm an observant of the effect the corporate media conglomerate has on the population. I've come to see it as a low-level, generalized, and tenuous type of brainwashing, or mind-control. It's really amazing how effective it is, and how very specific and one-sided type of messaging and ethos are constantly being bombarded into our senses, surreptitiously.
As I think about this, I often wonder what would it take for sane, reality-based people to use the same media outlets to counteract the very damaging effects of the American corporate-owned media.
This is a "thought experiment" about the subject...
One of the most impactful and thorough explanations about the root cause of the wholesale corruption in our entire system of government, starting in cities, then states, and at national level is the Moyers & Company report titled United States of ALEC:
A national consortium of state politicians and powerful corporations, ALEC presents itself as a “nonpartisan public-private partnership”. But behind that mantra lies a vast network of corporate lobbying and political action aimed to increase corporate profits at public expense without public knowledge.
A pioneering source for the unveiling of this corporate-fascist organization, ALEC, is
ALEC Exposed, a project of the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD):
Through the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council, global corporations and state politicians vote behind closed doors to try to rewrite state laws that govern your rights. These so-called "model bills" reach into almost every area of American life and often directly benefit huge corporations.
Another true pioneer who has done in-depth research and has participated in several street-level protest to
expose ALEC is Bob Sloan.
So a lot of legwork has already been accomplished. How does one then take this effort to the next step: making sure that the true nature of the corporate-fascist organization, ALEC, is widely understood by the general public.
About a very high profile, focused, and long-lasting media and educational campaign totally financed through a distributed grassroots crowd funding effort?
Here's how I would do it... I would contact Bob Sloan, the people at Center for Media and Democracy, and the people at Moyers & Company to find out what it would take to design some sort of seminar or presentation series around the country. A possible format would be to first show the Moyers & Company report, United States of ALEC, followed by an informative, and interesting presentation delivered by a dynamic and engaging speaker, ending with a clear set of recommended actions people attending the seminar could take.
Once all that is is done, then we'll move to the next step: advertising and promoting the seminar, nationwide. Okay, so someone calls The New York Times, or The San Francisco Chronicle, or The Los Angeles Times, and finds out the cost of a full-page ad. Let's coordinate an eight week campaign effort (on Sundays) prior to each presentation.
So the New York Times give you a quote for a full page, eight-week (Sundays) campaign, and then the organizers reach out to the public using the crowd funding method. There are several organizations, including GoFundMe.
It would be important that 100% of the proceeds be spent on the project, so the accounting of the donations has to be totally transparent...
Once the funds are raised and accounted for (in total transparency), then the media campaign is paid for, and a beautiful, impactful and informative full-page ad is published for the next eight weeks prior to the first seminar.
There could be media campaigns on TV as well. One could call the ABC affiliate in San Francisco (channel 7) and ask for a quote and then raise the funds, and launch the campaign.
Yes, I know, there are several other details like the renting and/or selection of the venue (about a hotel conference room or ballroom, depending on how many people register to attend), and the materials for the presentation, and maybe covering the costs or time of the presenters, etc. But all that stuff can be worked out.
The seminar advertising messaging would need to be very persuasive, interesting, and attention-grabbing. "Did you lose your home due to robo-signing fraud perpetrated by Wells Fargo? Attend this seminar and find out exactly how it happened, and most importantly how to punish the politicians who let it happened?" I don't know, something like that, or something different, but I'm sure an expert team of seasoned advertising and marketing people could come up with the perfect messaging.
This model could be replicated for all kinds of different areas of social and economic and environmental justice activism, targeting criminal neo-fascist corporate cartels in the Financial, Oil/Energy, Big-box Retail, and other industries, and the prostrated money-grabbing politicians doing their bidding, for personal gain.
What would I give to one day turn the TV on in the SF Bay Area and watch a very high quality and professionally produced 30-second ad for an event like this? Or buying The New York Times, or The San Francisco Chronicle and see a very creative, colorful one-page ad? And then start seeing these types of ad campaigns proliferate across the country on a regular basis? And of course, let's not forget social network ad campaigns, and SEO online campaigns, etc., all funded through the crowd funding method.
A different world is possible. Any doubt you may have about the work-ability of this type of concept is the direct result of an induced and manufactured apathy paid for by the fascist billionaires funding the current propaganda machine that is the American mainstream media.
Want to get inspired? Check out these "Occupy Posters."
So if anybody decides to attempt something like this, hit me up. I can help in a lot of ways; I would make the first donation, and can also help with advertising, marketing, and website development tasks. Contact: contact@raypensador.com
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“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”
- Frederick Douglass
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