No doubt many are disheartened by the recent “debt ceiling” fiasco, and the “failure” of Democratic politicians to champion and protect the unemployed, poor and struggling lower middle classes. We have just witnessed a “deal” being driven by the radical far right in which there is zero pain for the rich and well off and all the costs will be added to the shoulders of the less well off and struggling.
Well, we could dwell on that question endlessly, but here’s my take on it and what we should be doing in response.
The far right radicals of US politics have the power and influence that they have, not by virtue of numbers. They are a relatively small minority both in terms of population and active voters. The matter that needs addressing is how this radical minority has accrued and wielded such power, out of proportion to their numbers
They have that accrued power by virtue of the fact that our politics are being “framed” in the mass media i.e. presented in such a way, that their point of view becomes “acceptable” and to a degree “accepted”.
A classic recent example, which many have noted in the Daily Kos, is the “reframing” of the “rich” as “job creators” and “wealth creators”. Clearly the rich are not job creators, they are profit takers. That is their primary focus, to increase their own wealth. They don’t care where they make the profit. They are not the slightest bit interested in creating jobs in the USA. If they can make their profit in India, China or one of the multitude of the world’s low wage countries that will gladly welcome their investment, that’s where the rich invest. So the constant Republican mantra that we must not “hurt” the “job creators/rich” is pure fiction that sees the “wealth creator” happily fly off in his government subsidized private jet to invest elsewhere.
But this only one example of distorted “framing” Another example comes in reference to discussions on taxes. Over an over we hear the “lie” that half of Americans pay no taxes. While this statement is true in terms of federally collected income tax it is not true of the whole tax burden that fall on all of us. State income taxes, Social Security contributions (employee's share), property taxes, federal and state tobacco taxes, federal and state alcohol taxes, federal and state gasoline taxes, and state sales taxes are all unavoidable and fall equally on the poor and the rich. The fact is, that as the rich pay less and less tax overall relative to their income and the rest of us pick up the tab in the welter of non-income taxes levied.
These are only two examples of how political agendas and debates are being hijacked by distorted framing, giving far right radicals influence and power beyond their numerical strength. Meanwhile similar meaningless mantras like ‘tax cuts produce jobs”, ”small government, is good government” and “no regulation, is good regulation” proliferate.
The question is then how do we stop this distorted framing from occurring. The primary vehicle for creation and dissemination of distorted framing is the mass media. So the changes that must occur have to be achieved in this area.
The task wont be a simple one as the mass media is in the grip of the rich and powerful. That grip must be broken.
The first and simplest step in breaking the power of the mass media is to stop consuming it. Mass media depends for its profitability on advertising revenue. Ad revenue is tied directly to consumption either as audience reach in terms of broadcast media or as circulation in terms of print media. Stop consuming the products of mass media and you take away its power.
Easier said than done I hear you say. Not true. There are many forms of what I would call anti mass media now emerging strongly and we must adopt these. Make our own online media, by building our own blogs, Facebook commentaries, Tweets, and Youtube videos. It’s simple. By giving each citizen an open invitation to blog with you, to discuss with you, to open up a relationship, we can begin to dismantle the power of mass media. Join me in my eccentricity of consuming no more than 30 minutes of television per day. Refuse to buy hard copy newspapers and pay-walled online content.
This is a first step to hitting the media barons where it hurts, in the hip pocket.
In further installments I will address other essential steps to take like reversing the “buying” of government by industrial scale lobbying of Congress, clearing out corruption from our civil institutions and reasserting the concept of government being “for the people” as opposed to being for corporation and their massively overpaid hired help