The Best Ten List: Political Spin Gone Mad?
The Best Ten Political Media Spins
The government’s style wording or “spin” is trying to alter your reality. Take a look at the cleaver doublespeak being used to warp our senses:
10. Global glacier ice melt (see image), 1.4 °F increase in earth’s temp. in 100 years, nearly 40% higher CO2 levels the Earth has seen in 400,000 years (see image) = “Bush: There is not enough evidence for this ‘climate change’ (sounds better than global warming) to warrant any policy.”
9. Illegal wiretaps, removal of civil liberties, constitutional manipulation and seizure of assets = “The Patriot Act” (so if you oppose it, are you unpatriotic?)
8. Oh s^#t, I am starting to lose popularity = “Fox News reports: New terror threat on America!”
7. Muslim extremists that commit suicide by bombing = “Self-Injurious Behavior Incident” (That has a nicer ring than suicide bomber.)
6. American Soldiers with double leg amputees, life long mental disability and complete paralyzation = “Wounded”
5. We still have no real alternative to our addiction to oil, or the lobbyists of the oil industry won’t release the puppet strings = “We’re staying the course”
4. Waterboarding, imprisonment, desecration, removal of all human rights and sexual harassment = “Debriefing”
3. American politicians who wage war on unsuspecting countries for natural resource control = “Spreading Democracy”
2. Two separate parties waging war against each other for political control within the same country = “Sectarian Violence” (Are you sure it is not Civil War, definition provided below.)
A civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight for political power or control of an area. Political scientists use two criteria: the warring groups must be from the same country and fighting for control of the political center, control over a separatist state or to force a major change in policy. The second criterion is that at least 1,000 people must have been killed in total, with at least 100 from each side. - Wikipedia.com
And my favorite:
1. We are not done — well, not even close to done — actually we are failing miserably = “Mission Accomplished”
1 Comment so far
Leave a reply
New Scientist
The Onion
Media Matters
Newsvine
Associated Press
A political media spin used by Bush and his administration for today’s faltering economy can be added to this post’s Best Ten List — and that’s Bush’s belief that the economy is “going to come on.” and “It’s just a slowdown.” Bush is out of touch with reality. Duh! Take one example: More needed relief like additional unemployment benefits at this time — Bush: don’t need it.
Bush is always on the upbeat that things are either okay or will soon become okay. Not at all bad; there is no recession. After hearing the president’s upbeat pep talks after pep talks — one begins to wonder if Bush is taking uppers? Who is his dealer? Maybe the rest of the country can join his euphoria by doping up on the same shit.
It’s not just Bush. His administration is looking through the same rose-colored glasses as they spin heavenly “assurances” to the American public that the economy is strong and keeps getting stronger. Vice President Dick Cheney, as Bush’s cheer leader, has used the boy scout spin of “the economy is going through a rough patch.” Rough patch, indeed.
Why check out this spin doctor stuff? Because the economy is sure to be the major issue in the upcoming Presidential election. Recall that Bush’s father and the Republicans were defeated for his father’s reelection. The reason given? –”Why, it’s the economy, stupid!” Sooo, take two.
–30–