Sunday, November 12, 2006
The "Big Lie"
Unfortunately, the one topic that Jews of all backgrounds can discuss together is the Holocaust. In any exploration of the development of the Nazi Party, the effective use of propaganda figures prominently. Though government propaganda was commonly used in both authoritarian and democratic regimes alike, the Nazis had elevated the craft to new, frightening heights. They not only perfected existing propaganda methods, they also devised wholly new means of persuasion.
One example is the use of the “Big Lie”. Hitler wrote in his 1925 autobiography, Mein Kampf that Germany’s loss in World War One was actually a big lie propagated by Winston Churchill with the help of the Jewish owned press. If it was indeed a colossal lie, asked Hitler, how were the German people so badly duped? He explains that sometimes a huge lie is more believable than a small white lie. People reasoned that the press would never willfully destroy its reputation by printing such an overt lie, so it must be true. Ironically, Hitler employs the very same tactic by instead blaming the war on the greedy Jews.
When you think about it, Hitler was on to something. The New York Times has a greater capacity to fabricate lies than, say, the New York Post, because they assume airs of credibility. Our most trusted news sources and government officials could also be the most egregious liars (think Bush and the Iraq-9/11 connection).
Unfortunately, the one topic that Jews of all backgrounds can discuss together is the Holocaust. In any exploration of the development of the Nazi Party, the effective use of propaganda figures prominently. Though government propaganda was commonly used in both authoritarian and democratic regimes alike, the Nazis had elevated the craft to new, frightening heights. They not only perfected existing propaganda methods, they also devised wholly new means of persuasion.
One example is the use of the “Big Lie”. Hitler wrote in his 1925 autobiography, Mein Kampf that Germany’s loss in World War One was actually a big lie propagated by Winston Churchill with the help of the Jewish owned press. If it was indeed a colossal lie, asked Hitler, how were the German people so badly duped? He explains that sometimes a huge lie is more believable than a small white lie. People reasoned that the press would never willfully destroy its reputation by printing such an overt lie, so it must be true. Ironically, Hitler employs the very same tactic by instead blaming the war on the greedy Jews.
When you think about it, Hitler was on to something. The New York Times has a greater capacity to fabricate lies than, say, the New York Post, because they assume airs of credibility. Our most trusted news sources and government officials could also be the most egregious liars (think Bush and the Iraq-9/11 connection).
# posted by Jonathan Noble @ 10:40 PM 
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I dispute your contention that the NY Times fabricates lies to effect their agenda. I don't believe they have ever had an agenda.
There are striking parallels between the Nazi’s propaganda in the 1930s and 1940s, and the Bush administration’ propaganda today. The Bush administration learned from the Nazis to use fear to get the population to (willingly) give up their freedoms. The history of the Nazis is well known, so let’s look at what the Bushies have done. They repeatedly used fear of terror attacks to sell the public on giving up their civil rights with respect to warrant-less wiretapping of telephone calls and emails, torture, habeas corpus (Guantanamo), library records, nuclear mushroom clouds coming from Iraq, and on and on. This was right out of the Nazis playbook. Then, it was fear of the Jews, today, it’s fear of the Islamic terrorists.
Yes, the press today rolled over and never questioned the government’s actions. They abdicated their constitutional responsibility to investigate and hold government officials responsible for their actions. They were silenced by the threat of being accused of being traitors (it’s not surprising that the press rolled over since the press is corporate owned - NBC owned by GE, CNN/Time-Warner, ABC/Disney, CBS/Viacom, and Fox is Fox, and the corporate owners supported the oil grab in Iraq).
Let’s not loose sight of the fact that the lies came from the Bushies, not from the NY Times. Make no mistake about that. The NY Times may have rolled-over (eg, Judith Miller), but they did not create the lies or the policies.
Blaming the press for the assault on our constitutional rights the past six years is misplaced blame. The electorate finally got it right last week.
There are striking parallels between the Nazi’s propaganda in the 1930s and 1940s, and the Bush administration’ propaganda today. The Bush administration learned from the Nazis to use fear to get the population to (willingly) give up their freedoms. The history of the Nazis is well known, so let’s look at what the Bushies have done. They repeatedly used fear of terror attacks to sell the public on giving up their civil rights with respect to warrant-less wiretapping of telephone calls and emails, torture, habeas corpus (Guantanamo), library records, nuclear mushroom clouds coming from Iraq, and on and on. This was right out of the Nazis playbook. Then, it was fear of the Jews, today, it’s fear of the Islamic terrorists.
Yes, the press today rolled over and never questioned the government’s actions. They abdicated their constitutional responsibility to investigate and hold government officials responsible for their actions. They were silenced by the threat of being accused of being traitors (it’s not surprising that the press rolled over since the press is corporate owned - NBC owned by GE, CNN/Time-Warner, ABC/Disney, CBS/Viacom, and Fox is Fox, and the corporate owners supported the oil grab in Iraq).
Let’s not loose sight of the fact that the lies came from the Bushies, not from the NY Times. Make no mistake about that. The NY Times may have rolled-over (eg, Judith Miller), but they did not create the lies or the policies.
Blaming the press for the assault on our constitutional rights the past six years is misplaced blame. The electorate finally got it right last week.
I'm only making the point that it's within the NYT's capacity to purport big lies, not necessarily that they do so.
Sure, I agree with your point that it's within the NYT's or any other news organization's capacity to purport big lies.
But I would add that all of the major print and TV news organizations of all editorial leanings, with the exception of FOX News, have always operated with a degree of journalistic integrity and I don't believe they've ever just made-up lies. They've often been timid and lazy in their investigative reporting on the government, and have often been intimidated by the government. The reporting on the run-up to the war in Iraq shows this clearly.
Fox News "purports big lies" on a daily basis.
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But I would add that all of the major print and TV news organizations of all editorial leanings, with the exception of FOX News, have always operated with a degree of journalistic integrity and I don't believe they've ever just made-up lies. They've often been timid and lazy in their investigative reporting on the government, and have often been intimidated by the government. The reporting on the run-up to the war in Iraq shows this clearly.
Fox News "purports big lies" on a daily basis.
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