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The Forum > General Discussion > 'Intellectual prostitutes'?

'Intellectual prostitutes'?

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John Swinton was the former Chief of staff of the New York Times in 1953 and was revered by his peers as being one of the best."The Dean of his Profession"

John Swinton,"There is no such thing ,at this date of the world's history,in America,as an independent press.You know it and I know it.There is not one of you who dares write your honest opinions,and if you did,you know beforehand that it would never appear in print.

The business of journalists is to destroy the truth;to lie outright to pervert;to vilify;to fawn at the feet of mammon and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread.

We are the tools and vassals of rich men.We are jumping jacks,they pull the strings and we dance.Our talents,our possibilities,and our lives are all the property of other men.We are intellectual prositutes."

If the power of the corporate elite was so great then,what must be it now when even the US Govt is cowered into submission by threatened bankruptcy and an all powerful Federal Reserve that seems intent on destroying the world economy with more cyber money?

My question is this;Can the WEB with the aid of sites like OLO educate the general population before real disaster strikes? Even back then John Swinton acknowledged the power of money but they cannot buy the multitude of sites we can now access on the WEB.
Posted by Arjay, Sunday, 26 April 2009 9:44:14 PM
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Arjay,

I find the question of the value of the Internet a very interesting one.

There is no doubt that, here in China for example, the Internet has impacted very largely and positively. Unlike people in the West, the majority of Chinese realise that newspapers reflect certain viewpoints and are not objective sources.

Access to the Internet, and the ability to post therein has had an enormous effect.

However, like every new phenomena, I think the Net is a two edged sword. The very freedom that enables the truth to be told also opens the floodgates to people with unbalanced personal agenda; those with limited experience in recognising such; mischievous trouble-makers; the ignorant; and just plain crazies.

People with anti-social ideas; fundamentalists of every creed; those who hold views which, in previous times, would never find a platform, can find support, open blogs and gain credibility and acceptance through those of similar beliefs. One only has to think of paedophiliac rings which flourish through the net, to see how this works.

So I remain unsure of whether, in the fullness of time, we will have cause to curse or condone this Pandora's Box we have opened.

Personally, I, like millions of others, rejoice wholeheartedly in the unbelievably wide avenues to academic research that my computer allows me to stroll down.

But the kind of person who once believed everything in print was the truth is unlikely, I think, to be able to discern between the dross and the gold strewn before them on the world wide web.
Posted by Romany, Monday, 27 April 2009 2:54:48 AM
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I think too many people go around calling the populous sheep, lemmings, need waking up and other such descriptions. I personally think most people are pretty aware of what's going on Arjay, it's just they have no idea how to change it and don't really want to. They go along to their voting booths at election time and just tick boxes knowing that one box smells like dung and the other like - well dung.

Like you, I've read so much about the corruption in our system of society and the injustices performed every single day, but no where have I read, heard, seen a way to change it, nor can I think myself how to change it. Do "you" have any ideas?

The problem has gotten so big and out of hand, I don't think there's an easy answer, nihilism comes to mind. Most people are just happy going about their lives with the measly scraps they're thrown without ever questioning change, they're afraid things might be worse for them if they rock the boat. As long as they can have a roof over their heads, a belly full of food and their favourite sporting event on TV, then anything else is just an inconvenient truth best left for someone else to worry about. Until those things are threatened directly, they won't even consider upsetting the status quo.

About the web. All over the world people have been talking about this for eons, but no ones going to stand up and fight, they're all waiting for someone else to start, though recently I feel things have begun to heat up but I have no idea when the pot will boil over, or even if it will. I guess it all depends on how much more the PTB push everyone. I share your frustrations.
Posted by RawMustard, Monday, 27 April 2009 3:19:23 AM
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Interesting topic Arjay.

Perhaps we are all prostitutes to the system to some extent. At this early stage in Internet history it is interesting to ask how will it all turn out. Will it make us a more honest society and by implication, a better one?

RawMustard makes a good point, most of us are aware but we are either too powerless or too scared to make waves.

Will access to the Net make those rich men any more accountable? I think probably not.

Having been in the public service for many years, it is still rife with those who are willing to play the game for the sake of career and financial stability. Or willing to whitewash and coverup major breaches, fraud and corruption. How does one fix it and how do you change an entrenched culture.

With the public service in mind, potential whistleblowers might find an outlet on the Net but in reality they are still constrained by the APS Codes of Conduct or by the obligations of their security clearances. Access to the means of distributing information does not mean that it is 'safe' or legal to use them.

The second point is that information on the Net, like newspapers, is not always verifiable or true. Which picks up on Romany's comment: "But the kind of person who once believed everything in print was the truth is unlikely, I think, to be able to discern between the dross and the gold strewn before them on the world wide web."

I miss the days when journalists reported the news rather than fabricated the news or twisted the facts for a better story. An old friend once did a piece for a major newspaper and by the time it went to print, she didn't recognise it. Not only were the facts twisted but some were added for good measure. She left soon after.
Posted by pelican, Monday, 27 April 2009 8:29:54 AM
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Interesting thread.

Currently I'm reading two books that may be
of interest to others.

1) "Silencing Dissent," by Clive Hamilton
and Sarah Maddison.

2) "Do Not Disturb : Is the Media Failing
Australia?" Edited by Robert Manne.

I took this from the blurb of ,"Silencing
Dissent." : "The boiling frog ," story...

It is said that if you drop a frog in a pot of
boiling water, it will jump out straight away, but
if you put it in cool water that is slowly brought
to the boil, it won't notice and will die.

This is used as a metaphor to illustrate how people
don't notice that gradual change is leading to
disaster until it is too late...
Posted by Foxy, Monday, 27 April 2009 11:41:05 AM
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the net is not any'saviour',it is stricly monitored in real-time, every key/stroke..[every link veted by machines and machine/men]..there are truths to be sure and yes extreem faulsities,..but the number/counter records each visit,..the powers that be make sure they[we]remain scattered little fires

that being said we each face a moral/choice..[to fear evil or not]..i dont fear cccrap,..will fearlessly peddle that which sounds true,to the posters of my 5 sites,hoping that an honest reply or rebuttal will appear in time

i dont waste my time on'who'says'what',..all i know is'they'were willing to put their fears/facts or fictions into print,its on them if it proves true or faulse

i have only my own to'vile'to concern about,..i know i dont want to help the a'holes of this world,..thus do the best i can to expose vile..[while fastly holding in my heart as much love for mine enemies]..knowing they too were decieved..[who am i to judge anyother]

you see i wanted to know/what i know,..it would be an easier-path not knowing..,but then what was this incarnate/life i lived,..lived for,..i will expose the truths as they are revealed to me,..and let others make their own/minds up wether to speak out against that we percieve vile or pull their heads into the sand

all i know is in the next/life more..of the same will be given,..im not aiming for the fruits or curses of this life,..clearly this is the realm of satans-temptations,..life has taught me everything has a cost

i dont want their material/benefit's..because their spiritual/repayment cross over into the next realm,..in the next realm nothing is hidden..[all the plastic-surgery of this realm stays in this realm..[i want my spiritual clothes as stain free as my works have earned]if any]

but i also realise that laying down with dogs you catch fleas,..and being a prostitute everyone knows you lied down with the dirtiest of dogs,and what your price is,..i dont want to sell my self[soul]cheaply,..but allready may have sold more than i own..[thus need to take care of the little i may have left]..the straw that breaks the came-el's back comes to mind
Posted by one under god, Monday, 27 April 2009 12:05:26 PM
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