02 February 2005

What are the new connotations of “freedom”?

This is supposed to be the communication age but it’s really turning into the Propaganda age – CNN, BBC, etc, etc and the rest are a seriously pathetic excuse for journalism.

In South Africa, we suffered severely from propaganda and brainwashing during apartheid and there was no such thing as freedom of the press for a very long time. There were nevertheless black and white journalists who risked their lives to find and expose the truth. Many lost their lives. Irony is that even though we had the most publicized make-over in recent history and the “gifts” of democracy and capitalism have rained freely upon us for the last 10 years…we still suffer from propaganda, political control of the media and side-stepping, corrupt politicians after the BMW rather than justice and service to their people.

IMHO it just goes to show that democracy and the “freedom” that George is planning to bestow upon the world (there is going to be a lot more death and destruction before his father-issues are satisfied) means nothing if our collective conscience doesn’t kick its own ass and strive for something different.

The political theories that the US and Europe seek to spread across this planet are just as corrupt, fallible and incomplete as the “others” they seek to “transform”. Under the guise of “freedom” it seems, you can do the unthinkable and encourage similar behavior in developing countries like South Africa.

Yours in purple

No comments: