Great piece, Martin and welcome back.

Posted by JK on November 6, 2009, 7:37 pm, in reply to "For Whose Sake Wear A Poppy? "

--Previous Message-- : It’s a common misconception that propaganda : must be consciously created. The campaign : posters for this year’s poppy appeal show : how good intentions can have deeply : ideological consequences. : : The simplest form of propaganda is omission. : How can you not feel sympathy for someone : who has had their legs blown off? How can : you not pity the war widow left to struggle : on a pittance? The easiest way of course is : not to know about them. That's exactly how : our pity and sympathy for the victims of our : invasions are kept in check. We’re not told : much, so we don’t care much. : : With the noblest of intentions, one : consequence of the poppy campaign is to : elicit selective sympathy. It focuses our : grief on one specific group of casualties – : no surprise, our own. Meanwhile the victims : of our invasions slip further from view, : perhaps further despised for bringing this : tragedy upon 'our boys'. : : Exclusive focus on our own soldiers is of : course the current media method of dealing : with the hell we have made of Afghanistan : and Iraq. For those who supported these : invasions reporting their true horror and : failure would mean admitting complicity. So : roll on the squaddies, let the tragedy be : theirs. Rather than the criminality of the : invasion all attention turns to the plight : of Tommy Atkins. Rather than failed states : and piles of civilian corpses, the tragedy : becomes one of sh

Responses: Re: Great piece, Martin and welcome back. - martin j November 7, 2009, 9:49 am « Back to thread

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