Journalism and Propaganda

I want to point out that when Peter Kenyon of NPR, on two different segments this morning, mentioned the casualty figures, it came out as: Hamas killed more than 1,200 on October 7th, while Palestinian casualties "continue to rise". 

Normally we expect parallel constructions where comparisons are being made. So the second part of the comparison, as a spinless expression, might have been something like "while Israel has so far killed 30 to 40 times that many Palestinians, and that number continues to rise."

I find language, specifically rhetoric, to be fascinating, especially the phenomenon of "talking out of both sides of ones mouth". Politicians are especially adept at this, but also propagandists, if these are considered to be different careers.

The connection between utterance and significance puts interesting conditions on syntax when an utterance must be understood differently by allies than it is to be understood by adversaries.

This is a genocide that is constructed out of lies, delays, and spin. That NPR and other "mainstream" media fail to awaken the semi-conscious general public to the actual horror of the situation is to be complicit, in my view. 

Journalism has a self-image as being a pillar of a free society. But when clarity might easily be obtained by straight talk, but instead is obscured by tactical phraseology, it is more efficiently understood to be propaganda. 

Watch for it in these days, as there is nothing better than an actual genocide to cast the situation into deep contrasts. Who is who and what is what is never going to be more clear than in such an existential situation.

Keep in mind that it is an existential situation not only for the victims, but also for the perpetrators, who are without a doubt guilty of the worst crimes that human society has ever defined. Both the perpetrators and their victims are already "all in".

On a somewhat related tack, I do not think that death is the central point of fear in the mortal life, but rather it is judgement that is feared. Death is sad, yes. But judgement, which deals with our relationship to what we ourselves know to be true about ourselves, and which comes even as we surrender to the eternal, this should give us pause, something to reflect upon, and act upon, while we are still here.