TRUTH vs. FREE MONEY AND POWER
TRUTH : As already seen, the small fraction of Americans killed by a familiar acquaintance, or in an alcohol-related car crash, drastically overshadow all other killings/murders combined. In much of America, a similar reality can be seen by removing the average 12,998 killed by alcohol-related vehicle accidents but adding the murdered x-felons, plus those “murdered” while in the commission of a felony(their accomplices are charged with their deaths). Again, compared with those who appeared to be random innocently killed victims, the above constitutes a much greater number.
What makes us have the feelings we do regarding crime? We live in a very commercialized world and reminiscent of Nietzsche's quote " And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you." Media influences us just as much as our beliefs and expectations influence media. But we must begin this story at the ground level and build up from there.
Selling Violence
Even though the majority of “violent” crimes- including actual violence or its perceived threat thereof - committed by those affiliated with gangs are committed against rival gang members, or unaffiliated Criminals (i.e.) drug dealers, thieves, thugs etc., it's not something easily measured and in fact buried, by design or not, from the public. It is just built into the system that way. Examples of how it can happen are, when the prosecution --including the police-- organize the conviction of a criminal who committed a crime against another criminal, the prosecution focuses on obtaining a conviction and punishment meant for innocent victims of a “higher” class, outside of the circumstances.
POWER: It also happens when a crime is used to influence the public vote. It goes as follows, create something for the public to fear that way they need you as their savior. Not only does it provide a platform for the politicians, but also sources of revenue from those standing to profit from tax allocations (e.g., similar to war and the Pentagon, industry profiting from fear or more specifically prison, and crime prevention, etc.). Any politician trying to explain this would simply be attacked as soft on crime--even unpatriotic, it is a trick perfected in the Third Reich*. In this arena, the rule has become that of the moderate side continually being overwhelmed by the likes of those who have gained wealth and power by marketing fear into the public consciousness; gaining power by presenting scapegoats and enemies and dividing people accordingly.
This includes the diverse entities and organizations, which depend on fear to maintain prison and/ or law enforcement growth and/ or maintenance**. Whoever they are, politicians, police, private prisons, these are the most powerful forces helping to create an American whom emotionally feels the chances of one of us, or someone close, being randomly victimized, injured and, possibly even more so, murdered (by a criminal's random acts) is a significant threat. Though their attempts may seem rather insignificant, with no one on the other side empowered to fight the fear message, their message self-perpetuates itself and overwhelms the truth.
Many of these same organizations also attempt, with even greater success, to help us believe it's best if the convicted receive punishments as long and harsh as God will allow. But vast amounts of statistics and scientific studies show that, generally, our media has not been giving us the truth, and in fact appears to have rather significantly succeeded in distorting our perceptions of reality.
With media outlets - as opposed to first-hand experience – continuously presenting us with images of violence and crime, we've come to believe- and expect to see- that the evil predators waiting in the shadows are who we should be most worried about--with no hope for us insight. Why would they do this to us? Because, as in the words of John Stossel; "The media beast must be fed. Scares drive up circulation and ratings". ⑥
Studies show that television viewing habits expose Americans, on average, to 1,500-hours of television programming per year. All of this programming is designed exclusively to keep us buying, keep us emotionally (as opposed to thoughtfully or informatively) affixed, involved, engulfed, and believing in the product. Whether that product (really just an idea) is the program or promoted through the program, or commercial. This in truth keeps interested parties growing and/or making money.
To sum up, what I've been attempting to communicate about this highly influential medium, to say it more simply I'll use a quote from David Rintels: former president of the Writers Guild of America, commenting about prime-time television, "television is one long lie."⑧
The continuous portrayal of violence in the media is staggering. Numerous studies show that crime is more than 10 times as prevalent on television programs and commercials than it is in real life. To find this one need not look for: According to FBI statistics, not including minor, often only verbal "regular assaults" only 0.5% of the American population teenage and up will be a victim of any sort of violent criminal act any given year. That's one half of one percent (of which concentrates in the inner-cities, filled with minorities).
Therefore, the reality is equivalent to one out of every two hundred television stations having a violent episode once a year. Not only has it been found heavy viewers hold relatively exaggerated views in regards to the number of crimes in society but studies by: C. Haney, and Manzolati, as well as M.B. Oliver, found heavy viewers tend to reverse the presumption of innocence, (making the accused guilty until proven innocent) instead believing the simple fact the defendants have been brought to trial is in fact proof that they're guilty.⑧ This seems to show that dramatized American television has become an indiscriminate, ever-present witness for the prosecution increasing the conviction rate in America.
News on television is supposed to be unbiased, or at least a trustworthy source of relevant information. One might suspect the news would help offset this explosion of violent TV as well as those cop-drama shows. Does our news bring us back down to earth? No. Our news does not help us understand our world and how we, as individuals, or country, fit in it.
At their inception, news shows may have been about informing the public. But for the most part, idealism has given way to pragmatism and capitalism. They have a job to do, and it is not to teach us. It is “to sell, sell sell”.
Hard news like governmental policy decisions and information regarding other countries affairs have steadily been getting replaced with things more entertaining like street crime. Not only do the media aim for more entertaining subjects, but they also aim to make those subjects more entertaining. Therefore they equate unbiased truth second to profit and entertainment. It is sales via good-for-business entertainment that brings in the money, not truth.
Even though crime has decreased significantly since the 1980's, reporting on crime has more than doubled. Also increased are the reporting on products, celebrities, news and some scandals, emotional stories of average people. These things have steadily pushed relevant news off of our screens. Today less than one percent of morning news is dedicated to foreign affairs⑭.
The state of our media today--far from helping us understand reality more--may as well have come from another planet. But it is this same media that influences us beyond our own understanding, as average citizens. It is this media which has us believing we need more counter-productive wars and war industry; draconian laws, ever-increasing prison sentences, and more prisons.
The media tells our population what to think, how we should react, and also how we should vote. But it also teaches us by what hostile person it chooses to broadcast. Often when we are allowed to hear from people who may know this area of truth, we are not given the scientist or genius teacher. We are much more likely to be presented with a loud and angry black man, or some other divisive figure,(e.g., A. Sharpton, Rev. J. Jackson, Dr. M.E.Dyson) which does little to inform the informed while causing greater division amongst the sides. As for any good messages that might come out they are too different than what people are used to and Correctional Peace Officers Association), largely ignored, doubted, and misunderstood.
This cycle has led to the point we willingly take thousands of our own dollars and-in trust to give it to those whose livelihood depends on a strife, whether war or a growing prison population.
Though violent crime has not been as out of control as we have been led to believe, our rates of incarceration are. Today "the land of the free" holds more prisoners per capita than any other westernized nation in the world, from Greenland to Greece, Estonia to Australia and Canada, clear through to Patagonia. On top of this California holds more prisoners per capita than any other state in America. To give an idea of its significance, California holds more prisoner today than the whole United States of America- Federal and State- did in the 1960's.
* “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." --quote of Hermann Goering [Göring],-the number two man in the Third Reich
* * those with contracts to provide U.S. prisons with consumable supplies, bedding, monitoring equipment etc. And special interest groups like California's largest and most successful union (The CCPOA: California
