RE: FBI's Albany terror "sting" begins to unravel (sort of)

	How can something like this happen without COMPLETELY destroying the
administration? David and I had an interesting discussion along these lines
the other day, and we really ran into a brick wall of sorts. 

	The easy answer, of course, is that the media does not cover these
types of things any more. There is definitely some merit to this statement,
as the mainstream media is without a doubt the most directionless it's been
in its history, with more care taken not to offend sponsors than to report
the actual facts of any given situation. But, with the rise of the internet
has come a new way for many people to access and distribute information,
particularly news, in an incredibly efficient and easy to manipulate manner.
Indymedia.org, were it existing even 20 years ago, would have been forced to
use snail mail or an independent BBS (remember those?), and would have
reached a fraction of the people it does today at a fraction of the speed.
So, the mass-produced media is lazy, yes, but the information is there if
you want to find it.

	So, is it the people's fault? It's easy to say that there isn't
enough responsibility taken to understand what goes on around us, but that's
symptomatic of any highly technological society, where lawyers drive highly
refined cars they know nothing about to courthouses designed by a highly
trained engineer. Then again, it doesn't take a degree in rocket physics to
understand that driving an SUV will increase the amount of gas you use, and
thus increase our dependence as a country, thus putting us in conflict with
those who have oil. Humans are also creatures who have tapped into
technologies whose impact will far outlast their direct usefulness. Nuclear
power, mass consumption of fossil fuels, and un-sustainable economic systems
can be beneficial in the short term, but the fraction of the long-term
impacts that we understand all point to negative outcomes. In many ways,
Americans refuse to acknowledge some of these connections, and to some
extent, that gives some blame to them as well. But most people anywhere on
Earth, and most likely in America more than anywhere else, would say that
they want to make a better world for their children and grand-children. How
can they live with the conflict of living an unsustainable life and yet
genuinely feel the need to make the world "better"?

	And here we got stopped. There were just too many answers: The
corporations manipulate the populace's perception of reality to maintain
their bottom line - The political system engenders a feeling of alienation
and powerlessness of its citizens, leading to political apathy and vote
concentration - Americans lack the critical thinking skills college
education provides because of the prohibitive cost and lack of governmental
response to financial needs of the disenfranchised - The list goes on. 

	I really was just curious to see what you guys thought along these
lines - whose fault is it that Americans are so happy being spoonfed
information without any critical eye? And if not one entity or group, MAINLY
whose fault? Why is it happening? 

	Any ideas?
	


_______________________________________________
heads mailing list
[email protected]
http://ballistichelmet.org/mailman/listinfo/heads/
http://ballistichelmet.org/donate/