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Deparámos no site resistir.info
– que já divulgámos mais do que uma vez em artigos anteriores – com um artigo
da autoria de Daniel Vaz de Carvalho,
com o título acima, que pela sua importância motivou a n/ contribuição para
divulgá-lo.
Para os leitores em português, apens citamos uma parte
inicial do artigo, remetendo depois para a parte restante no respectivo site.
Para os leitores em inglês, apresentamos a n/ tradução completa.
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We
came across in resistir.info – a
site we have publicized more than once in previous articles -- with an
article by Daniel Vaz de Carvalho,
with the title above, which, due to its importance, motivated us to
contribute to make it known.
For
readers in Portuguese, we only quote an initial part of the article, then
referring to the remaining part on the respective website. For English readers, we present the full translation.
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A linguagem e a propaganda
(1 – O conteúdo ideológico
da linguagem; 2 - Conteúdos da mistificação linguística; 3 - Linguagem como
estratégia de propaganda e manipulação; 4 - A linguagem da calúnia)
Daniel Vaz de
Carvalho
Original: resistir.info
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Language and
Propaganda
(1 - The ideological content of language; 2 -
Contents of linguistic mystification; 3 - Language as a strategy of
propaganda and manipulation; 4 - The language of slander)
by Daniel Vaz de Carvalho
Original: resistir.info
(tr. by JMS)
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1 – O conteúdo
ideológico da linguagem
Quando os media falam da "comunidade internacional" referem-se a
posições da NATO, seus aliados e vassalos, como se a larga maioria da
população do mundo não tivesse direito a ter e dar a conhecer a sua opinião,
sendo constituída por "bárbaros" no sentido greco-romano ou
"estados párias" no sentido do imperialismo atual. Não se trata
apenas de uma forma de dizer, mas de uma forma de pensar: a imperialista.
Segundo o marxismo a linguagem é um fenómeno social que permite a comunicação
entre os seres humanos, o resultado de um processo mental, a expressão real e
prática da consciência. A cada palavra, a cada expressão, corresponde uma
ideia. Sendo a linguagem um meio de expressão de ideias e comunicação, quem
controla a linguagem controla as ideias. Os interesses das diversas classes
sociais não são, pois, indiferentes ou independentes da linguagem procurando
utiliza-la em proveito próprio expondo com um léxico próprio as suas
prioridades, os seus interesses.
Controlar o sentido das palavras é portanto controlar o pensamento, controlar
a perceção das pessoas sobre a realidade, dar às questões que se colocam na
sociedade o sentido pretendido por quem a domina. Porém, quando o sentido das
palavras corresponde a ideias falsas, as sociedades vivem numa vasta teia de
ilusões e inverdades, conduzindo a um agravamento das contradições e à sua
decadência.
A propaganda é um dos aspetos da linguagem, diz respeito à
propagação ou vulgarização de ideias que determinam comportamentos.
Propaganda é uma técnica, ao serviço de determinadas ideias, para as divulgar
e incutir, mas também impedir que se estabeleçam outras que se lhe oponham.
Não vale a pena os puristas escandalizarem-se com a propaganda. A propaganda
é necessária a qualquer sistema de ideias políticas, religiosas, etc. A
questão é o seu conteúdo e em que sentido se exerce: a sua verdade, a
conformidade com princípios humanistas, a legítima defesa da soberania dos
povos e dos interesses populares. Porém, aquilo a que assistimos nas nossas
sociedades é o uso da informação como propaganda instrumentalizada pelos
objetivos imperialistas e oligárquicos.
Continuar
para resistir.info
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1 - The ideological content of
language
When
the media speak of "international community" they refer to the
positions of NATO, its allies and vassals, as if the vast majority of the
world's population had no right to have and make known their opinion, as if being
constituted by "barbarians" in the Greco-Roman sense or
"pariah states" in the sense of current imperialism. It is not just
a way of saying, but a way of thinking: the imperialist one.
According
to Marxism, language is a social phenomenon that allows communication between
human beings, the result of a mental process, and the real and practical
expression of conscience. Each word, each expression, corresponds to an idea.
Since language is a means of expression of ideas and communication, whoever
controls language controls ideas. The interests of the different social
classes are not, therefore, indifferent or independent of language; they try
to use it for their own benefit, exposing with their own lexicon their
priorities, and their interests.
Controlling
the meaning of words is therefore controlling thought, controlling people's
perception of reality, and imparting to the questions that arise in society
the meaning intended by those who dominate it. Meanwhile, let us note that when
the meaning of words corresponds to false ideas, societies live in a vast web
of illusions and untruths, leading to an aggravation of contradictions and
their decay.
Propaganda
is one of the aspects of language. It deals with the propagation or
popularization of ideas that determine behaviors. Propaganda is a technique,
at the service of certain ideas, in order to disseminate and impart them, but
also to prevent the establishment of others that oppose them.
The
pure souls shouldn’t be scandalized with propaganda. Propaganda is necessary
to any system of ideas: political, religious, etc. The question is its
content and in what sense it is exercised: its truth, conformity with
humanist principles, and the legitimate defense of peoples’ sovereignty and
interests. However, what we observe in our societies is the use of
information as propaganda instrumentalized by imperialist and oligarchic
objectives.
Current
expressions, such as the intensely repeated "structural reforms", are euphemisms that mask reality,
functioning as formulas with magical content, to be accepted as dogmas
without allowing their examination.
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This
applies to the "Havana communist regime" (a falsehood, in terms of
defining what communism is) or the "populist regime of Caracas", as
if fulfilling electoral promises to the benefit of the majority were "populism", associating the
progressive policies of the Bolivarian Revolution to the terminology applied to
fascistoid parties. Note that the capitalist system is never referred as a
regime.
Tyranny,
dictatorship, totalitarianism, means that, regardless of popular support, the
government does not follow the "Washington Consensus".
"Bringing
freedom and democracy" to the Middle East, Africa,
or to any other part of the world, means that a government harming the
interests of transnational corporations
is subject to interference with a view to overthrowing it, or that war actions
have been launched turning the country into a dysfunctional and chaotic State.
"More
Europe" means more bureaucracy, more
austerity, more inequality, and less sovereignty.
"There
is a need to liberalize labor markets, otherwise unemployment will not be
reduced" or "unemployment results from high labor costs and social
benefits, compared to what the market copes with," means that measures are
being prepared that will cause more unemployment and poverty.
In
reality, unemployment results from insufficient demand and lack of investment.
The lack of investment is, in fact, a consequence of financial systems dedicated
to speculation and free movement of
capital without taxation to tax havens.
"It
is necessary to uphold the principle of trusting private business, moving away the
intrusive and dirigiste state from economic management". The meaning of
this is privatization of public services and of strategic economic sectors,
creating private monopolies and rentier capital, with no risk and innovation,
such as "public private partnerships" (PPP).
"Let
us fight irresponsible overspending in health services, education, culture, and
public transportation, allowing instead freedom of choice". This means
that education, health, and culture, are only for those who can afford it.
However, the concepts of wastage and efficiency disappear from the discourse
popularized by opinion-makers when private profit is guaranteed by tax benefits
and rents paid by the State and consumers.
As
regards culture, which should serve to spread the most pure humanism, it has
been submitted to the dissemination of by-products imported from transnationals
of the sector or from their substitutes.
2 - Contents of linguistic
mystification
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EXPRESSION
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CONTENT
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Bureaucracy
detrimental to the competitiveness of enterprises and workers
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Trade-union
organizations
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Structural
reforms
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Increase
of capitalist exploitation and workers’ insecurity
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Archaisms
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Social
rights conquered by the workers through hard struggles over the years
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Functional
market
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Relocation
of enterprises, rising unemployment, financial speculation
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Promotion
of efficiency
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Foster
the monopolization of the economy and the penetration of transnational
companies
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Courageous
and responsible measures
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Spoliation
of workers and pensioners
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Flexibility
and rationalization of the labor market
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Foster
employers' arbitrariness and competition among workers themselves in their
struggle for survival
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Put
an end to privileges
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Reduce
workers' rights
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Examples
of the language used, for identical situations, when country A is considered an "ally" of
the US
and country B is simply not.
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SITUATION
IN COUNTRY A
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IDENTICAL
SITUATION IN COUNTRY B
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Ally, partner
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Satellite
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Maintaining order
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Repression of pro-democracy
protesters
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The forces of order
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The repressive apparatus of the
regime
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The authorities
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The repressive forces
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Criminal disturbances; vandalism
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Demonstrations against the regime.
Struggles for democracy and human rights
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Terrorists
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Rebels. Freedom Fighters
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Irresponsible self-marginalizing opposition
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Dissidents who represent the will
of all the people
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Editorial criteria
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Censorship
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Clashes between protesters and the
police
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Violence over civilians
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The demonstrations degenerated
into clashes… The police forces were forced to…
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Brutal repression fell over the
pro-democracy elements
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The incidents left several injured
in the police forces ...
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The repression caused deaths and
injuries among the protesters
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Crowd; many thousands of people
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A few hundred supporters
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The
description of situations in country A
in the first column; the language used or the communicational attitude is that
of the second column:
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Torture
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Fighting subversion
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Absence of measures to defend
national production
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Open markets
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Political power subordinated to
economic power
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Democracy
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CIA flights of detainees without
trial to torture centers.
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Ignore. Cut the word if the topic
is mentioned on the radio or TV. At most consider it an unconfirmed
hypothesis spread by enemies of the free world
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Political repression and crimes in
Colombia, Peru, Honduras,
Guatemala,
etc.
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Ignore, never mention
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Dictators masked as democrats
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Ignore, never mention
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Coups d'etat against governments
that defend national sovereignty
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Actions to save democracy and
against populism
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Corruption, speculation and
capital flight
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Free enterprise, free market
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Neoliberal capitalism, social
regression
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Democracy, open and competitive
society
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Austerity, tax cuts for finance
and large economic groups
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Healthy and responsible policies.
Doing what has to be done.
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Civilians killed
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Collateral damage
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Bombing defenseless cities (like
the Nazis in Guernica)
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Humanitarian intervention.
Defeating the dictatorship; exerting pressure in order to save the people
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Political persecution, thousands
of tortured people, mass killings by US and EU-backed governments
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Ignore, never mention
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Journalists, trade-union members,
social activists, murdered in Latin American countries
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Ignore; claim repeatedly that
there is no freedom in Cuba
[1]
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Neocolonialism, political and
economic dependence
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Economic integration, free trade,
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When friends take power after a
coup, and conduct a policy of persecution and repression.
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Democracy has won
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The criminal sect that ruled Cambodia until it was overthrown in 1979 by
soldiers from the People's Republic of Vietnam with exiles mainly from
the Communist Party.
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The Communist "Khmer
Rouge" [2]
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Massacre of Palestinian civilians
by the Israeli army.
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Clashes in the Gaza Strip
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Making information available that
reveals the hidden face of US domestic and foreign policy.
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Criminal attitude suspected of
supporting and providing aid to terrorists (e.g., Julian Assange, Chelsea
(Bradley) Manning, Edward Snowden)
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Cruel and unfair treatment,
suppression of legal rights, applied to Julian Assange (also Chelsea Manning)
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Ignore, never mention
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Description
of situations in country B in the
first column; the language used is that of the second column:
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Imperialist actions of
interference and application of sanctions
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Promotion of democracy
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Defense of national sovereignty
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Reactionary and archaic
isolationism
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Democratic economic planning.
Control of economic power by political power
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Totalitarianism
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Social concerns put into practice
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Radical and populist left
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Demonstrations of support for the
government
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Ignore. At most, select images
that diminish the event.
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Individuals paid by bodies of
foreign countries to conspire against governments with popular support
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Dissidents, fighters for democracy
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Country that does comply to US
intents
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Threat to "Western"
interests
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Nationalization of country's
natural resources, with the support of the overwhelming majority of the
population and fulfilling electoral promises.
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Country heading for dictatorship. Pariah
state.
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Civilian deaths in attacked
countries or as a result of economic sanctions
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Ignore, never mention or else
blame the "regime"
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Destruction and massacres by terrorists
financed by the empire
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Moderate sectors fighting for
freedom and democracy.
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Cluster bombs and depleted
uranium. Deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, civilians overwhelmingly.
The total is estimated at two million, including damages caused by sanctions
[3]
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Humanitarian interventions (e.g., Yugoslavia, Afghanistan,
Iraq, Libya, Syria,
Somalia, Yemen, etc.)
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3 - Language as a strategy of
propaganda and manipulation
The
strategies of collective manipulation aim to distort meanings, to block
critical thinking and mentally condition the listener. Let's look at some of
these strategies:
•
Euphemisms – Aimed at inducing ideas
contrary to the original meaning of words, making what should be rejected as
desirable. (e.g., Structural Reforms.)
•
Oxymorons – With the same objective, putting
contradictory concepts in the same expression.
•
Repetition – Blocking critical thinking through intense repetition. "In the USA, the
repetition of echoes (echolalia) is called debate" (Paul Craig Roberts)
•
Vehemence and indignation – The lies,
said in this way, condition the search for the truth. This is particularly
relevant when a process of dehumanization and demonization is intended,
establishing a climate of collective paranoia against a designated enemy.
Public opinion was thus prepared to accept the aggressions carried out against Yugoslavia, Libya,
Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, the Russophobia, etc.
•
Dissociation – Exacerbating the
consequences and concealing the causes. It serves as an alibi for the
"populism" of the various right-wings.
•
Distraction – Diverting attention with
irrelevant information from what is socially important.
•
Crisis as an opportunity – Letting problems
grow up or even causing them in order to bring about solutions that would
otherwise be rejected (as in the case of austerity and privatizations).
•
Phasing-in – Unpopular policies that
would be immediately rejected are applied gradually, as they are presented as
realistic and with no alternative. Promoting resignation by "habituation".
•
“Evidentiation” – Turning what is
false as being evident through errors of syllogistic reasoning; taking as
absolute truths dogmatic axioms and images that misrepresent the real, etc. (e.g.,
the State as a "good housewife")
4 - The language of slander
The
language of slander is the most perverse in terms of mental intoxication, and
is used to demonize those who do not submit at all to the empire. Rumors are
promoted to the rank of news, and fake news become facts on the basis of which
"commentators" develop their harangues without contradiction.
The
criminal coups in Indonesia,
Chile, were preceded by
slander: "the communists were preparing to assassinate the military" was
circulated in Argentina by the
AAA (Aliança Anticomunista Argentina
[Argentinian Anti-communist Alliance]). The wars in Iraq,
Syria, Libya, and Yugoslavia were preceded by
slander. The same applies to the sanctions against Venezuela and other states. Fidel
Castro was portrayed as a murderer, in the same way as Nicolas Maduro, Gaddafi,
Milosevitch, etc., promoting the revulsion of the uninformed citizens toward
progressive policies, and the hatreds on which the far-right feeds. [4]
Against
China, considered the main
enemy of the empire (with Russia),
an attempt is being made to unleash a Uighur revolt in Xinjiang. Some examples
of the ongoing slander:
•
A Uighur woman is shown in blood, from whom an executioner Han pulls out her
nails: a video shot in 2004 in Chicago
with an actress.
•
A baby Uighur with a leash, eating from a dog bowl: a photo released in 2015 in
the Philippines
by the (unworthy) mother of the child.
•
A naked Uighur beaten on the floor by a soldier: a beating of a delinquent by
an Indonesian soldier in May 2017.
A
Uighur woman was shown, somewhat embarrassed, because she had to explain her
pregnancy after having been forcibly
sterilized. And "disappeared people" were found with a joyful smile
in their homes. [5]
International
news coverage by the Western media is provided almost entirely by just three news
agencies based in New York, London
and Paris,
defining the type of global language and propaganda, serving the oligarchy and
imperialism.
Only
the clarification and elevation of the social conscience of the working people
will make it be possible to overcome the effects of lying and the uninterrupted
slanderous propaganda. Only then will the roots of hope develop for a different
and better future.
Notes:
1-
The last journalist murdered by the political power in Cuba, was in the time of the dictator Batista,
supported by the USA.
Murders of journalists took place in countries supported by the US (eg Colombia,
Honduras).
These situations are ignored by Amnesty International and "Reporters
without borders".
2
- The "red khmers" were supported by the US,
which kept them as guerrillas in Thailand to overthrow the new
government of national salvation and reconstruction. The US did not
recognize at the UN the new government as representing the country, supporting
the representation of the Khmer criminals.
3
- In the case of Libya,
the UN mandate to guarantee the exclusion of airspace from hostilities between
government and rebels, and to protect the civilian population, resulted in the
death of 40,000 to 60,000 civilians due to NATO bombing.
4
- In the case of Yugoslavia,
the International Criminal Court has posthumously cleared the president of Serbia,
Milosevic, whose alleged crimes served as justification for a sowing of hatreds
and bombings that killed thousands of civilians.
5
- Théophraste R. (editor of www.legrandsoir.info/) Et si le mensonge photographique
devenait trop difficile?, 08/17/2020 The detection of false images was made
with the InVID application (In
Video Veritas).
See
also:
• La intoxicación lingüística. El uso perverso de la lengua ,
de Vicente Romano, 185 p., 740 kB
•
I.V. Stalin, Marxism
and Problems of Linguistics, Pravda, June 20, July 4, and
August 2, 1950.
