Episode 56: How The Media Learned to Worry About War Without Ever Opposing It

Episode 56: How The Media Learned to Worry About War Without Ever Opposing It

"Bush didn't send enough Troops."

"Trump needs authorization from Congress before launching a war."

"Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories are not helpful."

We hear these liberal objections to war and occupation all the time. On the surface, they sound opposed to injustice—and maybe sometimes are—but what if, more often than not, they nitpick process, protocol, and procedure without ever offering substantive, existential critiques of American war-making and military destruction. Their function, primarily, is to give the appearance of dissent where none really exists.

In spycraft, the term "limited hangout" is defined as a "public relations or propaganda technique that involves the release of previously hidden information in order to prevent a greater exposure of more important details." Just the same, this limited opposition to war, or pseudo-opposition, serves as a way of superficially opposing war or imperialism or military occupation without the mess of actually taking a stand against it.

From the invasion of Iraq to the Israeli occupation of Palestine to the boundary-less and boundless perma-war on terror, this pseudo-opposition has taken many forms over the years. In this episode, we discuss the sophisticated nature of this technique, how one can differentiate between good faith nuance and concern-trolling, and how discrediting pseudo-opposition can open space for real conversations about the true consequences of empire.

We are joined by Nora Barrows-Friedman, associate editor at The Electronic Intifada.

Avsnitt(367)

News Brief: How Decades of Media Distortions and Lies about "Iran's Nuclear Program" Lead to War

News Brief: How Decades of Media Distortions and Lies about "Iran's Nuclear Program" Lead to War

In this News Brief, we discuss a recent poll showing 70% of Americans are fundamentally wrong about the nature of Iran's "nuclear program"—including 1 in 4 who think Iran currently possesses a nuclear...

25 Mars 34min

"Shadow Fleets," Sanctions & Western Media's International Law-ification of Arbitrary US Dictates

"Shadow Fleets," Sanctions & Western Media's International Law-ification of Arbitrary US Dictates

In this episode, we explore how arbitrary—often unilateral—sanctions against Enemy States are given the halo of international legal legitimacy with a combination of lies, slippery language and brainle...

11 Mars 1h 22min

News Brief: As Trump Crushes Academia, the NYT and Atlantic Still Fight 'Woke' Wars from 5 Years Ago

News Brief: As Trump Crushes Academia, the NYT and Atlantic Still Fight 'Woke' Wars from 5 Years Ago

In this News Brief, we are joined by Chenjerai Kumanyika and Todd Wolfson of the American Association of University Professors to discuss Trump's gutting of higher education, its expansion on previous...

18 Feb 45min

Ep 234: TikTok, Gen Z's Move to Social Media and Elite Panic Over Unsanctioned News

Ep 234: TikTok, Gen Z's Move to Social Media and Elite Panic Over Unsanctioned News

In this episode, we examine our political class' TikTok neurosis, how Gaza fueled its sell to US and Israeli military contractors, and the long history of elite panics around unsanctioned information ...

4 Feb 1h 13min

News Brief: ICE, Senate Dems' Counterinsurgency PR, and the Limits of Body Cam Liberalism

News Brief: ICE, Senate Dems' Counterinsurgency PR, and the Limits of Body Cam Liberalism

In this News Brief, we detail the fundamental problems with Senate Democrats' cosmetic reforms, the strategy of letting outrage blow over and the conspicuous absence of any proposal that touches ICE's...

30 Jan 39min

Ep 233: How US Media Naturalizes Capital Strikes and Helps the Rich Undermine Democracy

Ep 233: How US Media Naturalizes Capital Strikes and Helps the Rich Undermine Democracy

In this episode, we examine how billionaires and corporations threatening capital strikes and capital flight to discipline populist politicians and movements is treated as normal, obvious, and healthy...

28 Jan 1h 24min

News Brief: As Dem Leadership Waffles—Labor, Organizers, Immigrants Fight Back in Minneapolis

News Brief: As Dem Leadership Waffles—Labor, Organizers, Immigrants Fight Back in Minneapolis

In this News Brief, we break down Dem leadership's fatuous "body cam" and "training" response to ICE brutality, and how organizers in the Twin Cities are not settling for cosmetic reform. With guest J...

22 Jan 43min

News Brief: For Media Reporting on Iran, Trump Suddenly Morphs into Pro-Democracy Humanitarian

News Brief: For Media Reporting on Iran, Trump Suddenly Morphs into Pro-Democracy Humanitarian

In this News Brief, we discuss mainstream media coverage of ongoing protests across Iran and how nearly every major Western outlet has been uncritically framing any potential regime change plans by th...

17 Jan 25min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

svenska-fall
p3-krim
aftonbladet-krim
spar
fordomspodden
rss-krimstad
flashback-forever
rss-sanning-konsekvens
motiv
aftonbladet-daily
krimmagasinet
rss-krimreportrarna
rss-frandfors-horna
rss-vad-fan-hande
politiken
grans
rss-flodet
sydsvenskan-dok
dagens-eko
rss-aftonbladet-krim