The Game
Almost any day, in any large urban city with a substantial Black population and a majority of Black politicians, urban hellholes see the same thing. Some kid, barely out of junior high, with a record longer than Al Capone’s, gets killed. Most likely, the kid was killed by another member of his community. But, on an occasion, a cop is involved. Sometimes the cop is White. He is just as likely to be Black. Not surprisingly, these same cities are, with predictable exclusivity, run by democrats.
The cops, both Black and White, police these neighborhoods at great risk to themselves.
Why?
Because, a better than fair portion of the young men living there, are committing crimes like weed dealers dropping dimes. So when a young man is killed by a cop, it gets noticed.
Nowadays, people keep an eye on the police. Citizens with cellphone cameras have changed the game completely. But, there are other vigilante groups, as well, including Black Lives Matter, The Black Panthers, Louis Farrakhan, The Nation of Islam—and the media. This is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s a good thing, at least the vigilance is. The question of who’s keeping the vigil may be another matter.
Unfortunately, all of the above organizations could be called terrorist groups, minus the citizens, of course. This includes the media, who feed suspicion and angst to the public in heaping helpings of unsubstantiated facts, colored by massive amounts of agenda driven disinformation.
Like the cops, the Panthers or Black Lives Matter, the media has its own agenda. That agenda first and foremost is about profits, which requires news. Because news is the commodity. The bloodier and messier the news, the better it sells. In terms of story arc, good guys and bad guys is a proven seller, carefully shaped to fit the media’s most desirable demographic. It’s important to define your demographic, in order to know how to market to them. That way you can maximize your advertising revenue.
Now, admittedly, sometimes cops do bad things. And, when decent cops protect bad cops or, they break the law, they are as guilty as any scumbag, maybe more so. But, let’s get one thing straight, they aren’t doing this because cops are uniquely bad. They’re doing this because that’s what people do when trouble comes to their community, they circle the wagons to protect their own.
Just look at the way that people on either side of the political aisle do the very same thing. And, I’m not talking solely about politicians. The speed with which average people choose sides, often long before the evidence is in, makes morally ambiguous cops look like choir boys. Just listen as the various political sycophants pick up a handful of talking points and hammer them with religious devotion and you’ll see what I mean.
This isn’t an excuse. It’s just human nature. Once you understand this, you can step back and get some perspective. Make no mistake, though, everyone has an agenda. This is no less true of a cop or a grieving mother whose 17-year-old son was shot dead while engaging in one more crime in an endless list of anti-social behaviors.
“So, a few more cops were shot. She says. “What’s the big deal? Criminals get shot by the cops all the time. Do they complain? But when a cop gets shot, all hell breaks loose. That ain’t fair?”
“Hmm?” Some reporter at the scene seems to be thinking, as he observes the carnage. “Maybe this 34-year-old mother of 5 and grandmother of 6 has a point?”
The boy’s mother is clearly motivated by anger. There is no proof, however, that anger equals justice.
And, so the story’s arc takes flight, filtered by political ideology and preconceived sympathies as people begin to take sides.
“Evidence?”
“What evidence?”
“What is evidence?”
“How does evidence work?”
These are pertinent questions for agile minds. Which, in the media, are few and far between. A dog and pony show is a better choice and a definite ratings-grabber. Meaning, you trot out your agenda, and I’ll trot out mine—and then we’ll call that “Evidence” as we prosecute the case of innocence or guilt in the public square.
Before you know it, people have lined up on either side based primarily on their particular emotional attachments.
“Countervailing evidence? Who need that?”
This is the point at which people synch their nets tighter. And the tighter they synch, the more convicted they become. Not because they know. But, because they believe. The public, just like the jury, has begun to identify with either the defendant or the state. It is the state who stands in as a proxy for the people. Some see the state as Big Brother, unethical and untrustworthy. By comparison, they see the defendant as the little guy fighting the power. This they do even as they call for an even bigger state to solve the problem for the little guy. You’d think they’d see the conflict of interest, but they don’t. They only see the plot line, like it’s a movie where they search for clues.
It might as well be a silent movie where cowboys and Indians fight, moving in staggering motion as the aging film, marred by decades of use, threatens to break.
The rage and the anger of the crowd is just a momentary farce, however. One that enables the viewer to take sides, while strutting their righteous indignation in the process. This is interactive theater at it's best.
And then, it’s over. Until the next time. An old plotline once again sells and the media rejoices because the profits were good. Then, the various groups gather and depart, waiting for the next event, so they can play the game.
“Nothing ventured. Nothing gained.” They say.
Nothing at all.
Mark Magula
The cops, both Black and White, police these neighborhoods at great risk to themselves.
Why?
Because, a better than fair portion of the young men living there, are committing crimes like weed dealers dropping dimes. So when a young man is killed by a cop, it gets noticed.
Nowadays, people keep an eye on the police. Citizens with cellphone cameras have changed the game completely. But, there are other vigilante groups, as well, including Black Lives Matter, The Black Panthers, Louis Farrakhan, The Nation of Islam—and the media. This is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s a good thing, at least the vigilance is. The question of who’s keeping the vigil may be another matter.
Unfortunately, all of the above organizations could be called terrorist groups, minus the citizens, of course. This includes the media, who feed suspicion and angst to the public in heaping helpings of unsubstantiated facts, colored by massive amounts of agenda driven disinformation.
Like the cops, the Panthers or Black Lives Matter, the media has its own agenda. That agenda first and foremost is about profits, which requires news. Because news is the commodity. The bloodier and messier the news, the better it sells. In terms of story arc, good guys and bad guys is a proven seller, carefully shaped to fit the media’s most desirable demographic. It’s important to define your demographic, in order to know how to market to them. That way you can maximize your advertising revenue.
Now, admittedly, sometimes cops do bad things. And, when decent cops protect bad cops or, they break the law, they are as guilty as any scumbag, maybe more so. But, let’s get one thing straight, they aren’t doing this because cops are uniquely bad. They’re doing this because that’s what people do when trouble comes to their community, they circle the wagons to protect their own.
Just look at the way that people on either side of the political aisle do the very same thing. And, I’m not talking solely about politicians. The speed with which average people choose sides, often long before the evidence is in, makes morally ambiguous cops look like choir boys. Just listen as the various political sycophants pick up a handful of talking points and hammer them with religious devotion and you’ll see what I mean.
This isn’t an excuse. It’s just human nature. Once you understand this, you can step back and get some perspective. Make no mistake, though, everyone has an agenda. This is no less true of a cop or a grieving mother whose 17-year-old son was shot dead while engaging in one more crime in an endless list of anti-social behaviors.
“So, a few more cops were shot. She says. “What’s the big deal? Criminals get shot by the cops all the time. Do they complain? But when a cop gets shot, all hell breaks loose. That ain’t fair?”
“Hmm?” Some reporter at the scene seems to be thinking, as he observes the carnage. “Maybe this 34-year-old mother of 5 and grandmother of 6 has a point?”
The boy’s mother is clearly motivated by anger. There is no proof, however, that anger equals justice.
And, so the story’s arc takes flight, filtered by political ideology and preconceived sympathies as people begin to take sides.
“Evidence?”
“What evidence?”
“What is evidence?”
“How does evidence work?”
These are pertinent questions for agile minds. Which, in the media, are few and far between. A dog and pony show is a better choice and a definite ratings-grabber. Meaning, you trot out your agenda, and I’ll trot out mine—and then we’ll call that “Evidence” as we prosecute the case of innocence or guilt in the public square.
Before you know it, people have lined up on either side based primarily on their particular emotional attachments.
“Countervailing evidence? Who need that?”
This is the point at which people synch their nets tighter. And the tighter they synch, the more convicted they become. Not because they know. But, because they believe. The public, just like the jury, has begun to identify with either the defendant or the state. It is the state who stands in as a proxy for the people. Some see the state as Big Brother, unethical and untrustworthy. By comparison, they see the defendant as the little guy fighting the power. This they do even as they call for an even bigger state to solve the problem for the little guy. You’d think they’d see the conflict of interest, but they don’t. They only see the plot line, like it’s a movie where they search for clues.
It might as well be a silent movie where cowboys and Indians fight, moving in staggering motion as the aging film, marred by decades of use, threatens to break.
The rage and the anger of the crowd is just a momentary farce, however. One that enables the viewer to take sides, while strutting their righteous indignation in the process. This is interactive theater at it's best.
And then, it’s over. Until the next time. An old plotline once again sells and the media rejoices because the profits were good. Then, the various groups gather and depart, waiting for the next event, so they can play the game.
“Nothing ventured. Nothing gained.” They say.
Nothing at all.
Mark Magula