We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, April 25, 2011

Bahrain: Below the radar [25:04m video]

Click here to access video and article from Al Jazeera.

This video provides a good balance to the news and coverage of the Mid-East turmoil provided by the highly biased reports we are getting in Western media. Bahrain has all but disappeared from Western media coverage. The political operatives of the Empire much prefer that we focus on their favorite targets, Gaddafi and Libya, Assad and Syria--regimes which have been a bit of a thorn in the side of the Empire's rulers. Bahrain, on the other hand, as a location for the US 5th Fleet, is a prime asset of the Empire. 

This video report also covers the difficulties of covering events in the area because of the continuing management of coverage by governments allied to the US led Empire. Media coverage in post-Mubarak Egypt is of particular interest.

Western media executives also wants to divert our attention to the Royal Wedding: another way to distract us from what is really important in world events. This video satirizes this coverage with a final segment that offers an amusing parody of the Royal Wedding. 

Media coverage is a prime weapon in support of capitalist rule; and we, as working people, must direct our attention to alternative media if we are to have any chance of winning the class war that is happening throughout much of the world. Whenever you watch corporate media, you simply must be aware that what is being presented mostly serves their interests, not yours.

(For more information on political oppression and human rights abuses in Bahrain, see this.)