Every now and then, the truth slips out. Fourteen years ago in 1998, a TV Funhouse skit for Saturday Night Live about media monopolies was shown once, then banned for allegedly not being “funny” enough. Yet for the comedy it lacked, its truth took up the slack.
From Huffington Post: “In March of 1998, the popular “TV Funhouse” cartoon segment on “Saturday Night Live” featured one particularly political short called “Conspiracy Theory Rock!”. In it, corporations like GE and FOX were depicted as a “media-opoly,” and their cartoon figureheads devoured smaller news companies in a scathing “School House Rock” parody (a controversial move at the time, considering GE owned NBC).”
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Law of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment,news reporting, teaching, scholarship,and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
So who gives a crap if media companiess form huge monopolies? Maybe then I will finally be able to fit more Kardashians in to my daily schedule!
Yes, we all hope to do that, but there is a reason that businesses tend to monopolize: Power. What power does the media have? Control over our thoughts, our lives, our choices, our government, our laws, everything – because we allow it by trusting what we see. Sadly, there aren’t enough people that simply want to shut off their hypnotelevisions to make a significant impact in the propaganda being promulgated straight into their minds.
Thanks to the Citizens United decision of 2010, the Media Empires have discovered an UNLIMITED new blood vein from which to suck UNLIMITED amounts of funds from politicians who are using that media airtime to, for the most part, convince you to vote against your own best interests. Particularly the Republicans who not only lie out loud, but use fabricated ideologies to make you think if we just eliminate regulations on corporations and cut all social programs, prosperity will flourish. The above SNL Skit includes a brief slide on this very subject.
Q: Who gains from Citizens United?
A: The Media Monopolies, the Corporate powers who stand to gain from friendly legislation, and the Politicians who use them for power.
Q: Where does all that money come from?
A: From donations to political campaigns, often in huge sums from anonymous donors funneled through Super PACs and other fabricated entites. Some of that also comes from small individual donations, but when it comes to pro-corporate politicians, the money flows from big pockets.
Imagine how all those millions could help the economy, feed the hungry, heal the sick, educate the next generation…
Q: Where does all that advertisement money GO?
A: To the Media-opolies.
Media manipulation is now sold to the highest unlimited bidder who only has two things in mind when they plunk down those huge wads of cash to get airtime: Power and Money. Not the power to be the best selling toilet paper or healthiest candy bar on earth… but the power to parasitically drain the life blood from the consumer and throw them away while continuing to consolidate their power at the expense of freedom, fairness, the environment, life and the world. Right now a very controversial pair of bills called SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP Act) are being supported by the major media networks that experts believe will severely inhibit freedom and innovation by turning the internet into a cyber police state. Fortunately for now, the Obama Administration recently came out against these two bills.Notably, there has been a near media black-out of coverage by the same media networks that support these bills.
The power the media networks have over their victims/viewers is strong partly because the victims willingly relinquish their minds to the images and sounds pushed into their homes. Often we already agree with most of the stuff coming from our preferred media networks, so it fits like a glove. We who have broken free from the powerful hypnosis of the media have the responsibility to try to save anyone we can from the death-grip of this parasitic disease. In most cases, the only way to drive a stake into the heart of the lies and propaganda, is by sharing the truth, repeatedly, annoyingly. Never stop shining the light of truth, no matter how futile it may seem. Someone may be learning from you, you just may not know it.
Media Matters
Occupy Your Local Media 
Media-manipul-opoly
Jan 9
Posted by Citizen Observer
From Huffington Post:
“In March of 1998, the popular “TV Funhouse” cartoon segment on “Saturday Night Live” featured one particularly political short called “Conspiracy Theory Rock!”. In it, corporations like GE and FOX were depicted as a “media-opoly,” and their cartoon figureheads devoured smaller news companies in a scathing “School House Rock” parody (a controversial move at the time, considering GE owned NBC).”
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Law of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment,news reporting, teaching, scholarship,and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
So who gives a crap if media companiess form huge monopolies? Maybe then I will finally be able to fit more Kardashians in to my daily schedule!
Yes, we all hope to do that, but there is a reason that businesses tend to monopolize: Power. What power does the media have? Control over our thoughts, our lives, our choices, our government, our laws, everything – because we allow it by trusting what we see. Sadly, there aren’t enough people that simply want to shut off their hypnotelevisions to make a significant impact in the propaganda being promulgated straight into their minds.
Thanks to the Citizens United decision of 2010, the Media Empires have discovered an UNLIMITED new blood vein from which to suck UNLIMITED amounts of funds from politicians who are using that media airtime to, for the most part, convince you to vote against your own best interests. Particularly the Republicans who not only lie out loud, but use fabricated ideologies to make you think if we just eliminate regulations on corporations and cut all social programs, prosperity will flourish. The above SNL Skit includes a brief slide on this very subject.
Q: Who gains from Citizens United?
A: The Media Monopolies, the Corporate powers who stand to gain from friendly legislation, and the Politicians who use them for power.
Q: Where does all that money come from?
A: From donations to political campaigns, often in huge sums from anonymous donors funneled through Super PACs and other fabricated entites. Some of that also comes from small individual donations, but when it comes to pro-corporate politicians, the money flows from big pockets.
Imagine how all those millions could help the economy, feed the hungry, heal the sick, educate the next generation…
Q: Where does all that advertisement money GO?
A: To the Media-opolies.
Media manipulation is now sold to the highest unlimited bidder who only has two things in mind when they plunk down those huge wads of cash to get airtime: Power and Money. Not the power to be the best selling toilet paper or healthiest candy bar on earth… but the power to parasitically drain the life blood from the consumer and throw them away while continuing to consolidate their power at the expense of freedom, fairness, the environment, life and the world. Right now a very controversial pair of bills called SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP Act) are being supported by the major media networks that experts believe will severely inhibit freedom and innovation by turning the internet into a cyber police state. Fortunately for now, the Obama Administration recently came out against these two bills.Notably, there has been a near media black-out of coverage by the same media networks that support these bills.
The power the media networks have over their victims/viewers is strong partly because the victims willingly relinquish their minds to the images and sounds pushed into their homes. Often we already agree with most of the stuff coming from our preferred media networks, so it fits like a glove. We who have broken free from the powerful hypnosis of the media have the responsibility to try to save anyone we can from the death-grip of this parasitic disease. In most cases, the only way to drive a stake into the heart of the lies and propaganda, is by sharing the truth, repeatedly, annoyingly. Never stop shining the light of truth, no matter how futile it may seem. Someone may be learning from you, you just may not know it.
Additional Reading:
The New Media Monopoly, by Ben Bagdikian
Monopoly Media Manipulation, by Michael Parenti, May 2001.
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Tags: media, monopoly