Andrew
Breitbart and Rush Limbaugh make a terrific living through diversion, demonizing, and the use of techniques with a goal of destroying policy or oftentimes with character assassination. Their writing and punditry like Glenn Beck and others skilled to excite and influence their loyal legions is most assuredly a template used on every policy or individual attack.
They do not always use the entire strategy or structure each time but do implement an argument structure designed to persuade using techniques associated with brainwashing. Dr. Cynthia Boaz is an assistant professor of political science at Sonoma State University. Among her areas of expertise includes political communication and media. From various pundits she has identified fourteen techniques that effectively brainwash their followers.
My experience is that many of my Conservative friends use these argumentative structures oftentimes unknowingly while others seemed to understand them purposely and are in step with the talking points necessary to forward the agenda. Folks we refer to as trolls often use this very same structure with their arguments. Read a variety of postings and you will observe the bullying technique, character assassination, flipping, and attempts to confuse the issue, policy, or personal attack.
My experience is that many of my Conservative friends use these argumentative structures oftentimes unknowingly while others seemed to understand them purposely and are in step with the talking points necessary to forward the agenda. Folks we refer to as trolls often use this very same structure with their arguments. Read a variety of postings and you will observe the bullying technique, character assassination, flipping, and attempts to confuse the issue, policy, or personal attack.
These are similar to those Rovian Techniques devised by Karl Rove and once the target is identified; the techniques listed above are put in motion. They attack the individual or policy and then saturate that message via blogs, Facebook, Google groups, radio, television, and newspapers. The idea is to divert followers from facts and focus on readers or listeners preconceived notions and fears to perpetuate the attack.
I have identified several "attack" techniques in the past but those who have not read my blogs the following sources will assist you in understanding why Progressives and Liberals need to start not only "Leaning Forward" but getting off their shiny bottoms and start doing something about the arguments and techniques being employed by several far right "journalists", bloggers, pundits and entertainer news anchors like Rush, O'Reilly, and Glenn Beck. If you see similar techniques on the fringe left; call them out too! You can saturate messages of truth as well as fiction!
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/08/1141830/-Karl-Rove-s-Handbook
http://www.drw.utexas.edu/roberts-miller/handouts/demagoguery
I have others; but these sources whether you the reader like the sources or not are links to the people who analyzed and wrote them. Everything we do is definable and each of us may not agree with the operational definitions these people identify as the techniques employed to distract and brainwash but it can be observed and the patterns identified.
Why am I bringing this up? One name: Melissa Harris-Perry. She has an MSNBC commercial that the right is demonizing about Children being part of the Community and that we should all be concerned about them; not just the Children's parents. Move a few words around and fail to report the entire sentiment with the purpose of diverting, demonizing, and destroying the character suggesting nonsense of communism, socialism, and fascism.
Do you really believe your children are only your concern? Do you not want teachers, clergy, police, neighbors, and even strangers to be aware of unsafe situations and step up or step in? They are trying to make this another "you did not build this" attack they used when they diverted, demonized and attempted to destroy President Obama.
How can I prove this? I will provide two links and from these you decide:
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/04/08/how-the-right-is-distorting-melissa-harris-perr/193532
https://www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&gs_rn=8&gs_ri=psy-ab&gs_mss=melissa%20harris%20perry%20MSNBC%20C&tok=oWqmcNVulDbR1YfMw7qfdw&pq=melissa%20harris%20perry&cp=62&gs_id=bo&xhr=t&q=melissa%20harris%20perry%20MSNBC%20Commercial%20Kids%20are%20the%20Communities&es_nrs=true&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&oq=melissa+harris+perry+MSNBC+Commercial+Kids+are+the+Communities&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.44990110,bs.1,d.aWM&fp=e9443ae8fe5a8991&biw=1366&bih=643
Remember this....To push forward their right wing character assassination of Melissa Harris-Perry they need to saturate Google Search and they have accomplished this with over 500,000 orchestrated links. The Heritage Foundation has people who use the Google Analytics to post and re-post so the only information is their right wing character assassination of this MSNBC pundit and others. My question is----What are they really concerned about? Her rising popularity? Perhaps it is that her weekend un-rehearsed shows are analysis and discussion with a variety of viewpoints....Even viewpoints that don't always agree with hers. Imagine what that might look like on the daily rehearsed Bill O'Reilly show!
Melissa Harris-Perry Blog Response:
http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/04/09/why-caring-for-children-is-not-just-a-parents-job/
http://www.drw.utexas.edu/roberts-miller/handouts/demagoguery
I have others; but these sources whether you the reader like the sources or not are links to the people who analyzed and wrote them. Everything we do is definable and each of us may not agree with the operational definitions these people identify as the techniques employed to distract and brainwash but it can be observed and the patterns identified.
Why am I bringing this up? One name: Melissa Harris-Perry. She has an MSNBC commercial that the right is demonizing about Children being part of the Community and that we should all be concerned about them; not just the Children's parents. Move a few words around and fail to report the entire sentiment with the purpose of diverting, demonizing, and destroying the character suggesting nonsense of communism, socialism, and fascism.
Do you really believe your children are only your concern? Do you not want teachers, clergy, police, neighbors, and even strangers to be aware of unsafe situations and step up or step in? They are trying to make this another "you did not build this" attack they used when they diverted, demonized and attempted to destroy President Obama.
How can I prove this? I will provide two links and from these you decide:
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/04/08/how-the-right-is-distorting-melissa-harris-perr/193532
https://www.google.com/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&gs_rn=8&gs_ri=psy-ab&gs_mss=melissa%20harris%20perry%20MSNBC%20C&tok=oWqmcNVulDbR1YfMw7qfdw&pq=melissa%20harris%20perry&cp=62&gs_id=bo&xhr=t&q=melissa%20harris%20perry%20MSNBC%20Commercial%20Kids%20are%20the%20Communities&es_nrs=true&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&oq=melissa+harris+perry+MSNBC+Commercial+Kids+are+the+Communities&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.44990110,bs.1,d.aWM&fp=e9443ae8fe5a8991&biw=1366&bih=643
Remember this....To push forward their right wing character assassination of Melissa Harris-Perry they need to saturate Google Search and they have accomplished this with over 500,000 orchestrated links. The Heritage Foundation has people who use the Google Analytics to post and re-post so the only information is their right wing character assassination of this MSNBC pundit and others. My question is----What are they really concerned about? Her rising popularity? Perhaps it is that her weekend un-rehearsed shows are analysis and discussion with a variety of viewpoints....Even viewpoints that don't always agree with hers. Imagine what that might look like on the daily rehearsed Bill O'Reilly show!
Melissa Harris-Perry Blog Response:
http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/04/09/why-caring-for-children-is-not-just-a-parents-job/