Dezinformatsiya
I’ll begin this brief essay by defining a term: Disinformation is the deliberate spread of information that is known to be false or biased, in order to achieve a military, political, or social goal. The term was coined by Soviet planners, during the Cold War era. They dubbed it “Dezinformatsiya“. It has both military and geopolitical objectives. It includes strategic and tactical subsets that include propaganda, camouflage (“maskirovka“), contrived “news”, and political indoctrination. More than simply spreading false news of troop movements, dezinformatsiya is a grand strategy that encompasses all aspects of media manipulation and deception to reach a desired end.
I believe that Western world is now full in the throes of The Age of Disinfomation.
Disinformation is now often labelled “fake news”, but I dislike that vague, fuzzy term. Even the term itself has been politicized, so it is best to avoid it. I believe that the term disinformation is a better choice. It is more pointed, and less likely to be misinterpreted or turned into a smear.
The term disinformation should not be used interchangeably with misinformation. The latter is simply false or mistaken data–rather than an orchestrated plan to deceive or manipulate public perceptions.
Political Disinformation
The American mass media is now overtly biased and handing out disinformation on a grand scale. Leftists began infiltrating academia more than a century ago. One of their key goals was influencing those planning careers in journalism. I saw this first hand, as a journalism major at a university in California in the early 1980s. Any student who spoke up for conservative ideals was immediately pounced on by the School of Journalism faculty. And most of the students would usually pile on, in a harmony that would make Chairman Mao proud. Even back then, the leftist diatribes in lectures and classroom “discussions” (indoctrination sessions) were pronounced and sustained. I can only imagine what things are like in journalism schools today–in the era of Social Justice Warriors, Safe Spaces, and Trigger Warnings.
Up until the 1990s, the mass media’s leftist bias was fairly subtle. But now the newscasters of all ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and MS-MBC all overtly seem to sound much like the commentators on NPR. (What I jokingly call National Pravda Radio.) Even the journalists at the “fair and balanced” Fox News lapse into left wing rhetoric when they talk about issues like “fairness” and “separation of church and state.” Though some of this is sure unintentional, it is nonetheless noticeable.
Disarmament Disinformation
One of the most profound uses of disinformation today is in the onslaught of call for civilian disarmament–what is euphemistically called “gun control.” The mass media, driven by leftists, has made a concerted effort to control the narrative. Through a combination of intimidation, shaming, repetition, intentional errors in nomenclature, and the use of misleading or outright faked statistics, they are now putting on “the full court press” to force legislation at the local, state, and federal levels, to eviscerate the Second Amendment.
Racist and Classist Disinformation
Perhaps on the most insidious forms of disinformation is racism. I believe that racism is ignorant bigotry. Properly, everyone should be judged as individuals. Racism should have been resolved in the Reconstruction period of the 1870s, but sadly it carries on today.
Closely tied to racism is classism. Americans have both a conscious and subconscious aversion to any references to class. Most of this date back to the War of Independence, wherein we shed ourselves of both the British monarchy and with the British obsession with class distinctions. Again, people should be judged as individuals.
Having greater wealth does not necessarily mean that someone will act with “class” that is, with refinement, reserve, civility charity, or generosity. In fact, the 21st Century Cult of Celebrity has shown us that many wealthy people–especially the nouveau-riche can act in a scandalous “low class” manner. The news is replete with stories of wealthy celebrities living out their de classe lives in despicable ways–with copious foul language, sexual perversion, crass excesses, nihilism, drug abuse, fathering bastards, cross-dressing, alcoholism, and serial divorce. In some ways, I feel like we are are re-living in the Caligula era of ancient Rome.
Race and Class are canards and wedges used to divide people, in order to create pressure groups and to effectuate the socialist agenda. Don’t fall for them. Don’t allow yourself to be labelled or targeted by racism, discrimination, or even by reverse discrimination. And when you see these tactics being used, call them out. As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, the English language is under attack by social engineers. If we lose control of our language, then we are doomed.
Inversionist Disinformation
The 21st Century leftist/statist/globalist crowd sees to have perfected the technique of what I call Inversionist Disinformation. This is simultaneously twisting terminology and societal norms. Thus, at the stroke of a pen, “marriage” was redefined to mean something completely different from what it had meant since the dawn of human civilization. Ditto for the whole concept of “gender”. (Witness the recent “Rainbow of Genders” claptrap. Ditto for the word “freedom”. (Most recently “freedom” has been inverted, so that “freedom to do X, Y, or Z” has instead been redefined to mean “freedom from X, Y, or Z.”)
This inversionism should not come as a surprise to us. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah warned: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” – Isaiah 5:20
Anti-Preparedness Disinformation
Disinformation is also a threat to the preparedness community. Part of this bad advice coming from well-intentioned but poorly-informed opinion leaders and so-called “experts”. Some of these folks recommend riding out a societal collapse in an urban environment. I heard from others who claim that a family can be “self-sufficient” while living on a city lot measuring less than one acre. That sort advice will get people killed.
Countering Disinformation
Please learn to be discerning about what you read and what you hear. The American mass media has become horribly corrupted and agenda-driven. They are now maestros of propaganda. Above all, as you evaluate any given news article: Consider the source.
I’ll close with this quote from a well-respected authority, Jesus, The Messiah: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” – John 8:32
– JWR
(Note: SurvivalBlog grants permission to re-post this entire article. You must re-post it in full, with proper attribution to James Wesley, Rawles and SurvivalBlog, and you must preserve the included links.)
Interesting work here, JWR. Do you think the pattern of disinformation has a relationship with chaos theory that was written about on Survivalblog a while back?
I believe that the key concept is not so much chaos theory as it is simple de-platforming. Bloggers like myself have a Bully Pulpit in the blogosphere. We cannot and will not be silenced. We have already won. All that remains to played out is the Denouement.
The one that I notice a lot is both liberals (aka-communists, socialists, Marxists, Maoists, Stalinists, etc.) and conservatives calling the USA a democracy when it was established and continues to be a Constutional Republic. Come on fellow patriots! Don’t be sucked in by using their terms!
Talk about Inversionist Disinformation; The CIA in Langley has the same biblical verse chiseled on the wall of the front entrance. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” – John 8:32
I didn’t know that “separation of church and state” is left-wing rhetoric.
The contemporary use of “separation of church and state” is that any time that religion impacts the public sphere, defined in the broadest possible way, it is a violation of the separation of church and state, and church should be restricted.
The term is not in the Constitution, and comes from a letter of Jefferson to a church, promising that their freedom would not be restricted.
It now means the exact opposite. It was meant to protect the church from the state, and not the state from the church.
From the 60’s until the 80’s racism was in a decline in the U.S. The “old” South was replaced by a kinder gentler South and discrimination awareness and inclusion of all people was becoming the norm. But the left realized the value of racism is a political tool to control the minorities and create a wedge that would polarize voters. So since the 80’s the trend was reversed and racism real and imagined has made a comeback. After all it is too powerful and profitable to do away with. We reached peak racism with Obama’s election and now it seems that the Democrats are trying to outdo even that peak.
@oneguy. What you said is very true. The black folks are now demanding segregation. It boggles my mind.
In high school, back in the stone age, a teacher asked us “Do you believe what is written in the newspapers?” We dutifully replied “Yes.” He then explained that most writing was going to be biased by the personal opinions of the writer, and might be even more pushed in a particular direction by paper policies. He also was in favor of researching our opinions, to the point we could argue either side of a position. He was a thoroughly infuriating man because he was right. One of the thoughts he also gave us was “Don’t believe all you read and only some of what you see.” After watching some of the special effects in movies, I even question much of what I see. We live in a world Orwellian in nature and getting more so.
I could not agree more. I just had a long discussion with a nephew that recently graduated from a state university. The degree to which his sincerely held opinions and world view reflects the blatant and unsupported teaching offered as absolute fact by liberal faculty was staggering. It was almost like a grade B science fiction movie where a person is taken over by an outside entity and begins each communication with a zombie like recitation devoid of any critical thinking by the victim, His opinions were almost exclusively and shallowly supported by his professors pontifications and non-supported internet articles by agenda driven authors.
A course in the layout and language of argument should be mandatory for all levels of public and private education. Sadly, Critical thinking skills are no longer part of the academic offering in our country- and I believe it is by design.
God help us!
Our indoctrination centers, pardon me, schools have become a disgrace. Courses in logic should be mandatory. I’d say the same for Civics and the History of the American Revolution but those concepts have become so “revised” as to be simply more brainwashing. My generation has been completely asleep at the switch so far as allowing leftists to take over our educational establishments from elementary schools to universities.
JWR, great article and the link “Terms of Temerity” is very good. I highly recommend Noah Webster’s First Edition of An American Dictionary of The English Language, by Noah Webster 1828. It is republished in facsimile edition by the foundation for American Christian Education to document and demonstrate: I. The unique nature of our form of government and of our civil institutions which “requires an appropriate language of the definition of words.”
II. “To the youth of the United States” the best American and English authors authorities in the use and definition of
language.
III. To all Americans “That the principles of republican government have their origin in the Scriptures.”
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 91-179826
ISBN 0-912498-03-X
Its a facsimile from original 1828 copy.
It is amazing the difference in definitions from then to now.
There is only one “truth” in this world, and his name is above all names, Jesus our Lord and Savior!
Exactly right! The Truth is a Person–Jesus. He is the One who will set us free.
It has become extremely blatant at the college level. A friend’s daughter majoring in education about 5 years ago was told by the professor of her college composition class that so long as she chose to express a conservative opinion in her essays she would receive only a “C” no matter how correct her grammar, argument and language usage were. Can we say major liberal bias?!
I could go into a long rant, covering a 2 or 3 part article, about to way I feel about our governments, state and federal. I will spare you all from being exposed to that little diatribe. You’re welcome.
Suffice it to say I have come to hate our Trotskyite Communist two-party system. I hate both political parties with a passion that surprises even me sometimes. I’ve withdrawn my consent to be governed by the Democrat party. I haven’t quite figured out how to withdraw my consent to be governed by the Republican party and still participate in the system. I don’t vote for any socialist party, and there are many. The conservative parties really aren’t conservative. That leaves the Libertarian party. When was the last time the Libertarian party nominated an actual libertarian for any office at any level of government? Not since Harry Brown and before that, Ron Paul. Gary Johnson is not a libertarian so he doesn’t count either.
The majority of those eligible to vote in any given election cycle do not vote for either the Republican or the Democrat. So whomever wins any election for any office is actually elected by a minority of those eligible to vote.
How is this relevant to the discussion at hand? My answer is that every single problem we have in this union of States is caused by Republicans and Democrats working together. Bring into the mix the American propaganda machine that is the main stream media, including Fox News, and you can see, smell, feel the forces mounted against us. Remember Hitler and the Nazis learned the art of propaganda from us. We have the finest, most effective propaganda machine in the world.
So put your BS 0-meter on full power. Question everything you read, see, and hear. Trust your gut.
Rules to follow: (Gibbs Rules, NCIS) I find these appropriate.
Rule #3: Don’t believe what you’re told. Double check
Rule #8: Never take anything for granted
Rule #16: If someone thinks they have the upper-hand, …break it!
Rule #35: Always watch the watchers.
Rule #36: If it feels like you’re being played, you probably are.
Rule #39: There is no such thing as coincidence.
Rule #40: If it seems someone is out to get you, they are.
Rule #42: Don’t ever accept an apology from someone that just sucker-punched you.
And for the prepper in all of us:
Rule #9: Never go anywhere without a knife.
Enough said.
Charles K, you are “spot on”! Thank you!
We do live in the greatest age of disinformation in history. I manage to keep up with a semblance truth with a variety of websites that attempt to do the same. Clearly division, fear, and the latest bogie man enemy (Putin) is used to attain their goals.
Most are driven by this stuff into a lather taking the headlines and running with it instead of doing some research and attempting to park their biases. The search is not for the truth but for a rush of endorphins that make you feel great because you are right and smart when in reality you are as dumb as a post.
Being wrong once and a while and readjusting your views is the mother of invention. Being brainwashed by the Hegelian based education system in to drones of the state has taken a massive toll on our country. It is only going to get much worse.
Someday they may run out of bogie men. When that happens World Government will take hold and the mark of the beast will be widely accepted. Our phones will deliver us into their hands. Our televisions will talk back to us and ask us to take an oath to the new system. The BEAST system will be a two way communication system. They will have no shortage of adherents and admirers.
We are Babylon the great wicked whore. We will be burned up and the world will morn not for us but for their loss of trade and income.
I suggest reading an older , but interesting article titled “The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival” by Sir John Glubb. It deals with the cyclical nature and the signposts of civilizations and the world power’s rise and fall dating from Assyria of 859BC to modern times.. The USA is “right there” at the cusp of the fall and has followed the formula of failure…what do we do about it?
Remember the Maine! Disinformation has been a stock in trade for the media since william Randolf Hearst sent reporters to Cuba to report on the war he was fomenting. The left has gained but the NeoCons are good at it too(Why are we in Afghanistan/lraq/Syria/Africa,and a score of other wars that we either started or are continuing for profit). Believe nothing without vetting Original sources and corroborating intel.