Propaganda & Frustration At The NY Times: Global Warming & Class Envy Just Won't Sell

[paulitician]

The worst thing about propaganda of any flavor is that it works, even — and especially — on the intelligent. Populism is the artery in which many bad ideas gain speed. Public intellectuals seeking public approval often take bad ideas, add a twist and make them their own. If approval is rendered, the intellectual then risks becoming intractably invested in the bad idea and a de facto propagandist himself. Such is the case with Charles M. Blow.

In a December 16 op-ed in The New York Times, Blow observes and laments that Americans are not as divided as he thinks we ought to be. Citing a recent Gallup poll showing that the majority of Americans do not see our society as ordered into “haves” and “have-nots,” Blow throws up his hands and names the phenomena “the new American delusion.” He also calls us “deniers,” employing the new go-to slur for anyone who disagrees with liberalism’s articles of faith.

Blow’s frustration stems from the fact that, according to Gallup, class envy is subsiding. To put a cherry on top of a delicious liberal-fantasy-meets-reality sundae, his column begins with an unwitting confession in the form of a question: “Is income inequality becoming the new global warming?”

The short answer is yes, but the confession is much more compelling.

Income inequality and global warming — what could these two unique and entirely unrelated problems have in common? And why would a liberal pundit pout, almost longingly, that we, the deluded, denying masses, don’t see them as “existential” threats?



Read more: Global Warming | Income Inequality | Propaganda and frustration in The New York Times | The Daily Caller

 

[Katzndogz]

That was excellent!

I can hear the liberals screaming now.

 

[paulitician]

That was excellent!

I can hear the liberals screaming now.

Yea but it's kind of sad though. I used to actually respect the NY Times. But once they decided to only be about the Left Wing/Democrat propaganda,they lost all credibility.

 

[Trajan]

That was excellent!

I can hear the liberals screaming now.

Yea but it's kind of sad though. I used to actually respect the NY Times. But once they decided to only be about the Left Wing/Democrat propaganda,they lost all credibility.

hey I hear you.

back in the day of Sulzberger no.1 it was a different paper. oh there was a slew of liberal journalists columnists etc. but when Abe Rosenthal ran the newsroom and was exec. editor he knew it, and said so and did his level best to keep it as close to the center as possible. Bill Buckley thought so too and said so as well. But, times, they change...pun intended.

 

[Old Rocks]

Income inequality will play a big role in 2012. Global warming? Depends on the storms, and what happens in the Arctic this summer and fall. A repeat or worse of the number and ferocity of weather events that happened in 2011 will definately put AGW in the mix. Should the clathrated again increase the outgassing by an order of magnitude as it did from 2010 to 2011, you will see this become major news.

 

[georgephillip]

The worst thing about propaganda of any flavor is that it works, even — and especially — on the intelligent. Populism is the artery in which many bad ideas gain speed. Public intellectuals seeking public approval often take bad ideas, add a twist and make them their own. If approval is rendered, the intellectual then risks becoming intractably invested in the bad idea and a de facto propagandist himself. Such is the case with Charles M. Blow.

In a December 16 op-ed in The New York Times, Blow observes and laments that Americans are not as divided as he thinks we ought to be. Citing a recent Gallup poll showing that the majority of Americans do not see our society as ordered into “haves” and “have-nots,” Blow throws up his hands and names the phenomena “the new American delusion.” He also calls us “deniers,” employing the new go-to slur for anyone who disagrees with liberalism’s articles of faith.

Blow’s frustration stems from the fact that, according to Gallup, class envy is subsiding. To put a cherry on top of a delicious liberal-fantasy-meets-reality sundae, his column begins with an unwitting confession in the form of a question: “Is income inequality becoming the new global warming?”

The short answer is yes, but the confession is much more compelling.

Income inequality and global warming — what could these two unique and entirely unrelated problems have in common? And why would a liberal pundit pout, almost longingly, that we, the deluded, denying masses, don’t see them as “existential” threats?



Read more: Global Warming | Income Inequality | Propaganda and frustration in The New York Times | The Daily Caller

Yates Walker gets a close up view of a propagandist every time he shaves:

"Later in the column, Blow cites data that shows that every socio-economic group in the country has gotten wealthier since 1979.

"Even the poorest among us are 18% richer than they were.

"Good news, right? Nope. According to Blow, the system still needs drastic overhaul and big-government fixes because the rich are getting richer at a faster clip than the poor."

Global Warming | Income Inequality | Propaganda and frustration in The New York Times | The Daily Caller

The rich are getting richer at a drastically faster clip than the poor.

"The gaps in after-tax income between the richest 1 percent of Americans and the middle and poorest fifths of the country more than tripled between 1979 and 2007 (the period for which these data are available), according to data the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued last week.

"Taken together with prior research, the new data suggest greater income concentration at the top of the income scale than at any time since 1928."

Income Gaps Between Very Rich and Everyone Else More Than Tripled In Last Three Decades, New Data Show — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

The 1% get richer by bribing politicians of both major parties to deregulate the financial sector and gut environmental regulations, write tax codes that encourage outsourcing US jobs to China, and shift the tax burden off FIRE sector incomes and onto wages and salaries.

 

[Oddball]

Wow...Neo-Luddite and Malthusian declinist moobattery meets good ole Marxist class envy!

Now, there's a marriage made in Eternal Victimland!

 

[Steelplate]

I don't give a shit what right wingers say(or post) anymore. It's just fucking static on the radio to me.

It's the winter solstice.... one of many lately.... that we haven't seen any kind of winter yet. Sure, it's chilly..... oh.... 44 degrees or so for a high. But that pales in comparison to what I experienced as a kid, and what I experienced as a kid pales in comparison to the "waist deep in snow" stories that I heard from my parents.

Hey... I'm not even saying that the root cause of this is C02.... but something is going on... and I think it would probably behoove us to knock it the fuck off.

 

[georgephillip]

Rhymes with rich

"Between 1979 and 2007, average after-tax incomes for the top 1 percent rose by 281 percent after adjusting for inflation — an increase in income of $973,100 per household — compared to increases of 25 percent ($11,200 per household) for the middle fifth of households and 16 percent ($2,400 per household) for the bottom fifth (see Figure 1)."

Income Gaps Between Very Rich and Everyone Else More Than Tripled In Last Three Decades, New Data Show — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities