The Media Chess Game

[Abishai100]

Hollywood (USA) is making so many vigilantism daydream-themed comics-adapted films such as Captain America: Civil War and Superman Returns that you have to wonder if Americans are generally 'anxious' about civics intrigue in our new age of networking-gauged politics (e.g., European Union, NATO, etc.).

In earlier times, it was the PLO that put a strain on America-Israel relations; then the Taliban came to power; now it is ISIS.

The main lesson of WWII (1939-1945) seems to be that the nation of Israel needs a 'big brother protector.'

There are circulating rumors that ISIS has been talking boldly about America's annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (a symbol of both consumerism and multi-culturalism).

My big curiosity is what everyday Muslims living in America feel about the plethora of comics-adapted films and the accessibility of Al Jazeera TV. Is this the 'Age of the Oracle'?

If so, America needs to secure its radio and media networks.


====

"As ISIS hacked into Facebook, Captain America was thinking of ways to strengthen various crucial websites. ISIS had the plan to 'freeze' all media channels on American soil within a year. They key players would unfortunately be Muslim-Americans voting and participating as American radio and TV spectators!"

====

ISIS (Wikipedia)

 

[Abishai100]

Revelation (Yellow Journalism?)


"Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4).


There is such an abundance of imagery (you can even find pics on the Internet with a simple Google search --- 'ISIS terrorist') of Middle Eastern terrorists, that you wonder if counter-point 'images' found in American films such as Spy Game and Mission: Impossible are sufficient to add to this insulting dialogue (on radio, TV, and Internet of course).

The Christian Bible states that at the End of Days, the AntiChrist will cause people to worship his false image and those who refuse will be beheaded and/or killed. That is certainly very 'rich imagery,' and something that Christians hold onto when they counter fundamentalist Islamic 'images' of jihadists in masks with machine-guns crying about the breath of Allah.

The American A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) fantasy-adventure franchise Transformers (Hasbro) presents among its myriad of warrior-robots, a group of robots whose heads detach and themselves become 'mini-robots.' These warrior-robots, appropriately named 'the Headmasters,' signify a human curiosity about the simple value of the head (and the brain inside it) and the body attached to it!

Muslims and Christians alike liberally reference images/ideas of people 'losing their heads' during religious rapture or infidelity.

Can we coordinate 'Western mythos' with 'Middle Eastern [Islamic] fundamentalism' in this media age? What is the boundary-line between propaganda and mythology? Such questions are important in this media age when intellectual property discussions become 'mingled' with 'pedestrian rage.'

This can either be very fun or very very counter-productive. Do they award Emmys to yellow-journalists?

What I'm tired of is hearing things like, "ISIS has the right to post pictures [on the Internet] of jihadists beheading people, but Americans don't have the right to offer up their own brand of 'crusader storytelling'."

Caveat: Is Arafat on Facebook???



====

Dr. Ajay, the Armenian computer-scientist at M.I.T., had discovered a way to devise a new species of silicon-based A.I. which had the power to dissociate central decision-making algorithms (bifurcating them) and therefore becoming multiple action-catalytic programs --- some became heads while the other became bodies. Dr. Ajay named this new computer-borne 'A.I. algorithms' the 'Bifurcating Headmasters,' but he had a nagging worry --- would such engineering be interpreted by Christian fanatics as spiritually heretical?

Meanwhile, an ISIS cell had developed a biochemical cell which mutated the body of its jihadists into super-strong, green-colored brutes who had the ability to crush a human head with bare hands. How would the media spin this development, and would Dr. Ajay become a key 'pawn' in this new 'head-cutting game'? Dr. Ajay was right about one thing --- Christian fanatics were talking about his A.I. Headmasters discovery as symbolic of the AntiChrist's 'beheading reign' on Earth. Everything was left to CNN.

President Donald Trump believed that the head-replication A.I. work of Dr. Ajay and the head-crushing super-brute projected army of ISIS were clear signs that humanity was being challenged by a new breed of 'headmaster aliens,' and only the media had the power to clarify the relevant Christian-Islamic mythos hysteria for the masses. Unfortunately, what the American President did not know was that the First Lady (Melania Trump) was a secret agent of Mossad. Mrs. Trump was coordinating a 'Donald Trump Head-Cutting Diorama' political cartoon (Thomas Nast style) on Facebook!

====



Headmasters (Transformers Wiki)


PICTURED BELOW: Dr. Ajay and ISIS 'Green Goblin'

 

[Abishai100]

Radio Blackboard


How do we differentiate between images of 'patriotism' and 'vigilantism'?

 

[Abishai100]

The Shia-Sunni Conjecture


One key aspect of the 'Muslim world' is the conflict/competition between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

Shia Muslims believe that the sacred prophet Muhammad was 'bestowed' a successor by Allah which led to the human appointment of Muhammad's son-in-law. Sunni Muslims believe no one clearly designated a clear successor for Muhammad so it was left up to 'general Islamic tradition' to appoint Muhammad's father-in-law as Caliph (or 'bishop').

The conflict between Shia and Sunni Islam led to the Battle of Siffin and then more and more problems. Shia Muslims often wear black, while Sunni Muslims often wear white. Iran is Shia-dominated, while Syria is Sunni-dominated.

Shia are considered to be more organizational, while Sunni are considered to be more figurehead-observational.

So here's a Shia-Sunni 'debate' between Cyclonus and Scourge, two fictional 'cunning robots' from the A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) fantasy-adventure franchise Transformers (Hasbro). Cyclonus symbolizes practical fury and will therefore speak on behalf of the Shia Muslims (since Shia Muslims or 'Shiites' are more arguably economics-focused), while Scourge symbolizes might and will therefore speak on behalf of the Sunni Muslims (since Sunnis are arguably more leadership-focused).

I'm using fictional avatars from popular art to make it more convenient to present the notion that religion-based politics marketing requires culture-psychology integration. In other words, it's more digestible (and TV-friendly!).

Can we use such 'socially accessible dialogue to better understand 'fundamentalism marketing'? One of the criticisms that the American government received during the Vietnam War (and to a lesser degree the Gulf War) is that Americans simply did not care about or were knowledgeable about the integral socio-cultural issues affecting the native people in that representative internal feud.

Do Americans care about Shia-Sunni relations?


====

CYCLONUS (Shia): We both agree that using images to portray the heavens is complicated.
SCOURGE (Sunni): Yes.
CYCLONUS: Yet, the Sunnis are willing to elect a supreme Caliphate to serve as 'figurehead.'
SCOURGE: The Shiites have equal problems with administering the efficacy of the leadership-diffused Imams.
CYCLONUS: Shiites have no problems securing Iran, but Sunnis have not fared well securing Syria.
SCOURGE: That's partly why ISIS was formed.
CYCLONUS: Can ISIS do anything for Shia-Sunni relations?
SCOURGE: It may address the problem of 'couture conflict' among Muslims.
CYCLONUS: Solving such a problem is wise, now that we have Al Jazeera TV.

====


Shia-Sunni Relations (Wikipedia)