The big powers always had ways, even in “democratic” times since 1945 in the Western world, to shape the news information to the masses for their own interests. The “war on terror” – specifically of Islamic fundamentalism – was a recent example, while the proven lying surrounding war efforts of the US, regarding e.g. Iraq, another one.
SHOCK DOCTRINE
I “resaw” Naomi Klein’s recommendable documentary Shock Doctrine (2009) recently, noting more of such historical hypes, often nationally focused, such as in Chili with Pinochet’s coup in 1973, enforcing basically through a “shock therapy” neoliberal/stakeholder capitalism, after removing Left-wing, democratically elected president Allende. This was aided by news distortions and misinformation in the US (where Milton Friedman’s economic neoliberal School of Chicago capitalism was based), to legitimize such a violent coup, for citizens.
The same occurred in Argentina with the coup by Videla in 1976. The same harsh, shock therapy was later applied in Russia after communism, Iraq, and elsewhere. Privatization and making the rich richer: that's what the shock therapy sought to attain. The rule and policies of Thatcher in Britain and Reagan in the US in the 1980s ensured this neoliberal free-market capitalism (“trickle down economics”), internationally, but with still an Anglo-American inclination.
So these Western democracies were throughout recent history certainly not immune to propaganda for their purposes, only a bit less extreme or closed-off than in regimes like that of e.g. Iran.
DICTATORSHIPS
Since 2020 many former Western democracies (however relative) stopped being democracies in the strict sense. The Trias Politica – separation of powers – has been discarded for a monolithic emphasis on fear for a flu virus called Covid 19. I myself tend to call it a “hyped-up” virus, and with good reason. Certainly by now, impartial science shows how this covid is no more severe than the influenza, even before the Omikron variant they mention. Before Covid 19 was like a “quite” heavy flu, now a medium-level flu. Never was a “state of emergency” really legitimate or appropriate (pure medically), beyond perhaps a few weeks in Early 2020, making many countries – especially in the Western world – de facto illegitimate “full dictatorships”.
The hype/propaganda worked anyway, to create chaos, then to shut down societies, destroy smaller businesses, and reorder economies, on the way to what in globalist circles is called Agenda 2030, or the 4th Industrial Revolution. Part of the shock doctrine?
Trinidadian scholar (and later politician) Eric Eustace Williams showed in his study Capitalism and Slavery (1980) that the very first Industrial Revolution in England was financed largely with the British slave trade and slavery in British colonies. Denying of human rights, and taking freedoms away, were sacrifices people were forced (not willing) to make for this economic goal.
Williams even argued that Britain’s later anti-slavery stance (abolishing it before some other European countries) was less humanitarian than it seemed: the industrial revolution made the slavery gains simply less necessary for Britain’s economy.. It’s all about the money..
More subtly, history now kind of repeats itself. The same driving forces – the world’s richest elite - , and comparable goals: economic reset, - economic “shock therapy” at this wealthy elite’s benefit. Another dimension of modern slavery.
UPDATED
Yet, this shock therapy was adapted – or updated - to current times and contexts, with instead of the military as means, now politics and “health policy”, and with Big Pharma and Big Tech playing now the roles that the Plantocracy (slave-owning castes), industrialists, and landowners played before. This time also more "psychological torturing" methods than direct physical ones (reinventing you as infectious, sick being, fear of infection, problematizing "having fun with others"). In the same way as before they “bought” politics and assured corruptible political stooges.
Meanwhile, they cleverly made the world believe it is really about public health. At least, a part of the world. Apparently, fear mongering proved effective enough, even keeping people from checking trustworthy sources about this virus: if more people did that, they would have found out its danger is exaggerated, not absent (like the earlier flu is also real, and could be deadly for vulnerable people), but, indeed, “hyped up”.
People who have not yet lost their mind, and have found the proper information, have to put up with a lot a biased news and propaganda from the mainstream media. Often transparent in its bias and aims, yet somehow bought by people in “a fear modus”, that stops clear thinking, and using our entire brain.
According to brain studies, things like “fear” are triggered in a certain, “primal” part of our brain – shared with reptiles. This reptilian, primal brain is aimed at “survival”, and therefore contains “fear”, as well as getting by financially (money), survival of the species, etc.. A pity, because our brain has more parts we can use too, with more conscious, intelligent and creative thought. Those parts where beautiful things like culture, love, and empathy, and balance, - and good memories! - also can be found.
These are not the brain parts the people behind this plandemic (a rich elite, the WEF, etc.) want to stimulate. Eventually, these made since 2020 de facto dictatorships of former Western democracies, including Fascist elements like State-Big Business alliances (an idea of Mussolini too), and structural discrimination against unvaccinated people.
The injections promoted by Pfizer, Moderna, and those companies, are technically not even “vaccines” as such, but gentech-based, and are not tested enough. They might have dangerous side-effects, and some say these are proven already, such as with the recent collapse of healthy, young athletes. This should be studied more, and all non-natural medicinal methods can have negative side-effects, of course, and even more a new technology messing potentially with our DNA.
Besides that, Covid 19 is not severe enough for most people for such a mass “vaccination” campaign, with pressure - and even force! - in some countries. Even promoted for children.
Limiting the people’s free movements, lockdowns of all hospitality, banning gatherings, even forcing the people to stay home, keeping distance, face masks.. all this did not help against the spread of the virus. Pure power politics, and showing who is the boss. It was also meant to keep the hype and fear strong among the people, so they’d take the “vaccines”, and ensure all citizens have QR Codes. Some see this as the advent of a “control society”, with governments – rather: regimes – controlling citizens digitally in more aspects in their daily life.
Many before 2020 in free societies, would not have thought that activities as mundane like “going to a club” or “going to a bar” would be made conditional by powers that be: but precisely that occurred in several countries. People put up with a lot, as long as you put fear in their heads.
NEIL YOUNG
The recent Neil Young affair should be also placed in this light. I did not know, but apparently he was a musical artist from the rebellious “hippy” generation. I just thought he was an older Rock artist with some Country influences.
His stance against supposed “anti-vaxer” Joe Rogan on Spotify, showed the same lunacy and loss of sense many people – even some of whom I expected better – unfortunately exhibited during this plandemic.
To recapitulate: Neil Young took off his music from the Spotify platform, as on that same platform was also the podcast of Joe Rogan, a comedian and presenter, who was critical of the “vaccines”, and at least gave a stage to those critical of the plandemic policies, including vaccines.
Of course, Neil Young is by now an old man, feeling perhaps more vulnerable, and therefore more susceptible for the propaganda tricks: Covid 19 – like previous flu viruses – was relatively more dangerous for older people, or those with otherwise compromised immune systems.
It could be that – selfish fear -, which is all too human (that primal brain, I mentioned). Some argue, however, that it is more corrupt than that, pointing out that the rights to Neil Young’s music are owned by big companies connected to Pfizer, Black Rock, etc.
That action by Neil Young – taking away his music from Spotify because Joe Rogan was on it too, is extreme nonsense in more than one way.
First of all: what about freedom of opinion and freedom of speech? Someone can have a different opinion than yours in a free world, Young once sang to “ keep on rocking in”. I fear, the ”health” trick of the authorities was clever: Fascist intolerance of other opinions now can go under the disguise of “public health” issues.
That action by Young is also nonsense because there are in fact no “anti-vaxers”, as the MSM portrays them for propaganda purposes. Rogan, or some people he interviewed in his podcast, were critical of some of the policies, or of this specific MRNA injection, so much enriching companies like Pfizer. These objections are based on reasonable – and legitimate! - concerns of necessity or possible adverse effects.
Many with such objection against these covid “vaccines” did not have this so much with old-type vaccines (for polio, tetanus, small pox, etc), that some even have taken.
The final reason why that action of Young is nonsense is that it is purely symbolic, stupidly symbolic at that.
Other musical artists, like Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, or the Stone Roses’ Ian Brown, criticized the “vaccines” and lockdown policies too, and elsewhere Nena in Germany, and Spanish singer Miguel Bosé (with also many fans in Latin America) early on pointed at the Big Pharma and elite corruption behind the plandemic, Spain’s government – according to him – sold itself too.
These voices were largely marginalized in the present dictatorships, but their music is also on Spotify. Van Morrison even made some anti-lockdown songs.
Moreover, there are many songs critical of the corona policies/plandemic, including the covid “vaccines”, also on Spotify. Especially in genres with a history of social critique, developed among poor people, these are common, notably in Reggae music from Jamaica.
To a lesser degree, also in conscious Hip-Hop this can be found. Especially Reggae, though, as there are several critical songs about the plandemic (also named as such), the “vaccination” campaign, and related policies.
Reggae, especially Roots Reggae, is also influenced by the Afro-centric, spiritual Rastafari movement, combining with the lament of poor “sufferers” from the ghetto’s, and a history of slavery and poverty, to help explain a stronger mistrust – probably founded – of enforced restrictions by authorities.
Like in other poor countries, some people have to get out of the house to simply eat – so the odd “stay home!” ordinance caused irritation among poorer Jamaicans, as did the lockdowns limiting small businesses and simple market vendors. Also, the Fascist ban on gathering and parties, travelling limits, – and the closing hours “terror” - , of course seriously affects a country with a rich popular and (internationally known) musical culture like Jamaica.
These corona policies are remarkably coordinated internationally – along with the accompanying propaganda and misinformation in the MSM – and psychologically clever (referring to older family members, trampling rights gradually, instilling fear regularly) - , and indeed many people in Jamaica were “fooled into fear” as elsewhere, often temporarily. Far from all Jamaicans, though, and well-known Reggae artists like Buju Banton, Sizzla, Lutan Fyah, Bushman, Hempress Sativa, Natty King, Luciano, Chronixx, and Queen Omega, had no reserves expressing this critique openly in lyrics of their songs, also regarding the “vaccines”. These are also found on Spotify.
What Neil Young basically demanded is censorship, and that makes it worse. If he had just said: I do not wish to keep my music on the same platform (Spotify) as this guy Joe Rogan, whose opinions I detest so much, it would be his right to do so. Insane, but his right. He demanded, however, a choice between him (as well-known artist) and Joe Rogan, taking a dubious, propaganda stance, of a political nature, making me indeed suspect some Pfizer/Big Pharma corruptive forces behind it..
A pity that a rock star once known – apparently – as a hippy rebel could sink so low.. Is it because of fear, or because of money?
Some artists, also from that “hippie” era, like Joni Mitchell – and also an old woman by now – copied Young’s ill-informed move (taking way songs from Spotify), I understood.
POSTSCRIPT
On the one hand, this recent affair confirms the same nonsense as before during the plandemic, the same mind-games and unfounded “progressive” image authorities want to give the corona policies, now with the seeming public support of some (supposed) “hippie-like” artists.
The same nonsense, but betraying at the same time a bit more desperation.”The narrative is crumbling apart”, many people in the resistance against the elitist, plandemic “shock doctrine” say hopefully. Relatively, this is true. More people got to know the truth over time, and the pressure on vaccines - even for children -, and as requirement for work, even drove the “homely” people who could do without bars, restaurants, or clubs/concerts, now also to more suspicion.
Rewatching Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine convinced me of the largely “neoliberal” agenda at play here, albeit mixed with some functional Chinese Communist “social control and credit” dehumanizing nonsense aspects, to achieve the ‘shock” effect, or “disaster capitalism” this enables.
The comparison with historical fascism is not purely rhetorical. The combining of Big Business (now Big Tech, Big Pharma) with politics, was an “invention” of Benito Mussolini, the spiritual father and initiator of Fascism. Similarities increased when after a “fear mongering” year, the international “vaccination” campaign began (in 2021), and the discriminating marginalization and removal of rights of certain non-complying or resistant minorities (i.e. unvaccinated) took hold.
My main conclusion in this post is maybe this: there is nothing remotely “progressive”, “liberal”, or “Left-wing” about this corona policy/shock doctrine. Besides political persuasion: there is not even much “humanitarian” about it.
In line with the documentary the Shock Doctrine, the crisis was created for an economic reset (WEF’s Great Reset), as a “shock therapy” toward economic enriching the already wealthy, increasing their control over the masses through digital and pharmaceutical means, as the 4th Industrial Revolution, actually only rich and upper classes want.
Like in Chili, Argentina, Iraq, and elsewhere before, this “shock doctrine” could not be achieved, when there was still a functioning democracy: it required a dictatorship, and sideling the populace, either through poverty, war, or fear.
This is not what I consider “Left-wing”, to say it mildly. To say it less mildly: it is more like Fascist capitalism, with a sanitary excuse.
Patronizing efforts to bribe and include well-known musical artists for the propaganda with a “hippie” image for the corona cause (with after all much more musical artists on the opposing, resisting side), and the totally unfounded framing of anti-plandemic protesters as “extreme right” – as also Trudeau did again with the truckers, as I write this occupying Canada’s capital Ottawa -, are in my opinion ridiculously transparent as acts of desperation of people without moral arguments.
