On the day of Murdoch’s retirement…

The AIM Network

1 year ago

By Anthony Haritos

Yes, we were cheap. And we were very nasty. Yes, we did fuck your mind over. Yes, it’s true; we did twist your moral compass completely out of shape so that you’d never ever remember you ever ever had one.

Because – and this is a tad difficult since I feel we’re now old pals – you never ever had one.

Here’s the rub, baby. We worked very well together. A great team. So good in fact, they’re gone now. All of them. And there’s no one left to speak for you.

IN THE BEGINNING …

“It’s time now to round up all these subversives and traitors.”

When supporting the NO vote in The Voice includes this Facebook statement we have a problem.

When it was preceded by “Witch” and followed by “She should be charged with treason”, it’s not just Professor Marcia Langton who has a problem, nor the two authors, but all of us.

The last time we went through this routine bigtime the footnote was,

“Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me”(1)

Given the movies documenting the descent from first line to last, one might suspect the line was placed mischievously. Yes, daily life is filled with boredom but …

This post isn’t to slag the creators of the comments nor defend the Yes vote, which is facing imminent defeat yet which on balance one can only advocate.

It’s however reminding how people can be easily transformed into cauldrons of hatred, and of the ramifications.

Germany 1930s from which the “Then they came for me …” poem sprang, saw Nazi media manipulators along with media and munitions Barons slavering for favour oversee the transformation.

(I feel like a crashing bore writing this stuff, ‘cos we already know this, It’s elementary, my Dear Watson, isn’t it?)

But us, Australians circa 2023; sophisticated, first-world, well-travelled etc, transformed?

Apparently yes.

Murdoch’s News Limited is gleefully consolidating its ability to twist our psyche into a contorted horror show.

No healing or counter will come from slavering Opposition leader Peter Dutton and his cabal whose only course is to ram the dark message home.

It’s inevitable: Blackfellas are going to face a more hostile, racist Australia than last year. What else besides?

(My fellow) Australians, don’t get sucked into feeding this growing vortex of hate.

Berlin mid-1930s images show a society going along just dandy until one morning footpaths were covered with shattered glass.

Australians are still at the Falling-In-Love stage with Fox News’ younger relative Sky News. Have we publicly considered its raison d’ etre? Why does it exist? Why that particular agro one-dimensional format? It’s new, glittering, polished, seductive, and we’re bunnies in the spotlight.

The polished art form which Fake-News-Obfuscation became during the 2016 US Trump-Clinton election was then ripe for export. Where next? Down Under?

CODA. Giving away trade secrets …

Orwell’s 1984? No, we’re Huxley’s Soma-fueled Brave New World, ‘cos you’ll never know you’ve been incarcerated nor that you’re on the stuff.’

We’re warm honey trickling through your veins. We’re here merely reminding you of what you already instinctively know. We’re a global money-spinning machine, baby, just keep dropping in the coins and we’ll keep pressing your booster buttons. We’re here for your pleasure. Relax, and enjoy. We’re The Future, baby.

We’re the voice.

(1) 1946 post-war confessional prose by the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984). Wikipedia:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out –

Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out –

Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out –

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me –

And there was no one left to speak for me.

[textblock style=”7″]

Like what we do at The AIMN?