Monday, January 23, 2017

WISHFUL THINKING?

ALTERNATE FACTS -- WISHFUL THINKING?

I am so relieved to learn from one of our government leader's primary spokespersons that I cannot believe my own eyes when I see real time TV camera shots, and undoctored photos showing the number of  Presidential Inauguration attendees as considerably less than those participating in the Women's March occupying the same grounds the next day.
 
Additionally, our esteemed leader has told us there were more attendees for his inauguration ceremonies than any other inauguration.    With his track record for honesty, I knew I must not be seeing what I thought I was seeing when I viewed some photos side-by-side,  again showing fewer people present for his inauguration when compared with photos of people attending the previous President's inauguration ceremony.  

In both instances we can be eternally grateful the current administration is continuing to provide us alternative facts.  We've been shown, even told, that our own perceptions are erroneously filled mistakenly with the actual facts.

Who in their right mind would want to pollute their mental faculties with the actual facts?

Thank you to the Fourth Estate -- our Press -- for giving us the truth.   

Our Press continues to be under assault by this Administration's leader.   

Our Press needs our support as never before and we need them.

History is replete with descriptions of how authoritarian leaders       .....some striving to become dictators, achieve their goal.

One step is to systematically discredit, demean, destroy the citizenry's trust in the Press.  

Our Press continues to be under assault by this Administration's leader.  

9 comments:

  1. I am so glad the march included all those pink pussyhats so Mr. Trump couldn't claim those crowds were his, not the woman's march. My favorite "alternate fact" is that DT has a cabinet with the highest IQ ever assembled.

    You are so right about our need to support the press. I've seen DT's lies repeated on Facebook and in the blog community and it's scary how effective he is at influencing people to follow him. Part of that, I think, is because many people in our society have become too lazy to think for themselves. I'm truly afraid of what he's going to do to this country.

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  2. 1984. 33 Years later. Department of Misinformation.

    XO
    WWW

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  3. Just because the truth hurts does not mean it is not true. I will always have deep respect for Obama admitting his failure to see how th ACA would sometimes mean people could not keep their doctor. It had more to do with profit making issues for insurance companies by the press failed to point that out! This is not Russia, so they cannot deny the facts including that DT brought a cheerleading crowd to the CIA meet-up which CIA career people were embarrassed by.

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  4. I wonder if Trump will ever find people as smart as Hitler's media people to brainwash the populace. So far it's all been simple minded, making the assumption that average Americans are stupid and easily led.
    The Woman's March blew all that stuff away. Just say "women's rights" and millions show up.

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  5. Yes, we need a free press more than ever. Unfortunately, the numbers of legitimate media are declining. Let's hope enough continue to keep a watchful eye on this administration and let us know of their every bad move.

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    1. Yes, there are so many places from which information is distributed with the water muddied, by some deliberately, as to what is fact and what is "alternate fact". Becomes much more challenging for information consumers to discriminate what is and who are legitimate. Confusion is, of course, part of what the "alternate fact" producers want. I think there are plenty of legitimate media, dedicated to providing factual news but we have to exercise some judgement and fact checking ourselves, especially when we're deciding in the beginning whose words we can trust. We already know our current leader either can't tell the different between lies and truth, or deliberately ignores those differences. Now, we have to do whatever we can in support of the legitimate media to nullify our leader's efforts to thwart the media's factual reports.

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  6. We watched the Inauguration live and saw the crowds fill in the space that is shown open on so many shots from like CNN. There is a photo out there showing Trump speakingm and the entire space in the distance is full of people, but it's not the one msm is using. That said, I suspect that more were at the DC woman's march from what I've heard from those who went. My husband had a friend who actually flew back for the inauguration but he hasn't had a chance to ask his impression. I just don't get why it matters at all. There were plenty of reasons to not come to the Inauguration-- all the threats and weather; and equally plenty of reasons to come to the march-- fear of what Trump will do as well as trying to start a political movement. Considering that 3 million joined in marches across the world (my daughter, granddaughter, DIL, and more friends and family). The big thing now for the marchers is to have plans for what comes next. If more had gone to Hillary rallies, she might be the one in office right now... Some say these are Bernie supporters and that is likely true for many of them and he did raise the crowds.

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    1. I watched the Inauguration live, too, surfing several channels. I would have to review actual tapes to state precise crowd information. I would definitely want verified documentation of any photo by trustworthy to me sources. I do recall seeing empty spaces. Apparently the numbers matter to D.T. since he's chosen to try to discredit the media with his contrary facts -- "alternate facts" I have to wonder ? -- which seem to be his speciaity, not just those of his rep. who uttered those words. He is apparently greatly distressed that he didn't win the popular vote, so may be trying to manufacture the facts to say he did win the popular vote -- this is just part of that manipulation -- any facts to the contrary are wrong because he wants to make it so -- wishful thinking. He seems to embrace the belief that if he repeats a lie enough times eventually others will believe it, which he routinely does. He may even believe his own lies. Whatever his motivation, the legitimate press has more credibility for me as D.T. long ago shredded any trust I might have had for him, or what he says. His proclivity for prevarication leaves me with no respect for him, to say the least, due to so many of his unwarranted actions undermining trust in our voting system, our legitimate press (not those in the news media who are deliberately partisan.) He is following these tactics known to have been practiced by at least one of his close friends who has been credited with creating a partisan TV network news dept., and certain supporting team members. There is likely even more at stake in D.T.'s attempting to control the media message involving the friend with less than a stellar media/govt. history he dined with in Scotland when he was campaigning.

      Those I know who marched, carried signs in D.C., men and women, from California and east coast state, did so because of everything they perceive D.T. stands for (which is not our democratic republic type of government). They've perceived him to be lacking in ethics, morals, dedicated to acting in his own self-interest. Hopefully, the marchers will continue to be inspired to actively followup expressing themselves on the many issues that are arising -- will attend to their local government -- be active for educated voting in 2018 and 2020. Hopefully, apathetic voters will get off their tushes in future elections. Freedoms are at risk now, for example possible FCC changes may become commercially oriented in the name of business jeopardizing network neutrality which all computer users should care about.

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  7. The Press needs to grow some balls. Geez. Alt-right, alt-facts. Women back to the dark ages, environment in shambles. People need to read The Great Gatsby again.

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