“
‘The puzzle to me is the lack of social unrest,’ [Sheldon S.] Wolin said when I asked why we have not yet seen rioting or protests. He said he worried that popular protests will be dismissed and ignored by the corporate media. This, he said, is what happened when tens of thousands protested the war in Iraq. If protesters are characterized as cranks or fringe groups, if their voices are never heard, the state will have little trouble suppressing local protests, as happened during the Democratic and Republican conventions. Anti-war protests in the 1960s gained momentum, he said, from their ability to spread their message across the country. This may not happen now. ‘The ways [corporate/governmental authorities] can isolate protests and prevent it from [becoming] a contagion are formidable,’ he said.
Chris Hedges, Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle
- I have been upset by the lack of social unrest, too. And I know that lots of folks have. Which is why it’s nice to finally see the age of Occupy Wall Street.
- The Occupy Wall Street movement is being dismissed and ignored by corporate media, often characterized as comprised of cranks and fringe groups.
- However, the Occupy Wall Street movement is dodging traditional big-media means to spread their message and has successfully infected a potent portion of the masses. It may not be a full-blown contagion seeping into the minds of every caste, but the potential is there.
