Written 1/25/17 by: Todd Smekens
This short and sweet message from founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, cuts through many issues facing the United States, and solves a few riddles as well. I’ve been writing on this blog for over six years – researching media, economics and politics. As many presidents have mentioned and Albert Einstein pointed out in the 1940’s, there is an Elite Oligarchy who use their vast riches to control our society through a variety of strategies, including propaganda. This has been done very well due to research conducted by Edward Bernays in the 30’s and 40’s, the nephew of Sigmund Freud. Edward has been called the “father of public relations”.
It didn’t take long to determine our “political system” doesn’t represent anything established by our founders – a representative democracy. In fact, the political class doesn’t serve us at all. Neither does the press. It’s rather comical watching CNN call anybody “fake news”. Even FOX NEWS claims to be the only “fair and balanced” press agency. Both are propaganda agencies. Yes folks, even your beloved MSNBC is propaganda.
Here’s a clue – if they’re not on the same page as Jack Ma, then it’s fake news. It’s really that simple.
So, what did Jack Ma say at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland? Here is a great assessment of America:
It’s not globalization – and everything that comes along with it, like free trade and outsourcing – that’s to blame for America’s woes. It’s the way the country’s elite managed the process.
“It’s not that other countries steal American jobs; it is your strategy – that you did not distribute the money in a proper way.”
The right-wing populists are mad because they believe taxes taken from their wages are being handed out to “lazy blacks” who don’t want to work. This welfare concept has been imposed on them for generations. Right-wing propaganda has always targeted people’s fears, bigotry and racism to create animosity toward anyone different. Whether it be skin color, gender, religion, age, etc. The point of propaganda is to divide us – not unite us. Even religions use propaganda to influence believers.
Anybody outside our country can see what’s happening, but those being manipulated, can’t see it. This is exactly how Germany used propaganda to convince their people to turn against their Jewish neighbors, and then against their European neighbors.
Listen to the Chinese industrialist, Jack Ma…he comes right to the point in this clip:
“In the past 30 years, America has had 13 wars at a cost of $14.2 trillion. That’s where the money went.” He also questioned America’s decision to bankroll Wall Street after the 2008 financial crash, arguing the money would have been better spent in other areas.
“What if they had spent part of that money on building up their infrastructure, helping white-collar and blue-collar workers? You’re supposed to spend money on your own people.”
Imagine if we would have invested in our schools and infrastructure to improve our quality of life. Instead of sliding further and further behind global leaders, imagine had we invested those trillions in America, or more specifically, on Americans. Ma didn’t even mention the trillions we spent on bailing out the financial industry in 2008. The majority of taxes are going to the defense industry, not welfare for “lazy Americans”. In fact, if you look closer at the distribution of tax dollars, the Oligarchs use their political connections to make sure money is flowing up to them – they are literally extracting it from our economy. This is why communities all across the country are floundering while Wall Street continues its post 2008 boom cycle.
The conservative media has cleverly turned older white males and the Middle Class against women, the working poor, and the destitute. The predominately white working class believe our problems, and why they struggle, is due to taxes taken from their wages and handed to “lazy folks looking for freebies”. The propaganda keeps them from looking at the Wealthy Elites who are controlling our politicians. Both the rich and politicians are fleecing American taxpayers while we fight amongst ourselves. This is the role media plays – divide and conquer.
This is the same strategy plantation owners used in the south to convince poor whites to fight and die, so plantation owners could keep slaves. The plantation owners used propaganda to convince whites that if slaves were freed, they’ll take jobs away from whites. It’s where the expression, “Put them in their place.” was birthed. The same practices are being used today. The modern day manipulation on white people’s prejudices are driving right-wing populism, and it’s all misdirected anger.
The propaganda is so convincing that Americans have no problem with President Donald Trump’s cabinet appointments – Wealthy Oligarchs, despite his slogan of “Drain the Swamp”. Like all right-wing believers, the propaganda they watch tells them our problem is the political class. However, even Donald Trump admitted during his debates with Hillary Clinton, that she enriched the Donor Class like Trump. His campaign contributions to politicians were for favorable policies like tax write offs. This 100% flied in the face of our SCOTUS ruling on Citizens United. Our supreme court justices see no “quid pro quo” with campaign contributions. A bribe is a bribe. Corruption is corruption.
Jack Ma points directly at our problem…the Elite Class. Therefore, any news agency which isn’t pointing at the Oligarchs who control our media and politicians are “fake news” companies. If our media and politicians were honestly serving us, they’d be telling us the exact same thing Jack Ma is sharing. Our problems emerge from the Wealthy Elites who control this country and use media to divide us. They’ve been extracting trillions of taxes from our wages and wasting the dollars on wars to advance their agenda in foreign emerging markets.
When Americans get on the same page – or when right-wing populists quit allowing their fears and prejudices be used against them – then we’ll have enough political clout to topple the obstructive forces coming down from the Oligarchs. Until then, we are wasting valuable time and resources.
