Public Sphere Distortion, Perversion Eroding Democracy.
(EUGENE, Ore.) - Democracy demands consensus supported by the majority. Without consensus, support surely and certainly slips away, sooner or later.
Consensus is the overwhelming consequence of the “conversation at the heart of democracy,” as John Dewey, famous American educator/philosopher, has declared. ANY such “essential conversation” must depend on rational, reasonable, factual sources.
ANYthing less leads on inexorably, inevitably to further futilities and desperate economic disasters. Yet recent months and years--some contend even the last three decades-- have produced painful and potent evidence that irrational, often irrelevant, and always distorted --even politically perverted-- public discussion is rapidly eroding the very essentials of democratic agreement.
Consensus reflecting a true public opinion is now “a sometime thing”, daily becoming much more difficult to achieve in the growing absence of rationality and reason in any dialog.
It is as if everything we’ve ever learned about governance, education, how we truly learn, and the lengthy demands of change-process itself --painfully demonstrated over several past centuries !! had never, ever occurred. Further solid evidence surfaces nearly every day on the Internet, perverting and sabotaging what that new channel can bring towards perfecting much broader public understandings, leading to stronger and more pragmatic actual policy formation and actions.
It is all too easy to find ostensible “studies” or “special reports” bearing easy-evidence of compilation (read perpetration) of falsely-summarized and/or otherwise constituted materials --built openly and obviously to persuade via distortion and perversion. Even such awkward cliches as ostensibly-obvious “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic” has been summarily invoked,revealing more about its promulgators than truly intended.
Not only does easy-arithmetic expose such falsity but also awkward language and lack of solid, reliable documentation by recognized-trustworthy sources, substituting instead such extremely radical --even revolutionary-- resources as this: “ANTI-TAX! ANTI-BIG(ger) GOVERNMENT! PROMARKET MIRACLE!” (Compiled from actual links)
Nowhere has that damaging consequence --most obvious via Internet-- become more apparent than in every political channel pointing up precisely the issues, problems, solutions --and demands-for-action-- on which now hang the major and minor multiplexed shaping circumstances desperately changing the American way of life Appalling as it will probably be, sample any ongoing “debate” at any level of governance from local to national --with our House and Senate in D.C. among the most persistent of perpetrating institutions. One longtime-favorite potent-ploy (found very persistently on Internet!) is the always open-ended charge that an unidentified, undocumentable and indescribable, elite-and-monied crowd of conspirators has, subtly and deeply undercover, finally snatched worldwide sovereignity, for its own malign and monstrous purposes.
No nation, race, or group is ever named but the implications for racism are still communicated. Sometimes even the Vatican is laid/on --side by side with past deeply-hated governance formats. “Communistic” is no longer in vogue, but both “Socialistic” and “Fascistic” forms are commonly contrived into some unclear impact/overall as if ever-present, formidable, threatening and fatal if allowed.
No group, individual or even partial-governing cabal has ever put forth any potent action or otherwise demonstrated that such wondrous organization and its highly complex and demanding components has ever been put together or even partially-achieved --for which the obvious necessities are truly unbelievable and impossible. Yet the charge is instantaneously applied, usually without any discernible motivation nor model nor matter of- fact demonstration.
Not a single obviously-essential component has ever been publicly proven, put inexorably on public record, and widely accepted across such public channels. A second striking fact --discernible by the absolute silence encountered in public recognition surely to be expected-- has become highly apparent. Senator Byrd emphasized that eerie instance openly on th Senate floor, recognizing frightening Senate silence on any debate as war with Iraq was allowed to begin.
This dangerous irrational general-distortion of democracy began as “political principle”: Demanding victory over any opposition, at any cost to democratic protocol, pattern or even parliamentary procedure. (NOW become “pernicious”.) (See details of Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison et al in pre-and post-1776 actions --clearly predecessor for what has clearly become intolerable due to complex changes in our world --often unknown to those who remain UNinformed and those deeply MISinformed by multiple transfusions of “information”; and astutely ignored by the Malign few operating for their own purposes.)
Set forth is some detail by several famed-and honored early political leaders, comples and rapidly changing worldwide circumstances, coupled with new technologies for rapid new formats for “persuasive” communication, have created --perhaps irreversibly-- extremely difficult situations we must now face today.
These changes have often included vicious violation of the truly-essential democratic founding-concept demanding action “for the commonweal” -- obviously, often violently, opposing “the commonweal” with political-gain --and obliterating positive consequences of that ideal approach protecting, preserving and extending “the commonweal:”
BUT unfortunately this entire exercise in futility of further furious developments, perhaps universal and also inevitable via Internet allowed to fester and decay, instead of provide the perfection demanded for full, honest, open, reliable, accurate and insightful citizen participation for which it could serve us well, does leave us with one ringing cry from a profound source. Remember Pogo?: “We has met the enemy... and he is us!”
-------------------------- Reader’s Note: The Op Ed format is difficult and dangerous to negotiate for complex subjects; it must be short enough to have sudden-and-strong impact, and lacks the room for display and documentation one enjoys in the essay format. For S-N, we chose to allow full-play for concept and conclusion, concentrating on the meaning (s) and implications of the “informed opinion” thus offered, while leaving sources unstated. You want quotes-and-links to authoritative sources? They’ll be forthcoming as demanded and fully recorded for easy access when not directly cited. Each major point in this pattern of Op Ed is potently supported by statement, factual summary, precise quotation and full academic documentation -- NOT included here for space (and attention!) reasons, A completely accessible record of evry source is available on request to Editor, with full ID and working phone. Most Op Eds in this new series will have from 30 t0 50 such basic references, from past experience, writer’s files, personal reference library and Internet sources. The new series is known here as “Smoke Signals from Seaside” since each is designed to deal with one specific smoking-gun and/or issue-fire high in current public interest. Your cogent compatible comments are sought -- after due cogitation on your part-- after due cogitation on your part, as further extension of the share-and learn principle we intend to preserve, protect and extend here.
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At 21, Henry Clay Ruark was Aroostook Editor for the Bango, Maine DAILY NEWS, covering upper 1/4 of the state. In the ‘40s, he was Staff Correspondent, then New England Wires Editor at United Press-Boston; later Editor for the Burlington, Vermont 3-daily group owned by Wm. Loeb, later notorious at Manchester, New Hampshire UNION LEADER for attacks on Democratic Presidential candidates.
Hank returned to Oregon to complete M. Ed degree at OSU, went on to Indiana University for Ed.D. (abd) and special other course-work; was selected as first Information Director for NAVA in Washington, D.C.; helped write sections of NDEA, first Act to supply math, science, foreign language consultants to state depts. of education; joined Oregon Dept. of Education as NDEA administrator/Learning Media Consultant for tenyears.
He joined Dr. Amo DeBernardis at PCC, helping establish, extend programs, facilities, Oregon/national public relations; moved to Chicago as Editor/Publisher of oldest educational-AV journal, reformed as AV GUIDE Magazine; then established and operated Learning Media Associates as general communications consultant group. Due to wife’s illness, he returned to Oregon in 1981, semi-retired, and has continued writing intermittently ever since, joining S-N in 2004. His Op Eds now total over 560 written since then.
Op Ed: Reason-AssaultedSalem-News.com