On several occasions in the past I have engaged in media panel discussions on the effect of the media on society. Most argue that the media simply reports what is monitored by the heartbeat of society to which I strongly disagree. Many are and have always been the kind, loving and selfless acts of individuals, groups, organizations and institutions which appear in the news only upon the death of such individual or in the event of some other special attention drawn to the altruists. Yet any negative, terrifying, life altering acts of man and nature always make the headline news, along with the defamation of character of select individuals, especially those in envious or powerful position. Continuous denial of such a detrimental trend is taking its devastating toll on society as a whole as its confinement to intended targets has become impossible.
Oddly enough, the same age old formula for control of the masses by a few came into The Tribune office last week from two different sources. It is one which has been elaborated upon many times in the past I’m sure, and particularly by Minister Louis Farrakhan during his historic Million Man March. But society apparently had not disintegrated at that time to the point of recognizing its application to the broader spectrum.
The formula is attributed to a British slave owner in the West Indies, Willie Lynch, who came to the shores of this new nation to teach the American slave owners how to control their slaves. In his 1712 speech along the banks of the James River in the Colony of Virginia, Lynch’s talk included: “I have a fool proof method for controlling your Black Slaves. I guarantee every one of you that, if installed correctly, it will control the slaves for at least 300 years. My method is simple. Any member of your family or your overseer can use it. I have outlined a number of differences among slaves and I take these differences and make them bigger. I use fear, distrust and envy for control purposes. These methods have worked on my modest plantation in the West Indies and it will work throughout the South”–(the nation and the world through today’s high tech media!)
Through today’s modern worldwide media we can deify or demonize any individual, race or nation for any given purpose by magnifying and pitting differences (reread the directions).
“I shall give you an outline of action, “ Lynch continues, ”but before that I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than trust and envy is stronger than adulation, respect or admiration. The Black (or any) slave, after receiving this indoctrination, shall carry on and will become self-refueling and self-generating for hundreds of years, maybe thousands …”
Have we through aggitated fear and disrespect of differences allowed ourselves to become societal slaves? Consider also that as the veins and arteries serve as the circulatory system of the human body, so too, the media in its aggregate serves as the circulatory system of society! Pump poison through either, you inevitably inherit a sick individual and/or society. Inject instead the serums of knowledge, love and mutual respect for natural differences through religious education, not religious indoctrination, and you will have a formula for world peace. As heavy, depressed hearts and minds cripple and weaken any society and the individuals who comprise it, it would behoove us to practice the divinely orchestrated leadership of this unparalleled new day which enables us to “…no longer be sorrowful and grieved, (instead) I will be a happy and joyful being. I will no longer be full of anxiety nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on unpleasant things of life …” (from a Baha’i prayer).
Must we remain self-destructive slaves through perpetual manipulation of our differences by the subliminal power of the media? –Investigate!
