THE CONTROVERSIAL ESSAY
(the one that almost cost me my degree)
Below is my famous essay on conspiracy theory, which nearly got me kicked off my film degree. I hastily wrote it in my first year, inspired after watching the documentary Zietgiest (2007) and recieved a letter in the post during the summer break saying I had failed miserably and would not be allowed back on the course until my grades had improved. However there was little explanation why I had failed and it took a lot of running around the university trying to find somebody who would help me. Subsequently I was sent for evaluation for 'Dyslexia'. However, not only was I made to do all sorts of odd tests to evaluate the extent of my 'problem' but asked if I knew what the Quran was all about and what the word Zietgiest actually meant. It could be that the essay was not impartial, referenced properly (wikipedia) and hastily written by a dyslexic. On the other hand, has anyone actually read the official 7/7 report ? Where the hell are the references at the end of that fairytale ?
View 7/7 Official Report- Here
Anyway, this is my conspiracy theory rant, enjoy ...
View 7/7 Official Report- Here
Anyway, this is my conspiracy theory rant, enjoy ...
Unit Name: CULTURAL INDUSTRIES
Unit Co-ordinator: Terry Daniels
Student Number: 2622595
Assignment Name:
Essay question 6 :
Do the London
bombings of 7 July 2005
fit Dayan and Katz's concept of an media event?
Media Events : The
Live Broadcasting of History:
"These are
the events that hang a halo over the
television set and transform the viewing experience."
(Dayan and Katz
p1)
In the
mid-70s, inspired by the peace-making initiatives of the third President of Egypt, Anwar El Sadat,
(which made him an Egyptian hero) Daniel Dayan
and Elihu Katz began assembling
a library of historic moments within the latter half of the 20th century from the funeral of JFK to the fall of the Berlin
Wall and beyond.
Representing 15 years of
collaboration, their 1992 book, Media Events theorised
the mechanisms that
constituted their 'media event' model for the live broadcasts
of historic occasions that
enthralled a whole nation, or the world.
(Wikipedia, retrieved
12/5/08)
However, do the 7/7 bombings fit Dayan and Katz's concept of a media
event?
This essay
will attempt to answer, by analysing the model Dayan and Katz used for the
media event and comparing it to media events over the last century bearing in
mind that the truth behind certain historical events may have been ‘covered up’
by men in power.
This is
an example of Dayan and Katz model:
Britain 1953 - The Queen's Coronation attracted 20 million
viewers to their television sets.
What is the significance of this to the media event ?
World War 2 was still fresh in peoples minds, many
husbands did not come back from the war, public moral is very low.
However, their spirits are lifted by the ‘new
thing’…….
Television.
Everyone is encouraged to invest in a purchase.
Suddenly everyone can participate in the coronation
without even leaving the living room.
The nation is re-united at last.
We have sovereignty, identity and every single night,
before we go to bed, the National Anthem is played to remind us of who and what
we are - less we forget.
So this is the Dayan and Katz model, a media event by
there definition is a’break’ from the norm, the ‘interruption’ of routine,
where by there is a 'public holiday' from the daily grind.
However Dayan and Katz have maintained that media coverage of incidents (such as the
exploits of terrorist’s) do not fit into their ‘media event’ model and are
discarded despite any similarity to the contrary.
They
define such acts of journalism (such as the media frenzy over the Hindenburg
disaster) as ventures by the media into ‘voyeurism’, that such spectacles are often
un-edited and completely biased.
Instead
they would concern themselves with the aftermath of such an event, focusing on
the public in mourning, lengthy journalistic monologues of the people in
passing, footage of the smouldering twisted metal wreck, where the once great
Airship stood, of the firemen deployed to sweep it up (with the proverbial dust
pan and brush)
and
consign what’s left,
to the
dustbin of ‘history’.
However if one wishes to look deeper and not just at some random
conjecture, but something that has significance, you can still apply Dayan and
Katzs model.
For the sake of argument You can look at it as cause and effect.
You may apply the same question
Does the Hindenburg
disaster fit Dayan and Katz's concept of an media event?
There is the ‘Media Event’ itself :
1937 The Hindenburg disaster
“…During its second year of
service, Hindenburg went up in flames
and was destroyed while landing at Lakehurst Naval Air
Station in Manchester Township,
New Jersey, U.S., on 6 May 1937.
Thirty-six people died in the accident…”
Wikipedia 14/5/08
You can then analyze what the media is reporting;
It’s broadcast everywhere, everyone is told about it, the
country is shocked.
You apply Dayan and Katz model and recognize it does not
conform
as the media became a voyeuristic frenzy.
It was a festive occasion that turned into a nightmare
and planning went out of the window.
But again, look at it as cause and effect.
Ask yourself, how is the future formed by this incident,
how is this one event going to effect me?
Ask yourself, would Dayan and Katz model still apply if
the dice was heavily loaded?
Ask yourself
What
is the significance of this to the media event ?
For the model to still apply you have to look at
competitiveness.
This is an aspect of the Dayan and Katz’s model.
Take into account that public opinion is swayed
whether it’s bad journalism or not.
There are always competitors.
One can research the history of aviation and discover some
key points:
Zeppelins were (and still) considered the future of passenger aviation.
(Witigonen)
“...the ocean
liners of the skies..”
(zeppelintours)
One can look at the cause and the many opinions that surround it.
You might come up with:
“..The Hindenburg
explodes without reason, many conspiracy theories are formed…”
You look at movies and books based on the subject, one book tells you
(with absolute certainty) it was the volatile fuel the airship was
using,
However, another guy will tell you it was ‘static electricity’ in the
atmosphere….
20 books in and your brain has an overload.
But it does not matter – the media has told you:
Zeppelins are ‘dangerous’.
You can draw again upon Dayan and Katz model, they take into account
that
‘media events’ such as the 1936 Olympic
Games held in Berlin
were all about
competition.
The Nazis, touting Aryan supremacy against the world.
You plough thru all this stuff but you must still answer the question :
What
is the significance of this
if it is to fit Dayan and Katz's concept of an media event?
Its about competition.
Public
awareness is swayed from using Zeppelins.
Air travel is subsequently dominated by American
passenger jet’s, run by the airships competitors: TWA
You could look at anything as a competition of beliefs and then apply
Dayan and Katz model.
On one hand, 7/7 could be construed as this, in terms of geographical
nature.
On the other hand the world is at
constant difference, its nations divided by politics, religion etc
War is the daily grind in almost every corner of our planet, and people
make millions of $ from it.
How many wars are going on right now ?
As a Nation we consider ourselves to be at peacetime, surviving two
world wars, the Cold War, the IRA, the poll tax etc
We are content, subservient almost, to sit back and view the comings and
goings on this sphere with little consequence beyond our TV dinners and our brand
new television sets.
As civilians, we can switch off from the rest of the world, while the
war and the media event unfolds in Burma,
China, Germany, it
does not matter.
As long as it interrupt’s some other country and does not bother us.
So what does fit with the mode Dayan and Katz have provided for us?
In modern terms, for the media event to have total validity it
must :
1) Be Pre-planned
2) Broadcast Live (Such as the Queens
Coronation)
3) Incorporate the public sphere to partake in the event.
Dayan and Katz define it as:
"carefully organized
staged occasions in which press and broadcast media cooperate with
government..."
(Liebes)
It is ceremonial, in as many aspects because it is organized, like a 3
day marathon, with daily lethargic updates and news coverage, all designed to
keep people glued to their TV sets or participate in the ceremony itself.
However the question begs,
What is the significance of this if it is to fit Dayan and Katz's concept of an media
event?
Did the events of July the 7th 2005 correlate in what we understand as
media event?
The media would argue in defense of course, that 7/7 was not
pre-planned.
It was an unprovoked attack on our soil…..
It was those pesky 'terrorist’s' (who ever they are) ask any fireman in New York and they will
tell you that ;
"nobody...and I mean nobody
saw 911 coming..."
However voyeuristic the news coverage of 911 appeared, it could still be
applied within the media event model :
It was broadcast live in marathonic
continuity, it still fits the Dayan and katz model, even if they themselves
will tell you otherwise.
Like a 3 day marathon, with excited news coverage updates of people jumping from windows, buildings collapsing,
then daily lethargic updates on firemen
digging for bodies and debates over who is to blame.
All designed to keep people glued to their TV sets or participate in the
'ceremony' unfolding.
Like 911, the London
bombings of 2005 could be summed as a 'disaster marathon' (Liebes)
The same model fits 7/7 (and 911) if you assume, (just for the moment)
that these 'terrorist attacks' were pre-planned by government agencies.
These could be purported as a 'veiled media event', or False Flag
Operation
(Jones)
There is a now a wealth of information to corroborate this as fact.
However these facts are biased and contradict each other.
So again, what are the common attributes of the media event model?
The public opinion is swayed by the unification of a huge (and if
possible) broadcastable event.
Conjectures:
Media Events in
History - some examples
1912 – Titanic is a media spectacle, the largest most luxuriant vessel
ever built and said to be ‘unsinkable’*.
*(Snopes)
She hits an ice burg in the middle of the Atlantic
Ocean and sinks in 2 hrs.
It is her maiden voyage, there are not enough life boats.
1,517 souls are lost.
What
is the significance of this
if it is to fit Dayan and Katz's concept of an media event?
Many of society’s most influential representatives and rich are on
board, attracted like moths to the flame by the media attraction of this
majestic vessel.
Most of these ruling class citizens also openly opposed to the
introduction of
The Federal Reserve Bank, spearheaded by Titanic’s financer and ultimate owner:
The Federal Reserve Bank, spearheaded by Titanic’s financer and ultimate owner:
JP Morgan.
J.P. Morgan, photographed by Edward
Steichen in 1903
Morgan dominated the corporate finance and
industrial consolidation of Western
Society, during the late 1880’s and early 1900’s.
He was arguably
the richest man in the world.
He was scheduled to board the Titanic himself, but backed out at the last moment, due to ‘sudden illness’
He was scheduled to board the Titanic himself, but backed out at the last moment, due to ‘sudden illness’
It is no coincidence that after Titanic sank, the Federal Reserve bank
came into existence within 3 years.
After Titanic, it is has been suggested nobody of any real power was
left to oppose it’s creation.*
*(Thruthasour)
1915 The Sinking of
The Lusitania
What
is the significance of this
if it is to fit Dayan and Katz's concept of an media event?
World war One.
Within 2 years of the sinking, (with the help of media support) America
finally enters the war with Germany
.
It is possible The Federal Reserve Bank could have
profited from this.
USA -The 1940's radio
broadcast by Orson Welles of War Of the Worlds,
Cause’s widespread panic…
What
is the significance of this to the media event ?
Is a classic example of
miss-interpretation of fictional events.
People actually believed they were being invaded from another world.
If they could believe something as dumb as this, then who knows what
else
they could be told to believe.
1941 Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is attacked by Japan, the
public is informed of the bare facts
and America enters the Second World War.
What
is the significance of this to the media event ?
President Roosevelt placed a stranglehold on
foreign trade retaining a posture of aggression against Japan.*
*(Jospeph, Zeitgeist)
The Harbor is destroyed and the overall death
toll reached 2,350 lives lost.
It is possible The Federal Reserve Bank could have
profited from this….
The wheels of the media machine start turning once more….
Dallas, 1963
The assassination of JFK.
What
is the significance of this to the media event ?
By the 1950's, the Russians succeed in producing Nuclear weapons and
developing their own space program.
The Cold War ensues.
Media attention in the U.S rally to the cause, suddenly
the Russians are the new enemy, communism would not
be tolerated and such slogans as 'Better Dead Than Red' came into the
public psyche.
They perpetuate a ‘myth’* on a scared and misinformed society.
*(Barthes)
JFK is murdered, the American dream dies.
Lee Harvey Oswald is blamed, any released data
purports he is a ‘communist’.
The media circus implies communism’s influence, is
like a disease
As a result the Vietnam War continues for another 10
years, costing the lives of approximately 50,000 young servicemen.(Bowman,p220)
It is possible The Federal Reserve Bank could have
profited from this also…
1969 Moonlandings
Neil Armstrong is the first man to walk on the surface
of the Moon
The world is gathered around their TV set’s…
What
is the significance of this to the media event ?
Media attention is paramount, in order that the
Russians ‘get the message’,
They are "beaten" in the Space Race.
By the end of the 1970's, interest in space
exploration had dwindled and NASA's budget is slashed, the money, poured
into the Arms Race instead.
By the end of 1980’s and early 1990’s the cold war and
the USSR has been consigned to the dustbin of
history
1990's - Media attention turns to the
deployment of U.S. and British soldiers in Iraq
What
is the significance of this to the media event ?
It is possible The Federal Reserve Bank had severe
cash flow problems after the cold war had ended (but this is merely conjecture)
however…..
In America, President Bush is Elected President.
In Britain, Labour
comes into power…
2001 - 911
The World Trade Centre is destroyed - Media attention is paramount. Al-Qaeda is
instantly conjured, as the main culprit.
Words such as Terrorism,
The Taliban, Bin laden and Islam are
on everyone’s lips….
What
is the significance of this to the media event ?
Many talk shows of this period debate about America's involvement with Iraq
and 911 as a spectacular facade, for gaining control of the oil fields.
America has
become a 'dirty' word in the British publics mind.
At the same time media manipulation ensures there is a
'divide' of public opinion on both sides of the continent.
Many Muslim citizens are suddenly singled out by the
press and public opinion of ethnic minorities is at an all time low.
2005 - 7/7 Bombings
London Underground Tube Trains and other public transport
are destroyed in "Terrorist" attacks.
Do the 7/7
bombings fit Dayan and Katz's concept of a media event?
Blaire’s 7 year
administration was flagging in the parliamentarian poles, losing votes down to
28% and a re-election seemed unlikely, due to the involvement of British
soldiers in the Iraq war.
7/7 happens –
Suspects are instantly pulled out of thin air.
Once again the Media Event is paramount, however,
there is also
a 'media blackout' concerning contradictions in the
official reports: that this was the work of
"four extremists", related to Al'Queda or other supposed
terrorist organizations.
This coincides with
the G8 summit meeting at Gleneagles in Scotland.
Blair uses the 1994 Civil
Contingencies Act to declare marshal
law in Britain, limiting freedom of speech, perpetuating propaganda and using tyrannical
means (such as the implementation of ID
cards) in order to boost support for the war in Iraq.
On the 15th
of July 2005, during the height of the paranoia, Jean Charles de
Menezes
is shot dead by police on the subway as a ‘potential terrorist’, because
he ‘looked’ like one…
Let us now look at how the media serves to function any government,
First of all you need a good staff…
Propaganda
Edward L Bernays was a spin
doctor, and nephew of Sigmund Freyed.
He became the pioneer of what
we now call public relations and the use of psychology for public persuasion
campaigns.
He wrote a book called Propaganda
which (on page 71) outlined his theories on controlling the masses using
his psychology techniques.
His writings attribute to the
mass media as we know it today, working for CBS television, Dodge Motors, US Tobacco companies and helped orchestrate
the introduction of fluoride into drinking water.
He was also employed by several
U.S. Presidents in the 20th Century (and the US army) to implement these tactics on the American
people to oppose communism.
Does all this sound familiar?
Nazism Tactics
Joseph Goebbels was Hitler’s
chief propaganda officer, in WW2, during this time, he aided Hitler in the
single fight against inferior races, such as the Jewish Community and their
ultimate internment into concentration camps and the Nazis subsequent attempts
on their genocide.
Goebbels praised Bernays work
and publicly stated his work was the blue print for the Nazis seizing control
of the Reich.
Many writers from Orwell to
Bradbury have written about this subject in one form or another.
Writer Aldus Huxley, envisioned
hope in “a brave new world “ but had
been impressed so much by George Orwell’s book 1984 that he corresponded with him, regarding this subject
congratulating Orwell on :
"How fine and
how profoundly important the book (1984) is".
His letter to Orwell contained the prediction that:
"Within the next generation I believe that the world's leaders will
discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as
instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power
can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their
servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience".
(Wickepedia)
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can see a pattern that fits very well with Dayan and
Katz’s models for media events.
Particularly in contest.
We have the competition (struggle for world domination)
The process is broadcast live (ceremony)
It can be said to be pre-planned (by whoever) and the Ceremony itself
(people glued to the TV) is result of the interruption of normal routine.
The spectacle evoked the enthralled response of a willing audience (via
propaganda) and invoked deeply rooted senses of heroics (people joining the
army for example) looking for ‘payback’ on the ‘terrorists’
Do the 7/7
bombings fit Dayan and Katz's concept of a media event?
Dayan and Katz’s model can only correlate to the 7/7 bombings if one is
willing to take into account that the official record of these events is
subject to the same conjecture as the examples I have presented in this essay.
The models they present, in their own books have nothing to do with
terrorism but they can be re-applied as a template in order to work out some
home truths about the way media and governments operate in order to keep on
top.
Governments use the media as the new religion.
It is all the alibi certain quarters need for a new world order...
References
Dayan and Katz (1992). Defining Media Events: High Holidays of Mass
Communication
Media Events: The Live Broadcasting of History (ch1:pp1-25) Cambridge: Harvard
Dayan, and Katz, E (1995) . ‘Political Ceremony and Instant History’ in
Smith, A (Ed.) Television. An International History. Oxford: Oxford
University Press
Liebes, T (1998) Televisions disaster marathons ; a danger for domestic
processes?
In T Liebes and j Curran (Eds) Media, Ritual and Identity
Hepp, A (2006) . World Cup G8 Summit
and World Youth Day:
Media Events, Globalization and Translocal Media Cultures
Public talk presented at “Media
Events, Globalization and cultural change “,
University of
Bremen, Germany.
Liebes, T and Blondhiem (2002) ‘Live Televisions Disaster Marathon of September 11 and its Subversive potential’,
Prometheus, vol.20(3)
September 2002, pp 271-276)
Joseph, P(2007 US) zietgiest
the movie
URL: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=5547481422995115331&q=&hl=en
retrieved
9th May 2008
Jones, A Terror Storm
Terror storm URL :
Also Alex Jones website
Prisonplanet.com
retrieved
9th May 2008
Olympics photo
Retrieved 15/5/08
Titanic conspiracies
http://truthasaur.com/secret_history/titanic_jp_Morgan.html
Retrieved 14/5/08
Unsinkable
http://www.snopes.com/history/titanic/unsinkable.asp
Retrieved 15/5/08
Photo of family around TV
Retrieved 15/5/08
Wreckage of Hindenburg
Retrieved 15/5/08
Zeppelin luxury akin to ocean liners
Future of aviation
http://www.witigonen.com/2007/09/06/zeppelins-and-why-they-kick-ass/
Retrieved 15/5/08
1984 George Orwell
Orwell, G (1949) 1984
Copywrite Harcort Brace and Co 1949
Penguin Ltd 1983
Hammondsworh ,
Middlesex ,
England
Plane hitting WWTC
http://knighthospitilar.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/911-attack.gif
Retrieved 15/5/08
Newspaper on Pearl Harbor http://www.berkshirecc.edu/library/a_headlines_Pearl_Harbor.jpg
Retrieved 15/5/08
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/Titanic-expert-dismisses-theories-.4010317.jp
Published Date: 23 April 2008
By Philip Bradfield
Retrieved 13th May 2008
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