Remembrance
- - | 14.11.2004 10:11
Armistice, or Remembrance Day was commemorated for the 85th time on Thursday in ceremonies around the world. People gathered to pay tribute to the dead of many wars by laying poppy wreaths at war memorials and by listening to words which expressed grief at the terrible loss of so many.
The event looks back to 1918 when, on the 11th day of the 11th month and at 11.11am, an armistice was signed between the warring nations of the First World War which brought to an end four years of carnage. Those who died in 1914-18 and in subsequent wars have since been remembered on this date.
Armistice Day is a day for everybody to pause and consider the true cost and the true causes of war. For as long as I can remember, however, it has been an occasion for the grotesque celebration of nationalism, a genuine opportunity to understand has been hijacked by a media industry with no allegiance to the people of this, or any other nation.
Last week, three soldiers from the Black Watch regiment were killed in Iraq. Three more families will have been mourning on the 11th. In the Sun newspaper, the dead were hailed 'heroes' and 'brave hearts' who were killed by a 'cowardly' suicide bomber. 'Black watch' went the editorial, 'is in the very front line of the war on terror ... They are fighting a war on our behalf which must be won'. There are few words to describe this kind of crass and callous manipulation - 'repulsive' is one, 'treacherous' another.
The Sun described one of the dead, a 19 year-old private, as 'doomed', implying that responsibility for his death might lie somewhere other than in the world of man. But that is exactly where responsibility lies - and much of it rests with the employees of News Corporation and their loyal readers.
In February 2003, a month before war with Iraq had actually begun, Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corporation, owner of the Sun and another 175 newspaper titles worldwide, gave an interview to an Australian publication, The Bulletin. As well as applauding George W. Bush for 'acting very morally, very correctly' towards Iraq and calling him 'a man of great character and deep humility', he congratulated Tony Blair for being 'extraordinarily courageous' in supporting American interests. He also said: 'The greatest thing to come out of this [a victorious war on Iraq] for the world economy, if you could put it that way, would be $20 a barrel for oil. That's bigger than any tax cut in any country.'
So there you have it. While the politicians were busy worrying about how to disguise their real motives and stifling dissent, Murdoch, with no constituents to placate, merely stated the truth: it would be an oil war.
Unremarkably, given the fake impartiality of the press, all 175 News Corporation titles are reported to have supported Murdoch's views and called for war on Iraq. In this country, as well as the Sun, the News of the World, The Times and the Sunday Times all followed the corporate line.
That there is only one editorial position for News Corporation newspapers is not surprising: American imperialist aggression is the most powerful and most consistent expression of free market capitalism - an ideology ruthlessly served over many years by Murdoch who has a personal fortune estimated at $7bn and who famously gave up his Australian citizenship to better pursue business as an American.
So yes, around Armistice Day, let us remember. Let us remember how the media write about the war dead and first let us remember those who steal the language of loyalty to disguise their own interests. To sanctimoniously label a young soldier as 'doomed' when such a massive and calculated industrial effort has been made to bring about the exact circumstances of his death is grotesque and bitterly ironic. News Corporation, through the pages of the Sun and other newspapers, has played a cynical game of emotional manipulation with its readers in pursuit of its own, largely foreign interests. Blind nationalism, which the Sun encourages, has been the cause of most all wars and should be the cause of no more.
Remembrance Day is a fine institution which we should continue to uphold. But it must be taken away from the poisonous jingoists who have nothing but flattery and lies to offer the living or the dead. We would all do well to remember that the slander heaped upon those who have shown dissent has cost lives.
Don't buy the Sun. Don't give News Corporation another penny more.
---
Sources
The Sun, 5 November 2004
Their Master's Voice, by Roy Greenslade, The Guardian, 17 February 2003
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,897015,00.html
Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch Explains Why He Backs War With Iraq, by Chris Marsden, 15 February 2003,
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/feb2003/murd-f15.shtml
Armistice Day is a day for everybody to pause and consider the true cost and the true causes of war. For as long as I can remember, however, it has been an occasion for the grotesque celebration of nationalism, a genuine opportunity to understand has been hijacked by a media industry with no allegiance to the people of this, or any other nation.
Last week, three soldiers from the Black Watch regiment were killed in Iraq. Three more families will have been mourning on the 11th. In the Sun newspaper, the dead were hailed 'heroes' and 'brave hearts' who were killed by a 'cowardly' suicide bomber. 'Black watch' went the editorial, 'is in the very front line of the war on terror ... They are fighting a war on our behalf which must be won'. There are few words to describe this kind of crass and callous manipulation - 'repulsive' is one, 'treacherous' another.
The Sun described one of the dead, a 19 year-old private, as 'doomed', implying that responsibility for his death might lie somewhere other than in the world of man. But that is exactly where responsibility lies - and much of it rests with the employees of News Corporation and their loyal readers.
In February 2003, a month before war with Iraq had actually begun, Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corporation, owner of the Sun and another 175 newspaper titles worldwide, gave an interview to an Australian publication, The Bulletin. As well as applauding George W. Bush for 'acting very morally, very correctly' towards Iraq and calling him 'a man of great character and deep humility', he congratulated Tony Blair for being 'extraordinarily courageous' in supporting American interests. He also said: 'The greatest thing to come out of this [a victorious war on Iraq] for the world economy, if you could put it that way, would be $20 a barrel for oil. That's bigger than any tax cut in any country.'
So there you have it. While the politicians were busy worrying about how to disguise their real motives and stifling dissent, Murdoch, with no constituents to placate, merely stated the truth: it would be an oil war.
Unremarkably, given the fake impartiality of the press, all 175 News Corporation titles are reported to have supported Murdoch's views and called for war on Iraq. In this country, as well as the Sun, the News of the World, The Times and the Sunday Times all followed the corporate line.
That there is only one editorial position for News Corporation newspapers is not surprising: American imperialist aggression is the most powerful and most consistent expression of free market capitalism - an ideology ruthlessly served over many years by Murdoch who has a personal fortune estimated at $7bn and who famously gave up his Australian citizenship to better pursue business as an American.
So yes, around Armistice Day, let us remember. Let us remember how the media write about the war dead and first let us remember those who steal the language of loyalty to disguise their own interests. To sanctimoniously label a young soldier as 'doomed' when such a massive and calculated industrial effort has been made to bring about the exact circumstances of his death is grotesque and bitterly ironic. News Corporation, through the pages of the Sun and other newspapers, has played a cynical game of emotional manipulation with its readers in pursuit of its own, largely foreign interests. Blind nationalism, which the Sun encourages, has been the cause of most all wars and should be the cause of no more.
Remembrance Day is a fine institution which we should continue to uphold. But it must be taken away from the poisonous jingoists who have nothing but flattery and lies to offer the living or the dead. We would all do well to remember that the slander heaped upon those who have shown dissent has cost lives.
Don't buy the Sun. Don't give News Corporation another penny more.
---
Sources
The Sun, 5 November 2004
Their Master's Voice, by Roy Greenslade, The Guardian, 17 February 2003
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,897015,00.html Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch Explains Why He Backs War With Iraq, by Chris Marsden, 15 February 2003,
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/feb2003/murd-f15.shtml
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