American Propoganda

[Darcy]

I'm very tired of all the American bashing on this board. And, yes, tired is the word. I'm dismayed that so many seem to have subscribed to blanket hate for the United States and all her residence. People here have called Americans proud, ignorant, uneducated, two faced, and self absorbed. There are some who fit that bill. There are some of those people in every country. But, anyone who believes that generalization of all Americans, is either a very lazy thinker, or an idiot. Some people have charged that there is much more propoganda in the US then in other countries and that we (Americans) do not recognize it. We recognize it, many recognize it. But the people who bash America for its propoganda are throwing stones from their glass houses. The Americans who are here at this board are here, I suspect for the most part, to learn about Russia, to express opinions about issues that they other wise might not have an audience for, and to share experiences. There are the few hate monger exceptions. Stop bickering about Americans. Americans are not the Devil, we are not the source of all the worlds problems, and we are are not blind to the world. It is possible that many people's views of Americans from outside the US are are constructed from propoganda as well.

[chase001]

Well said, but don't worry, it is mostly jealousy. As far as propaganda, yes, we do have it, but if you really want propaganda, read the socialist Aftonbladet in Sweden. It is a laugh riot. Most of the socialist newspapers around the world are nothing but propaganda.

[csockol]

Darcy, most of the propaganda in America is aimed at our walletts. Madison Avenue is the largest purveyor of propaganda around! If you brush with THIS toothpaste you'll have the brightest smile, all who see you will love you, which is good because you've spent that extra .50 to pay for that "special" deodorant that keeps you fresh all day and your hair will shine out radiantly, as a beacon for all to find you! You know what I mean. Madison Avenue propaganda. The American public may tend to laziness at times, but can generally be relied upon to check the facts from as many angels as possible. Glad to see someone else who's not ashamed to admit their American. It's getting less and less popular to do so lately!

Cat

[Keshi]

What is it - propaganda? Is is a lie or just a half of the truth? The very half promoting a specific point of view on a country, nation, politic events ... Yesterday walking with my 1.5 year little one, I met a gentleman late 60's with two Siberien huskies. The baby was facinated with the dogs and was allowed to pet them. After a short conversation, this very kind and nice gentleman informed me that this breed of dogs had been eliminated by Communists in Russia right after they came in power. Very carefully I asked him on the purpose of such barbarism. He readily explained that they did it because these dogs was simbol of wealth and in order to make everybody equal they just killed all Siberian huskies. I wish I had a Russian Breed Book to show him how many different kinds of huskies (including Siberian) there are in Russia.
Another example of what I believ is a case of propaganda: My very close American friend asked me about why Russians had put jewesh in special jewesh concetration camps. I got the impression that he mixed German Fashists with Soviet Communists. One more example: Another old gentleman was telling that american soldiers had to eat rats in order to survive in bolshevik's prison in Vladivostok in 1918. "What did they do in Russia?"-I asked him. "They were trying to help Russia to restore democracy and to stop the war." ... To help Russia by helping some Russians to kill other Russians ?!

Everybody has his/her own truth but there is only and only one reality. In order to approach the reality as close as possible one must listen to both side's point of view before making up mind. How many Americans had access to Serbian's view of the Kosovo crises? Or how many of them realy cared about it?

This is true that each country has propaganda, the difference is how perceptive to it people are and how much they are willing to know an alternative opinion.

With all my respect to the Americans and the others who whant to learn more about others.

Keshi

[Yaro]

I didn't wonder your second old gentlemen had mixed German Fashists with Soviet Communists, Keshi. Here is another kind of american propoganda. I had not been trying to search it specially, I just interested about history science in US and typed "World War II" at search form at "Institute for Historical Review" (http://ihr.org). First document at list was "66 Questions and Answers on the Holocaust". Here are some quotations:

1. What proof exists that the Nazis killed six million Jews?

None. All we have is postwar testimony, mostly of individual "survivors." This testimony is contradictory, and very few claim to have actually witnessed any "gassing." There are no contemporaneous documents or hard evidence: no mounds of ashes, no crematories capable of disposing of millions of corpses, no "human soap," no lamp shades made of human skin, and no credible demographic statistics.

2. What evidence exists that six million Jews were not killed by the Nazis?

Extensive forensic, demographic, analytical and comparative evidence demonstrates the impossibility of such a figure. The widely repeated "six million" figure is an irresponsible exaggeration.

3. Did Simon Wiesenthal state in writing that "there were no extermination camps on German soil"?

Yes. The famous "Nazi hunter" wrote this in Stars and Stripes, Jan. 24, 1993. He also claimed that "gassings" of Jews took place only in Poland.

4. If Dachau was in Germany, and even Wiesenthal says that it was not an extermination camp, why do many American veterans say it was an extermination camp?

After the Allies captured Dachau, many GIs and others were led through the camp and shown a room alleged to have been a "gas chamber." The mass media widely, but falsely, continues to assert that Dachau was a "gassing" camp.

5. What about Auschwitz? Is there any proof that gas chambers were used to kill people there?

No. Auschwitz, captured by the Soviets, was modified after the war, and a room was reconstructed to look like a large "gas chamber." After America's leading expert on gas chamber construction and design, Fred Leuchter, examined this and other alleged Auschwitz gassing facilities, he stated that it was an "absurdity" to claim that they were, or could have been, used for mass executions.

6. If Auschwitz wasn't a "death camp," what was its true purpose?

It was an internment center and part of a large-scale manufacturing complex. Synthetic fuel was produced there, and its inmates were used as a workforce.

14. How many "gas chambers" to kill people were there at Auschwitz?

None.

15. How many Jews were living in the areas that came under German control during the war?

Fewer than six million.

16. If the Jews of Europe were not exterminated by the Nazis, what happened to them?

After the war millions of Jews were still alive in Europe. Hundreds of thousands (perhaps as many as one and a half million) had died of all causes during the war. Others had emigrated to Palestine, the United States, and other countries. Still more Jews left Europe after the war.




[This message has been edited by Yaro (edited 23 December 1999).]

[gene_parrish]

Cat, I think the old man is a product of mis-information.
Propaganda? or Truth?:
I was listening to Public broadcasting International and they related this story:
They started in Kosova telling about the mass killings; they went on to say that the killings were hard to prove then they seamlessly went to Bosnia and told of a wonderful young boy that was believed to have been killed by the Serbs. Everyone was crying and saying what a wonderful boy he was. They cried Why! Why! Why did the Serbs kill him. The news person said that they couldn't answer that question because the sum was greater than the whole.
Is that propaganda or what?
I am criticising our news media but I don't want to start a chain of USA bashing. I think we can criticize our country to bring about change. The truth will make you free.
Gene

I voted for Bill the cobra because the Tiger nations were eating our lunch, and Bill did his job and made the tiger nations buy as well as sell. I didn't know he was going to get mad and bomb a free country. The above news article is the reason we bombed Yugoslava, I guess.
Gene

[Yaro]

2 csockol:
I'd only given the example of different approach to the world history in US, which is propaganda. There were no gas chambers, Nazis hadn't been exterminating Jews in Europe, that was Russians had reconstructed concentration camps after the war... What's the next? Nazis were innocent victims? I'd never bashed american people, I'm against of narrow US policy. But this is truth the only country had won the World War II was US. European refuges had been transferring their money to US. European scientists had moved to US. Even USSR had had been paying for charitable US help till the middle of 50th in spite of total destruction of its European territory and enemy image of USSR had been appeared in US then.