Fear and Lies

Recently there have been a couple of excellent political documentaries on tv here. The first was something I just came across showing on one of the public Dutch channels, and then I later found out I was probably the last person to hear about it since it's been showing in movie theaters all across the US: Outfoxed, a look at how Fox News should be avoided at all costs, and makes a strong case that their slogan "Fair and Balanced" is laughable at best and downright misleading advertising at worst. From being fairly responsible for Bush being wrongly and prematurely declared president by most news stations to hosting right-wing crackheads like Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, the news station has worked constantly to push a right-wing viewpoint. The documentary may sound like the work of equally nuts liberals doing what they can to take stabs at the right, but it is well-supported by clips from Fox News and includes many interviews with former Fox employees. Hell, the co-producer is even a former Republican and evangelical so he knows the true evils of the right.

The second show is actually a series of three shows on the BBC titled The Power of Nightmares, an in-depth look at roughly 30 years of history that lead us to the present world of terrorists and Al Qaeda. The message of the series is that so many of these events happened because leaders (on both sides, in the east and the west) built up fear in the people, based on lies and myths, which lead to violent acts of anger, a cycle we've not been able to break out of. The analysis and presentation of the history is remarkable; it should be shown in every US history class in America, though it can be a bit heavy at times, and even I get lost in some of the political philosophy. The final episode covers the events from September 11th to the present, and it airs this Wednesday at 9 PM British time, so if you can tune into the BBC, please do so.