Mass Hysteria?

[mac2766]

I just finished watching a documentary on Amazon called "American Experience: War of the Worlds".

Of course I knew the story about the radio broadcast that Orson Wells did in the 30's and the hysteria that it caused, but this documentary really brings to light the power that the media has over people.

I believe that we are experiencing mass hysteria on a very large scale across the globe and the media is the culprit. They pander to their audience bringing them exactly what they need to get a fix. Fear, hatred, bigotry, etc... It's coming in the form of cable "news", AM hate radio talk shows, church sermons, and social media.

There are several points made about the audience who listened to the radio broadcast in this documentary. It's really worth a look if you have about an hour.

[FalloutShelter]

1. I watched this too.

Right...we are undergoing a mass psychosis event right now. People are paranoid and acting out in airports, in gun violence, in random beating violence, and all because their buttons are being pushed every day by the red meat machine,
MSM and Social Media.

[mac2766]

3. We don't watch any form of opinion based "news" in our house...

I will watch clips online from time to time. I like to hear what all sides are saying so that I can be prepared for comments made in conversations that I might have. Although, I must admit that I'm always way-laid by some of the stuff that I hear come out of peoples mouths.

I think that it's coming from all sides too. Both right and left. I freely admit to being a Liberal, and that I'd prefer to hear commentary from a left leaning broadcast. Having said that, I understand completely that the left leaning broadcaster is pandering to me, so I tend to take the subject matter as opinion and do my own research.

All things seem to be politicized today. Masks, vaccinations, color, ethnicity, and on and on and on... We're letting it happen to ourselves. The ability to think critically is a thing of the past for most. The masses prefer to be told what and how to think. It's a shame in my opinion - yes... opinion. I guess we all have them - lol.

[FalloutShelter]

4. I agree with every word.

[yonder]

6. +1.

[ancianita]

10. Most of it is meant to undermine our faith in people's democratic efforts and democracy itself.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

5. I wonder how much of this crazy shit

And manipulating shit

Is to shoehorn reality to fit the "end times" alot of rightwingers believe in. As in manufactured religious hysteria. To fit thier beliefs,as in confirmation bias gone wild. To make true believer as troops out of gullible, stupid, superstitious people.

And these fuckers believe if they make people suffer that may force Jesus to return,are they all acting out psychotic and blinded by bullshit? Along with a significant number of narcissists, sociopaths and authoritarians pushing this crap to get off on the lies taken as truth and suffering and grifting.

In the end times according to cults like the assemblies of god,they say in the end times lies will be truth and truth will be seen as lies.

They are acting out the end times. We are being dragged along with them because we share the same country with them.

[Jon King]

7. I agree 100%

We have a solid percentage of 'end of time' wacks mixed in with these 'Trumpers for other reasons' wacks. Thats why many of these Trumpers have zero care about the future, kid and grand kid's futures, climate, democracy, etc.

[3Hotdogs]

2. Grovers Mills is outside of Trenton, N.J.

Chamber of Commerce held a "celebration," probably around 1975. To remember the brave souls who helped defeat the space invaders.


It was on a Halloween night.

It was pretty weak, with a lit, inflated trampoline space dome.

[llashram]

8. I agree

most definitely. I remember as a child the adults talking and laughing about it when I lived in Ft. Knox. Same now, dangerously so. With the threat of mass social division among different cultures, religions, and races becoming the norm

[bucolic_frolic]

9. I'd bet Puritan sermons from the 1620's would reveal the same thing

[dlk]

11. This is why Republicans got rid of the Fairness Doctrine

They understood the power of the media and propaganda.

[BobTheSubgenius]

12. This.

That travesty joins a pantheon of absolutely horrible, anti-democratic (lower case "d" and upper case) laws, regulations, repeals and deregulations.

[dlk]

14. At their core, they are authoritarians, as their actions continually demonstrate

We may need another political party, however, certainly not one with fascist leanings.

[BobTheSubgenius]

16. They most certainly are, and don't really try to hide it.

Are you talking about a third party, or replacing this evil clown show with something more generally accepted, world-wide?

[krawhitham]

13. Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!

[reACTIONary]

15. Mass Hysteria over Mass Hysteria....

Last edited Sat May 8, 2021, 07:22 PM - Edit history (2)

Welles's "War of the Worlds" broadcast has become famous for supposedly tricking some of its listeners into believing that a Martian invasion was actually taking place due to the "breaking news" style of storytelling employed in the first half of the show. The illusion of realism was furthered because the Mercury Theatre on the Air was a sustaining program without commercial interruptions; the first break in the drama came after Martian war machines were described as devastating New York City. Popular legend holds that some of the radio audience may have been listening to The Chase and Sanborn Hour with Edgar Bergen and tuned in to "The War of the Worlds" during a musical interlude, thereby missing the clear introduction indicating that the show was a work of science fiction. However, contemporary research suggests that this happened only in rare instances.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(1938_radio_drama)

It never happened. But it made a good story.