Although we have access to a greater range of news and information today than ever before, we are not using this information to create a more just world, but rather to maintain a status quo that benefits a tiny minority of people at the top of the economic ladder. We do this by spending our money on useless stuff, investing in companies engaged in harmful activity and voting for politicians who support these businesses.
The wealthy elite needs us to stay focused on things that don’t matter. They use different strategies to keep us distracted, but the goal is always the same: to keep us from challenging the existing economic system.
One of the most powerful ways in which our attention is diverted is by creating a sense of fear in our lives. This can be accomplished by pointing out threats, real or imagined, from other countries or groups of people and by over-hyping the dangers we face from natural disasters.
The media is a great weapon because it allows messages to be delivered on a large scale and it is highly influential in shaping public opinion. The media tells us what to think and how to feel about the world around us. And it does this by highlighting certain stories and downplaying others, by focusing on negative events and ignoring positive developments, and by suggesting that we should be afraid of different people, places and things.
