Okay. I’ve been “outed” as only an occasional consumer of KITV’s 5 p.m. news. Several people pointed out that I shouldn’t have been surprised that Dick Allgire’s health report was simply lifted from a mainland feed and provided with his voiceover.
“I may be wrong,” Judy wrote from Honolulu, “but I’ve always thought ALL of Dick Allgire’s health stories are canned stories from mainland networks.”
And another reader added: “They are obviously syndicated, with Dick doing a voice-over. Not local TV journalism at its best.”
Amen.
Another reader commented: “You were so right on re PBN vs. the Advertiser’s Business Section.”
A pefect example of this was the treatment of the $29,000,000 sale of the house on the Big Island. The PBN that I got on Friday 9-14 has a story that named the new buyer had a profile of him. This morning’s (9-15) Advertiser said the buyer was unknow.
The Advertiser could have written a better story just by reading their competition a full 12 hours before their deadline.
Now for something more serious. Two definitions of propaganda.
“Propaganda, n. any form of communication in support of national objectives designed to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, or behavior of any group in order to benefit the sponsor, either directly or indirectly.” [Source: American Heritage U.S. Military Dictionary at Answers.com]
“Propaganda. Message conveyed in order to support and spread a particular opinion or point of view, engaging both the intellect and the emotions of the audience. Propaganda may consist of an overt appeal such as most advertising copy or be non-overt such as the seller’s participation in community events, company slogans and logos, special employee benefits and so forth.” [ Source: Barron’s Marketing Dictionary at Answers.com]
I have to say it. I can’t help being amazed at the eagerness with which all local media lined up at the propaganda trough before, during, and after the Air Force Thunderbirds performances this week. This was, after all, military propaganda at its best. No overt pitch for military values and perspectives was necessary, simply that uncritical glee expressed about big machines going fast. And no worries because barely a critical word appeared in any of the “aw shucks, golly, they go real fast” reporting.
I have to credit the Star-Bulletin’s Leila Fujimori and Diana Leone for just about the only critical comments about the Thunderbirds.
“Some of the animals got nervous, and so did a lot of our people” visiting the zoo, Redman said. “Some little kids were crying because of the noise.”
“The first time they flew over, the tiger kind of hunkered down and looked up, and the elephants let loose with diarrhea,” something that they are prone to do when nervous, but they are all OK, Redman said.
Some little kids were crying. Yes, a little imagination and you could get to the real issues. Those F-16s are central characters in our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, recently criticized by top British military officers because of the civilian casualties caused by our heavy reliance on air power. I tried to imagine families hiding on the ground while those thundering birds swept overhead seeking prey in a war most Americans now agree was a mistake in the first place. There’s substantial disagreement over the order of magnitude of civilian casualties in Iraq, although all estimates use large numbers. But it doesn’t take a great deal of moral imagination to connect the dots between those awesome flights in Waikiki and those terrified civilians in the Iraqi desert.
It seems to me that, at minimum, these jets should be dealt with in the same manner as you might teach “responsible” gun ownership. That is, it should be made clear that these are weapons, that their main purpose is killing, and that their use, even if and when considered “necessary”, is a sign of the failure of other important policies. We need to be aware of the responsibility that goes with the possession of such tools of destruction.
On the other hand, stressing the thrill of the show serves the interests of those who would rather not foster the public’s appreciation of the unpleasantness of war and the political problems for those in power that can bring.
The F-16 is also a major part of our politically complicated and controversial weapons trade, in which we have the dubious distinction of leading the world in spreading the tools of destruction into current and prospective war zones. As I understand it, the F-16 jets are no longer being produced for U.S. forces but only for export. Down towards the bottom of this Wikipedia entry is a list of countries and the numbers of F-16s they have purchased or received, including Chile (28), Egypt (220), Greece (131 with 30 on order), Israel (243), Pakistan (34 and 44 on order), Turkey (246), etc.
These exports often disrupt regional stability or feed ongoing tensions, as is the case with F-16 exports to Pakistan and Chile. Here’s a blog entry allowing two news stories to illustrate the hypocrisy of our views on arms sales, where we are indignant about Iranian exports while far outstripping them in global weapon sales.
Whew. That’s all a bit steamy for a beautiful Sunday morning in Kaaawa.
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Thank you for writing about the Thunderbirds. I was on H1 near the UH off-ramp when they came over me at very low altitude. Yes, they remind us of power, and of their ability to kill.
I lived in a condo on Diamond Head back in the early 60’s. I vividly recall the Blue Angels flying directly over our building at an insanely low altitude. It was not just one overhead pass, it was pass after torturous pass. A few feet lower and they’d have gone through our front door! The jets came at us head-on from out at sea. The building shuddered, as did all of us inside.
I oppose these military air shows. In an age of overspending by our government, I feel this is an unnecessary expenditure. When are we going to shelve forever this huge waste of tax payer money? I wish more people would voice their objections publically.
Living just inland of Waikiki, we certainly, uhh, experienced the air show, even though we had no interest in doing so. The aircraft flew directly overhead many times, their extremely loud engines drowning out all else.
I couldn’t help wondering why, if the near-shore waters had to be cleared for safety reasons, it was deemed safe to have fighter jets make multiple, low-level passes over a highly populated residential area with no apparent precautions?
Such air shows are a waste of tax money, and only remind one of historical public displays of military hardware that have brought no good, and much ill.
Smart, sensitive animals elephants are. Ready with keen and pungent editorial comments–always. Usually on point too. As the military discharges money the human and physical infrastructure of the nation deteriorates and families need four jobs to survive.
These shows are really no different than when thousands of Soviet troops marched in unison in Red Square followed by trucks with missiles on flatbeds.
It’s about showing the military might of a nation and in today’s environment, to even question it raises questions about your “patriotism” and you less-than-full-commitment to fight terrorism.
I hate loud noises too. I have often wondered what people see in them except that children like the excitement. I wish they could tone down the volume somehow. I shudder myself when I think of the animals and their fear, and maybe even terror. I myself was terrified watching them zoom overhead so close to the buildings and to each other!
I agree and I understand all of the statements made here, BUT…
First of all, this is one of the few times that these young service people, who have put in so much time and dedication to become the stellar pilots that they are, to share that talent and dedication with the Americans, whom they protect! This is a time when they get to do this WITHOUT having to be killing someone.
In addition, they were here celebrating the 60th anniversary of the “Heritage to Horizons” for which a publication is in the making. Their statement says: “The mission of the Heritage to Horizons publication is to tell the Air Force story, promote the vital importance of airpower to America and to honor the men and women of the United States Air Force.”
I don’t like the noise, but you’ve got to love them for what they do when we need them! Just something to think about.
You’d think there would be laws against flying those things over densely populated areas. Does anyone know about that?