Controlling the Narrative is Controlling the Masses

My original idea for this post was about global food distribution--something that blogger Noel Jones did an excellent job of explaining earlier on this site. Noel mentioned that we produce enough food to feed the planet, but we currently don’t have the means to distribute the food to the people who need it. I absolutely agree with everything Noel has to say about the topic and strongly recommend reading the post here.

 One method that is being developed to combat the global food insecurity crisis are genetically modified organisms, more commonly referred to as GMOs. The phrase is at the forefront of a long contested battle between science and public opinion.What many people don’t understand is that the goal of genetic modification is to create abundant amounts of vitamin-packed food that take less chemicals to produce and can even last longer on the shelves of supermarkets.

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— jesse Williams. (@iJesseWilliams) January 22, 2017

In a perfect world, scientific evidence would reign supreme over the noise of public opinion. Most opposition aimed at GMOs and other technological advancements in society is the result of misinformation and fear. People absolutely have the right to be suspicious of new discoveries. In fact, I encourage people not to take every single article they read on a topic as fact. There are many people who push agendas designed to capitalize on the polarization of consumer opinions, simply because there is money in playing both sides of the field.

 I’m talking about monopolization of the agricultural industry by companies who produce and market both ‘conventional’ and ‘non-GMO’ food products.We have seen this across many aspects of industry, surprisingly with items as common as eyeglasses and as important as EpiPens. In my utopia, it will be illegal for privately owned corporations to mask their ownership over all aspects of production of a good or service as the illusion of choice. The fact that this is allowed in our country today shows that the greediness of few outweighs the needs of the majority. I picture a utopian society as the complete opposite of this. Understanding the ideologies behind these corporate giants is key to combating them. As part of my push towards utopia I will advocate for mandatory courses in marketing and mass media production. It’s important to understand the tactics that are used in advertising, as well as why they are effective if we are going to move past them towards an enlightened society.

 

Another step that I would take is to outlaw all fear mongering, sensationalized, inaccurate, and ‘click-bait’ forms of media. I strongly feel that the field of journalism should focus on integrity and truth. Given the amount of satire news sources that exist globally, I’d say that many other people are fed up with the current state of news and media in America. The messages being portrayed to us are currently a controlled narrative by people who profit from the scared and under-informed. In addition to this, I would aim to turn privately owned news outlets and journals in to publicly owned and operated thought collectives. The technological advancements of the past decade give those with access to the Internet a platform from which to share a positive, widespread message. My favorite example of this is an online magazine created by a sixteen year old girl.

In the words of Alice Walker, "the most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any."  Give people the agency to make choices about the products they buy, the discoveries they feel are important to their communities, and the information they want to share, and they will prosper.