Chris Hedges speaks with British journalist Peter Oborne about worthy and unworthy victims, those we are allowed to pity, such as Ukrainians, and those, such as Palestinians or Iraqis, we ignore.
Having been suspended by Twitter for writing something extremely similar, though not as well written, I am just grateful Substack exists. And writers like you and Greenwald and Taibbi exist.
I asserted that the CIA and the Pentagon WANT Ukraine to be a bloody quagmire and failed state to create a proxy war to destabilize Putin’s regime, and that they don’t care how many Ukrainians die to make that plan come to fruition. That’s why there is little or no push from the US to make Ukraine negotiate peace.
I think this issue transcends victims. It is the problem with the media deciding what is news worthy and what is not. It is also a part of the human population that can be so easily manipulated by the media toward a viral emotional reaction, and so easily made to forget other important events and stories.
Not only are some victims worthy and others are scorned, we make every possible excuse for the worthy victims, no matter how badly they behave, just as we make every possible excuse for the tormentors of the unworthy.
The invasion of Ukraine was 'preventative war', not a *'war of aggression'.
It was all about defending Russia from NATO, read, "American" aggression.
Putin, who tried his entire term for rapprochement with the West, is also sending a very very big message.
'We tried to be friends but it did not work. And now we tire of the constant aggression. It ends now.'
*Important to note that the self-righteous trials at Nuremberg, where it was decided that "wars of aggression" are the, "ultimate crime" never prosecuted a single allied soldier; let alone a leader or a General. The fake and selective justice at Nuremberg was ground zero on the cosmic hypocrisy of the West. Air Chief Marshal Harris, who firebombed Dresden, Hambourg, et al, was not hanged. In fact he has a statue. General Curtis Lemay firebombed most of Japan, killing hundred of thousands of civilians. He was lionised, not charged.
Life is sacred across the board: all humans, animals, plants, minerals, all of the earth....War is a tool for people who are unable and unwilling to admit that they are sociopathic, psychopathic, control freaks.
Shame on you Mr Hedges. When I hear this I wonder how good is a journalist Mr Chris Hedges ?By ranting about Putin's crimes and turning a blind eye to the crimes of the Ukrainian fascists, you cover this war one-sidedly. You so-called independent journalist should find out what's really going on. Instead you just repeat your favorite cliche and posture yourself as a highly moral person. So Mr Hedges bother yourself to find out the truth and find the courage to tell the world not only about Putin's crimes, but also about the crimes of the Ukrainian regime!
The interview was informative but it left out important information. The dichotomy of attack=bad is not universal. If the French Army had attacked the German Army in the Sudeten land before the war things may have been different. Hitler instructed his army at the time that if it received resistance to turn back. Of course it didn't and that fact encouraged Hitler to proceed. The Ukrainian War cannot be compared to the Iraq War with the above dichotomy. The Iraq war was prosecuted based on lies. The Ukrainian war on the other hand was basically defensive: To stop the attacks in the Donbas by the Ukrainian Army, to destroy or nullify the neo-Nazi elements in The Ukraine and to arrest the advance of a hostile NATO on the borders of Russia. The national character of a country is determined by its experience. Russia was invaded by the the Teutonic Order in 1242, Charles XII of Sweden in 1547, Napoleon and Hitler. Russia will win this war. Will the US be satisfied with this latest defeat? Also the question of race rears its ugly head when one makes differences between Ukrainian Verses Palestinian and Yemeni lives.
Agree, the amount of energy expended to shape/control our thinking is epic. Wish we could harness this energy in a meaningful sense. The "Russians" of course aren't worthy of the slightest consideration to act as a foundation for negotiation. The last thing these totalitarian warmongers want is peace. Peace doesn't satisfy their bottom line.
Am very disappointed you do not provide a written transcript. Am profoundly deaf and these podcasts are unlistenable. Hoped I could get more from the Chris Hedges Report.
I find it interesting that Peter Oborne advocates for consistency in reporting on the victims and perpetrators of war, yet in a recent interview he gave with Double Down News, he portrays Margaret Thatcher as a great politician. That’s the woman who started the neoliberal project in the UK, pushing thousands of people into unemployment and poverty, dismantling unions, privatising the whole country, being friends with the murderous Pinochet in Argentina, and she helped in the assassination of Steve Biko, believing that apartheid in South Africa was good for the world. I think Chris should have pushed Peter Oborne more on his own double standards, especially considering the neoconservative news outlets he used to work for.
I have lived in the US for decades and am always amazed by the intentional miseducation of the public about the affairs of the government. Independent media and newsletters are disappearing by the minute. Almost every source of information is led by corporations. A few of us, like many in here, take the time and spend a few dollars to get diverse views. Chris and others like him, thank you!
Having been suspended by Twitter for writing something extremely similar, though not as well written, I am just grateful Substack exists. And writers like you and Greenwald and Taibbi exist.
I asserted that the CIA and the Pentagon WANT Ukraine to be a bloody quagmire and failed state to create a proxy war to destabilize Putin’s regime, and that they don’t care how many Ukrainians die to make that plan come to fruition. That’s why there is little or no push from the US to make Ukraine negotiate peace.
I think this issue transcends victims. It is the problem with the media deciding what is news worthy and what is not. It is also a part of the human population that can be so easily manipulated by the media toward a viral emotional reaction, and so easily made to forget other important events and stories.
The ten commandments of war propaganda:
1.We don't want war, we are only defending ourselves!
2. Our adversary is solely responsible for this war!
3. Our adversary's leader is inherently evil and resembles the devil
4. We are defending a noble cause, not our particular interests!
5. The enemy is purposefully committing atrocities; if we are making mistakes this happens without intention
6. The enemy makes use of illegal weapons
7. We suffer few losses, the enemy's losses are considerable
8. Recognized intellectuals and artists support our cause
9. Our cause is sacred
10. Whoever casts doubt on our propaganda helps the enemy and is a traitor
Not only are some victims worthy and others are scorned, we make every possible excuse for the worthy victims, no matter how badly they behave, just as we make every possible excuse for the tormentors of the unworthy.
Luke 6:19-31.
More MSM time, tears and ink have been spilled over Ukrainian pets than on the 300 odd thousand victims of the Saudi war on Yemen.
The invasion of Ukraine was 'preventative war', not a *'war of aggression'.
It was all about defending Russia from NATO, read, "American" aggression.
Putin, who tried his entire term for rapprochement with the West, is also sending a very very big message.
'We tried to be friends but it did not work. And now we tire of the constant aggression. It ends now.'
*Important to note that the self-righteous trials at Nuremberg, where it was decided that "wars of aggression" are the, "ultimate crime" never prosecuted a single allied soldier; let alone a leader or a General. The fake and selective justice at Nuremberg was ground zero on the cosmic hypocrisy of the West. Air Chief Marshal Harris, who firebombed Dresden, Hambourg, et al, was not hanged. In fact he has a statue. General Curtis Lemay firebombed most of Japan, killing hundred of thousands of civilians. He was lionised, not charged.
Life is sacred across the board: all humans, animals, plants, minerals, all of the earth....War is a tool for people who are unable and unwilling to admit that they are sociopathic, psychopathic, control freaks.
Johnson joking about war is good evidence that he is a sociopath.
He is.
Many of our leaders are sociopaths, and this is because the political reality all over the West is such that it self-selects for sociopaths.
“Everyone believes in the atrocities of the enemy and disbelieves in those of his own side, without ever bothering to examine the evidence.”
― George Orwell
Shame on you Mr Hedges. When I hear this I wonder how good is a journalist Mr Chris Hedges ?By ranting about Putin's crimes and turning a blind eye to the crimes of the Ukrainian fascists, you cover this war one-sidedly. You so-called independent journalist should find out what's really going on. Instead you just repeat your favorite cliche and posture yourself as a highly moral person. So Mr Hedges bother yourself to find out the truth and find the courage to tell the world not only about Putin's crimes, but also about the crimes of the Ukrainian regime!
The interview was informative but it left out important information. The dichotomy of attack=bad is not universal. If the French Army had attacked the German Army in the Sudeten land before the war things may have been different. Hitler instructed his army at the time that if it received resistance to turn back. Of course it didn't and that fact encouraged Hitler to proceed. The Ukrainian War cannot be compared to the Iraq War with the above dichotomy. The Iraq war was prosecuted based on lies. The Ukrainian war on the other hand was basically defensive: To stop the attacks in the Donbas by the Ukrainian Army, to destroy or nullify the neo-Nazi elements in The Ukraine and to arrest the advance of a hostile NATO on the borders of Russia. The national character of a country is determined by its experience. Russia was invaded by the the Teutonic Order in 1242, Charles XII of Sweden in 1547, Napoleon and Hitler. Russia will win this war. Will the US be satisfied with this latest defeat? Also the question of race rears its ugly head when one makes differences between Ukrainian Verses Palestinian and Yemeni lives.
Agree, the amount of energy expended to shape/control our thinking is epic. Wish we could harness this energy in a meaningful sense. The "Russians" of course aren't worthy of the slightest consideration to act as a foundation for negotiation. The last thing these totalitarian warmongers want is peace. Peace doesn't satisfy their bottom line.
Am very disappointed you do not provide a written transcript. Am profoundly deaf and these podcasts are unlistenable. Hoped I could get more from the Chris Hedges Report.
I find it interesting that Peter Oborne advocates for consistency in reporting on the victims and perpetrators of war, yet in a recent interview he gave with Double Down News, he portrays Margaret Thatcher as a great politician. That’s the woman who started the neoliberal project in the UK, pushing thousands of people into unemployment and poverty, dismantling unions, privatising the whole country, being friends with the murderous Pinochet in Argentina, and she helped in the assassination of Steve Biko, believing that apartheid in South Africa was good for the world. I think Chris should have pushed Peter Oborne more on his own double standards, especially considering the neoconservative news outlets he used to work for.
I see all of these so called wars as 'criminal acquisition wars'
I have lived in the US for decades and am always amazed by the intentional miseducation of the public about the affairs of the government. Independent media and newsletters are disappearing by the minute. Almost every source of information is led by corporations. A few of us, like many in here, take the time and spend a few dollars to get diverse views. Chris and others like him, thank you!