America Quote by Noam Chomsky
“One substitute for the disappearing Evil Empire (The Soviet Union) has been the threat of drug traffickers from Latin America. In early September 1989, a major government-media blitz was launched by the President. That month the AP wires carried more stories about drugs than about Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa combined. If you looked at television, every news program had a big section on how drugs were destroying our society, becoming the greatest threat to our existence, etc.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Lecture on Media Manipulation, 1990
Media often shifts focus to new threats, diverting attention from underlying geopolitical changes.
In simple terms: Media distracts with new crises.
Key Takeaway
Question media narratives.
Themes
media
politics
distraction
Mood
critical
inquisitive
Type
analytical
critical
When to use this quote
- news consumption
- political analysis
- public discourse
- policy making
Key Concepts
agenda setting
propaganda
geopolitics
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence shows media bias?
- How can we verify true priorities?
A Different Perspective
Media may also highlight genuine issues.
![“[T]ake the war on drugs. The average American says, "The war on drugs has been beneficial." The rest of us see reality. This war has destroyed thousands of Americans. It is also a pretext for government agents to rob innocent people in airports and on the highways - they seize and confiscate large…” quote by Jacob G. Hornberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cfe/jacob-g-hornberger-22243_agents_t-ake-the-war-on-drugs-the-average-ameri_2640276.jpg)
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
![“I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. [salutes]” quote by Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3d2/bill-hicks-970_america_i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumor_655.jpg)
