Demonizing the enemy

Watch out for weasel-words like regime or terrorist. They are loaded and used only by propaganda agencies. "The Blair government." "The Blair regime" -- see what I mean? Or: "Israeli airmen killed a Hamas terrorist with a missile attack on his car" and "Israeli terrorists murdered a Hamas official …" It is the same incident, but the language used flavours the report, and is a hint to the viewer or reader as to who are the good guys and who are the bad.


This is a quote from David Irving, generally called a Holocaust denier and Hitler apologist, in a letter to a 12-year-old correspondent. I have used a couple of links to his articles on Bush and Iraq in previous posts this morning.

This issue of the Holocaust is one that I usually stay away from. Of course I have seen plenty of film footage of mass burials, detention camps and Holocaust survivors to know that what happened was heinous.

I also know that anything which can be used as propaganda will be. These days we make up horrific acts for which we blame our "enemy" and use them for propaganda purposes. We did it with Japan and Spain in previous wars. We have done it with Milosevic and Hussein (did he gas his own people?). And I am not saying that these men were not evil. I am saying they did not do all the things our propagandists have said they did. I am also saying that our leaders have presided over a government commiting many atrocities as well, and the "enemy" has as much right to label Bush (and other presidents) evil as he does to label them the same. And my real point is the corollary: neither has the right to label the other as evil. These emotionally-laden propaganda techniques are dangerous and incredibly destructive. They do not serve humanity. They serve politics. (And don't think that means I am going to stop calling Double-face an evil s.o.b!)

You can no longer believe everything you see in film or hear as testimony, live (staged?) or not. And not all propaganda is faked. How very confusing. What is real or fact and what is right are not the same question. Just ask Richard Perle.

I don't see a lot of movies, but I highly recommend a 1998 film called Wag the Dog, which addresses the issue of propaganda, and is a great movie with an "all-star" cast, as well.

Back to David Irving: I think, however, that the technology to fake visual reports was not so good in the days of WWII. Still, I am sure that there are many exaggerated reports, some of which have already been roundly debunked as war mythology. I haven't delved deeply into Mr. Irving's writings, and so I cannot say to what extent he is "denying" the Holocaust. It seems from what I have read that perhaps he is, as he says, simply trying to get the "real history".

My opinion could change if I read more. You may investigate for yourself. And here is his website link to start you off.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.