Wednesday, August 24, 2011

State Broadcaster my A**. . . .

I have never watched SunTV except for a few moments as I was channel flipping. I was recently in Toronto and SunTV was in the lower channels at the hotel so every timed I channel surfed I went by it for a few moments and at one point actually saw one of the SunTV wackos refer to the CBC as the "state broadcaster." Apparently it has become the norm for rightwing nut jobs to constantly refer to the CBC in this way. Mr. Kinsella suggests that his cohorts at SunTV only do this as a way of poking fun at the CBC, but this is obviously a falsehood.

Referring to the CBC as a "state broadcaster" is an intentional, ideological attempt to discredit the corporation at every level. It is the rightwinger's way of suggesting that the CBC is the modern equivalent to the TASS news agency or Pravda from the days of Soviet Communism. The problem with this characterization is that it is patently counterfactual. Indeed the CBC receives money from the state but it operates at arms length. If the standard that we are to employ for an institution being an arm of the State were that it received money from the government then we could say that half the large corporations in the country are little more than state institutions. And since oil companies are particularly blatant recipients of grants and credits from the government, then SunTV should start referring to Esso as a "State Energy Company."

All of this further points to the blatant hypocrisy in the rightwing in this country who ironically support 'socialism' and government controls in countless ways but only attack those areas where those state processes don't help large corporations have more control and make billions. The rightwing in this country are de facto fascists because they continue to want the state to operate as a voice and arm or corporations and grease the wheels of big capital to make more money and have greater control of people's lives. Every time rightwingers use the phrase "State Broadcaster" they are demonstrating their hypocrisy to everyone who has even a little analysis of the political economy of the nation. If the CPC really hate socialism let them renounce all state-funded education, state-funded healthcare, all regulations on health and safety, all trade regulations, the existence of the CRTC, etc. They will not because a) then they would never get elected again, b) they know that the so-called market would never work as the unfettered system that they claim to advocate and c) because it is a hallmark of fascism to support a large state apparatus but one that slowly shifts power to corporations and silences the masses.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

If CBC was truly a "state broadcaster" under Mr. Harper, Sun TV would no doubt be singing its praises. I'm not sure how the CBC is able to be communist, Liberal, and the equivalent of Pravda for the Conservatives all at the same time.

The CBC isn't perfect, of course, but if you're criticizing the CBC, then make constructive criticism that points out particular, specific faults. If you're also a Canadian media company, maybe take a good hard look in the mirror first, too. Of course when the goal is not to improve the flow of information to the public, but rather to destroy your enemies and make a buck while doing so...

Holly Stick said...

Levant has an absolutely slimey new piece on the CBC. I could not stand to watch the whole thing. There is a link to it in this tweet:

http://twitter.com/#!/dgardner/status/106359807782567936

LMA said...

Sun TV is very good at propaganda, distorting facts and false labelling, such as "state broadcaster" or "environmental terrorists". Although they do report on current events, facts are always interpreted so as to malign and defame those who oppose the policies of our current Conservative government.

I happen to pick up the channel very clearly with my over-the-air antenna, so I watch it occasionally just to keep up to date on their misinformation campaign. A little, however, goes a long way, and soon I start to feel I am being brainwashed.

Beijing York said...

You would think that even the die-hard right wingers would buy a clue and know how antiquated the term "state broadcaster" is.

Despite the CBC failing due to cuts and poor government fawning leadership from the likes of Stursberg et al, it's still manages to be heads above shoulders from what truly are government mouthpieces: Sun Media, Global, CTV and the National Post.