As IF Times

Source: Facebook changes mission statement to ‘bring the world closer together’ | TechCrunch

Not content to be a cyber bulletin board for voyeurs, exhibitionists and lonely cat people, Facebook has reaped a financial bonanza by generating income from advertisers and marketers of all types selling to their addicted  audience.  When people sign on to peek enviously at the lifestyles of their wealthy buddies, they are also treated to a steady dose of ads for financial services and other miscellaneous junk. Increasingly, they also get treated to free political sanctimony and propaganda offered as suggested ‘likes’.  And because people want to be inclusive, they are encouraged to ‘like’ these not so subtle blurbs so as to be with the cool kids.  Here are some recent gems:

To most thinking people, this is annoying spam and could be tolerable if we found similar ‘like’ suggestions for trolling stories on left leaning personalities; you know, the whole fair and balanced thing.  Shockingly, it doesn’t happen.  With the target rich material offered up everyday by left leaning people and their causes, we never get treated to opinion pieces on them to like and pass on.  No pink hat wearing Ashley Judd pieces, no crazy eyed Nancy Pelosi slamming President Bush, no black professors banning whites in the name of inclusivity.

While this flotsam and spam is an affront to sane people who just want to ogle their buddies, it’s nothing less than a recruitment tool for leftist influencers to capture naïve and malleable minds.  This is the methodology that’s been used for eons by advertisers and opinion shapers to create a subtle but persuasive version of ‘normal’.  For example, if we watch enough TV,  we may think that man buns and beards are normal although these are really just affectations of a very small group of fashionistas.  Those inspired by this fad no doubt feel that they are expressing their individuality … in a me too kind of way.  In reality, it mostly comes off like Michael Moore wearing skinny jeans trying to be cool.

We imagine that this is the same technique that ISIS probably employs in their social network recruiting programs wherein ads for matches,  blow up dolls and vests are popular.  While Mohammed is checking up on his pal Mohammed, a suggested article pops up on the latest suicide vest fashion. Of course, they’re encouraged to “like” it.  Next thing ya know, everyone wants a vest.

Those who don’t believe the effectiveness of this type of coercion are rejecting over 100 years of work by the advertising industry.  Facebook’s not so subtle campaign of political coercion has been on-going unabashedly since well before the Trump election.  They’ve been doing their bit to convince  regular people into man buns and skinny jeans.  But now, the new mandate is to “bring people closer together” after long being advocates for partisan segregation and identity politics.  It’s the equivalent of North Korea announcing that their new credo is “college students welcome”.

Source: Trump Will Withdraw U.S. From Paris Climate Agreement – The New York Times

Since the election of Donald Trump, the media world has become a never ending  low budget TV melodrama.  Every day brings some new alleged transgression against another segment of mankind on the part of the Donald.  Apparently, no one is safe from his crazy and depraved policies.  Every utterance brings forth indignant wails akin to keening at an Irish funeral. Personalities from all quarters of the media take their obligatory turns at denouncing every breath that Trump takes.

The latest round of chest beating and wailing is coming from the usual  and expected places after the announcement of the decision to withdraw the US from the Paris agreement on global warming so beloved by his predecessor.  The cacophony of baleful moaning makes one’s eyes spin like pinwheels because of their abject stupidity.

Consider the critics: If there was ever an all star team of disingenuous double talkers, hypocrites, drama queens and just plain bald face liars, then these are all among the top candidates.  Only Joe Izuzu is missing.   We’re talking Ben Rhodes, John Kerry, Dan Rather,  Al Gore, CNN and of course the previous President who signed on to the agreement.  Let’s not forget the famous climate intellectual,  Leo Decaprio.  And of course, the ACLU thinks this is racist.  Can’t make that stuff up.  All of those mentioned have advanced degrees in hyperbole and they couldn’t communicate at all without the hysterical exclamation point.

The narrative goes that to withdraw from this agreement is tantamount to no less than a death sentence for the world.  Nobody points out that the expiry date tipping point forecast by such as Al Gore, has already passed.  If that is to be believed, then it makes no difference what happens now.

Few will admit to a naïve public that the Paris accord was not an environmental agreement to restrict warming, but rather an economic one designed to transfer wealth from the US to other countries.  It’s essentially an income redistribution scheme so loved by socialists, in the guise of climate alarmism.  Few things are as effective as pictures of sad polar bears on dwindling ice floes to capture the sentiment of those naively being sold this fairy tale.  A radically rational viewpoint on this can be viewed here.

Some may be old enough to recall the hysteria half a century ago about the ‘imminent’ calamity of world overpopulation.  Now, years later, the earth still spins and its population has probably doubled.  There’s no money in restricting births….but there is money in taxing a larger population.  They’ve got that figured out.