The USA (Utterly Susceptible Americans)

“Roosevelt’s most famous military exploit came when he led a charge in the Battle of San Juan Hill (actually Kettle Hill) outside Santiago, Cuba. The well‐publicized exploit helped him win the New York governorship in 1898 and vice presidency in 1900.”(Answers.com). In several intense wars, the US military has had many problems, difficulties, and disorders, but from an average American’s view, they were heroic, bold, and fearless men. It’s very appreciable for what they’re doing and how the media are covering them twenty four seven, but in the same time, however, the US media shouldn’t be exaggerating and overstressing the situations they’re in and how they’re fighting. This way they’re being dishonest and not only that, but the media will always try using propaganda to ruin the country’s status make the enemy look like its suffering defeat. “KABUL – The U.S. military said Friday that reports that as many as 147 civilians died in fighting involving American forces and the Taliban were “extremely over-exaggerated” and said the investigators were still analyzing the data collected at the site.” (cnbc.com). This example above proves how the US military is decisively exaggerating the deaths in a conflict between Taliban and the Americans in Afghanistan.

The US media know what the people want, what satisfies them, and what pleasures them. All they care about is gaining more and more audience. Their only way to do so is limiting the important political news and increasing the entertainment part of the news and adding as much photos and videos to grab the audience’s attention, or in other words, they are using infotainment to attract public audience as much as possible. Americans are only concerned in what affects them, their jobs, their lives, their friends and family, and most of all, their source of entertainment “The adoption of web and mobile video now means that people are spending almost as much time watching video and TV as they do sleeping, according to recent research” (v3.co.uk). According to the example above, people spend as much time watching TV and videos as sleeping. In other words, people are dominated by entertainment in which US media found a way to use this as an advantage. This method of attracting the public is ultimately unacceptable because news stations were created to report news, discuss issues, debate, and listen to people’s opinions. It wasn’t formed to illusion the public by distracting them and amusing and entertaining them on the news.

Nevertheless, these corrupted aspects used in the media are blinding Americans from reality. It is not only the medias’ fault, but this burden is also on the public themselves because they expect everything truthful to come right to them despite what it is until it’s proven false mostly by activists, highly educated people, etc. The media is giving the people what they want to know rather than what they need to know. Unlike other media in certain countries, the US media is controlling the amount of information released leaving the rest unexposed and safe and sound from the public. Sooner or later, if this continues onwards with false media and ignorant and gullible people, then Americans will soon be brainwashed and will deeply fall into oblivion.