"Why do they hate us?"

Two months after the terror attacks, it's still the question of the moment, it's on every (confused) American's mind, it's the bugaboo we can no longer ignore lurking in the back of our (Third World) closet--why would anyone do this to us? Why do they hate us so much?

How could this *happen* to us?

From alternative, non-corporate media, we hear answers about blowback. Malcolm's chickens coming home to roost. Reaping what you sow. And, perhaps less dogmatically, we hear about another round of innocent Americans paying the ultimate price for their government's destructive foreign policies and corporate agenda.

From most of the mainstream corporate media, we hear more facile, jingoistic answers based on Bush II's assessment that "they hate our freedoms" (it's the freedom, stupid, and other similar themes), or we see displays like Dan Rather's teary confusion and pseudo-patriotism on The Late Show ("...how could this happen?...O Beautiful for Spacious skies..."). We hear that you are either for us or against us. It's absolute good versus absolute evil, a crusade for infinite justice against the evil of the world, the Empire Striking Back (does anyone remember that the Empire striking back was the BAD GUYS???).

Fortunately, while many Americans have indeed fallen in line with the jingoistic surface "analysis" of "pundits" like Bill O'Reilly, Paula Zhan, and Rush Limbaugh, it appears that a great many Americans have increasingly demanded real information to answer real questions they can no longer ignore. The result: Forced by the undeniable reality of 6,000 civilian American deaths to for once actually address topics other than Chandra, OJ, and Clinton's sex life, even mainstream media has jumped into the act of trying to provide Real Answers and Analysis.

Suddenly every media outlet is rushing to fill in that gap of knowledge they themselves have so carefully cultivated, and that many Americans are only now beginning to wake up to. Time, CNN, Newsweek, and all the other incestuous children of the world's six media-owning corporations are trying to formulate coherent responses to questions about "roots of the rage" and "why?" and "how?" Admittedly, some good examples of analysis and information may actually emerge from all this; but of course, it is all still within the corporate-biased context and agenda of mainstream media.

Which brings me to my own burning question of the moment: In the current situation and context, how do you counter this effort by the corporate media to fill in these gaps with their own inherently corporate-biased information? How do you respond to this extraordinary opportunity to effectively answer a question like, "Why do they hate us?" for those who are sincerely seeking information outside the corporate media?

As participants of non-corporate media, how are you dealing with this issue in the specific context of recent events? It's not so much about the particulars of information used -- most of us have spent the past few months (and indeed, years) steeped in an ocean of background analysis and argument and rhetoric, and are quite familiar with lots of good sources of information -- but what tactics/techniques are you using to share this information with those unfamiliar with or even resistant to it? What has been your experience of trying to communicate these ideas to those who may not have much experience with non-corporate sources of news and information? What's worked? What hasn't?

And what about those who may be new to or unfamiliar with non-corporate media -- what has been your experience of seeking and finding (or not finding) good information outside the standard mainstream media of CNN, Time, Newsweek, MSNBC, your local news, etc.? What has resonated with you about alternative/non-corporate media sources and those who share this kind of information with you? What has made you think? What has turned you off?

I'd like to open this forum to everyone for commentary. Give your input, and pass this link along far and wide to people from all political backgrounds and media experiences. I know my own experience has been filled with lots of blunders, but there've also been some successes as well; ultimately, I hope we can all help each other communicate and understand better.

there is so much more behind what has happened and is happening that to counter a synthetic reality like cnn is inflicting upon a shocked population is incredibly hard to do, especially in the consumer society we live in. people will go to great lengths to protect their material interests. they have been taught to base their beliefs on them. the foundation of their lives and the lives of their children begins with capitalism and the resulting class system…challenging that is an extreme threat to everything they know. because it is such, they will pose an equally extreme defense so that when you do bring a reality outside of consumer heroin to the table, it's so easy for many people to dismiss it without any contemplation because it is "radical" to their cnn bible. this seems to be the greatest challenge….speaking for myself. it's a very delicate walk that requires a lot of patience and hard work, especially when, simultaneously, you are filled with the rage of the destruction caused by this ignorant bliss. it's very hard not to tell them to 'fuck off' given the history of exploitation, oppression and destruction at the hands of corporate interests/our country. but then what change would that accomplish? it would just further perpetrate isolation and segregation.

i think there are many ways of contributing and bringing the awakening. for myself, i can say that something i feel completely confident in sharing are alternative media sources such as this one. also, i am a firm believer that solidarity is a necessary weapon in fighting this war against ignorance. i feel we can all respect one another and work together, no matter how differently the individual activist approaches the solution. to help shift perception overall, we need the great force of unity to shift our own position in this nation.

Dear "IMC participant": It is all a stage for a perverted form of Zionism. The mainstream media specializes in Zionistic Pro-gay Coprophagic garbage. The deteriorating condition of the WTC was used as an opportunity to start a war in order to glorify Bush Daddy's illiterate kid. Same is probably planned for Chicago. Read the article above. Bob

it's so fascinating how conspiracy ideas are so complex and intertwined and convoluted and yet, after everything, it always comes down to some ridiculously simple explanation for the entirety of human history.

After hours and hours of interweaving fantastic threads and unbelievably complex connections, you find conspiracy theorists saying stuff like, "and so, therefore, it's all because of the jews of course." or "It's the illuminati behind EVERYTHING." or whatever.

In terms of addressing the question of how to answer sincere quests for information, it seems to me that conspiracy theory serves the same purpose as CNN, and even functions in the same way: it convolutes any real quest for truth with all kinds of "ideas" and "thoughts" and "evidence" and "documentation" and tangents that have some shady appearance of truth but that really have nothing to do with serious analysis or facts, and then winds it all up with some insultingly simple explanation of everything (that usually has some racist undertone) before cutting away to commercial break and leaving the audience with some false sense that they've actually learned something and grasped some truth about "how things are." this stuff seems to get in the way of sharing information the same way regular media does.

here's a thought for conspiracy theorists to chew over: maybe YOU'RE all part of a conspiracy theory to use conspiracy theory to help blind the masses to the truth. Maybe the Illumaniti is an invention of the CIA designed to keep you busy so you don't poke around too much and see some real, concrete dying and suffering and unequal distribution of wealth that is easy to document and easier to fight than some phantom shadowy group of mystical powermongers no one's ever seen.

To bring the discussion back on track...

The message should be short and sweet.

...Bad Allies, Bad Future...

We may find slogans distasteful because they are used by corporations.

...The CIA Trained Bin Laden. Who's Next?...

What's worse, though? The slogan, or the fact that it's one corporation pushing the one slogan all the time.

...Real Democracy = Real Peace...

It's not the form (slogans) but the delivery (one message, everywhere).

...Imperialism Failed For Britain...

Many messages, all places. It could work.

...Support RAWA...

It's a visual cacophany that creates its own rhetorical coherence over time.

I have to agree with the one poster:

First and foremost-STOP BLAMING THE JEWS!!!! Israeli Zionism is racism, BUT that does NOT justify religious bigottry on anyone's part! We need to quit with these phoney assertions about the "Illuminati" that supposedly run the U.S. and the world. The U.S. ruling class is PREDOMINANTLY Anglo and Protestant-PERIOD!!!

Second, we need to continue to support alternative media, both on and off-line and BOYCOTT the corporate propaganda machine.

Third, for Afghanistan, we MUST support R.A.W.A., The Northern Alliance is just another terrorist regime installed by the U.S. to further the interests of U.S. corporate fascism(read their statement posted on this site).

Finally, we must initiate and support efforts to remove Bush and those(like the "Felonious Five" in the "Supreme" Court that INSTALLED him by committing electoral fraud) or helped install him. If we can't do that, then we should come up with more creative ways out of this patently FASCIST situation, including SERIOUS CONSIDERATION of options such as California's seccession from the U.S with its own Constitution based upon ALL of the provisions of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, its own membership in the U.N., ability to negotiate FAIR TRADE( NOT "free" trade) agreements with other nations, a DEMOCRATIC ECONOMY with FULL EMPLOYMENT i.e-all industries owned and run by ALL as self-employed 100% equal partners.

There's some ideas-let's see some more!