Fake News Stories are Related to Culture and Information Literacy

[This blog post is a sketch of ideas. I plan on fleshing these ideas out.  I want to share them now though.]

Fake News as Related to Culture and Information Literacy:

The recent information that has come out about fake news sites and stories that were shared on social media and influenced the recent elections are directly related to the concept of Information and Culture.  The idea of controlling public perception via the control of media was perfected by the Nazis' Josef Goebbels.  Now the ideas of Edward Bernays have been combined with Goebbels  techniques to manipulate and reinforce the idea of Whiteness in US culture. In many ways, this election was about Whiteness versus the alternative developing multicultural worldview that exist within the USA.  These ideas, because a lack of access to education and publishing by people of color, are still developing.  The pace this development has picked up steam recently. The backlash by the Racists in our country is a reaction to this progress.

As a person of color, I am struck by how similar these fake news sites and stories are to how the dominant culture publishes and diffuses the idea of Whiteness.  This is done by packaging and repackaging the idea that europeans and european culture are the most important things in the world.  Whiteness also sees itself as the epitome of culture.  It sees itself as superior in every manner.  
This message is embedded in our history particularly.  People of color and other marginalized groups have been almost completely left out of history, except for using them as examples of primitive culture or other savageries.

Not only does this apply to people of color, it applies to class, gender, sexual identity, and physical ability and more.

The #Breitbart Nazis and their ilk are good at FAKE news stories. In fact, they proved that people didn't care if the news was fake after the fact. #ACORN story. How do you think their techniques of social control will be incorporated into our educational system?

Our stories, information relevant to our understanding of our history, liberatory information, information that could topple the concept of #Whiteness which is so embedded in every aspect of our culture. We need to tell our own stories and to develop our own ideas about the world without being boxed in by Whiteness.

Purposes of fake news:

The purposes of the fake news sites and stories seem to be to form and shape (CONTROL) public opinion about particular political and societal viewpoints.

Social control

Promotion of Whiteness as the norm.

Purposes of fake information in libraries and education:

The purposes of the fake news sites and stories seem to be to form and shape (CONTROL) public opinion about particular political and societal viewpoints.

Social control

Promotion of Whiteness as the norm.

We have been living with Fake News and Fake Books, and Information for a long time in the USA.

Ghazals for Foley...

What is a Ghazal?

Get this book now!

I had no idea (other than it is a poetic form from the middle east) until I read the introduction to this wonderful work.  I didn't look it up because I was enthralled with the content of this beatific book!  I didn't know James Foley, but my friend Yago Cura was his good friend.  Hinchas press (Yago Cura publisher) just recently published a book of Poetry entitled Ghazals for Foley.  This is a striking collection of poems written by people to James Foley posthumously.   The book also includes a short story written by Foley that is utterly fascinating, intriguing and beautiful.  I feel like I got to know Jim Foley via these poems and his short story.  The intensity of a life so well lived is reason for a celebration. 

The poems vary in quality according to my taste, but there are some really striking and personal words here.  They are all beautiful and in deeply personal.  The poets range from well-known writers, to other war correspondents, to writing teachers and students of James Foley.

I've got a bad Sufi feeling, Jim.

That road-those trees-

The light shifting in the Mountains-

Don't go, Jim.

Please-don't go.

It was a Thursday, 

And you were on your way home.

Jim, I have a bad Sufi feeling.

Bad Sufi Feeling by Claire Morgana Gillis

Even if you aren't much of a poetry fan, the emotion of these poems is striking and hits home.

Through these poems I learned that James Foley was a Journalist, a Friend, A Lover, a Student, A Teacher, an artist and a great American among many other things.  

What does it mean to be American?

 

What does it mean to be human?

What did it mean to be James Foley?

This works gives you just a bit of an insight into this brave soul.
 

These poems are ALL full of love for humanity and for James Foley.     

This collection is describes the real man, not the man who was used to manipulate world hatred against Islam.  It seems like every political, religious and other faction wanted to use James Foley’s death for his or her own benefit.  This work helps mitigate that in my mind.    It humanizes and reclaims Mr. Foley for his friends, his family and for people, like me, who didn't even know him.  

James Foley: Writer

 

The short story at the end of this book was the best thing about it for me.  I had never really read anything by Mr. Foley and his work does not fail to impress.  The story is artistic in the sense that it touches on human emotions like love, loneliness, fear, adventure and respect.  It also gives one a snapshot into what life is like in a "green zone."  I often wonder what people do in such places, what people think while behind these walls and how they interact with locals.  This story satisfies and piques many of my curiosities.   I don't know many people who have been to the wars in the Middle East, and have not asked those who have what it was like. 

 I was going to write more about this book, but you will get much more from it by ordering it and reading it here:

https://squareup.com/store/hinchas-press/item/ghazals-for-foley

12.95 

ISBN: 978-0-9845398-7-1