Every time you watch CNN, it happens. Every time you see an infomercial, you are manipulated. Every time you walk into a "new wave" health food store you are marginally deceived. Whenever you see a smirky reporter ask questions to a dumbfounded interviewee and the tape has been edited, the whole truth is left out. What I am talking about is the pervasion of truth, the facts you here are not lies, simply they are manipulations of the facts. There are many examples of these deceptions, here are a few, albeit perhaps not the best examples are examples which I have personally experienced and have provoked me to write this essay.

Let’s take CNN, my favorite besmircher of facts. Their polls often give us incredible facts, when really it is all in the question one is asked when polled and what demographic is asked these questions. All 4 of the four people that live in Dave Grant’s house are white, therefore of all people polled, 100% are white. One may rephrase that point to say that, in a recent poll, CNN found that 100% of people are white. This is of course an exaggeration of a controlled study, but the point I believe is purveyed. This is more realistically put forth in a recent poll found on WSNBC about rap, asking if it went "too far" when NAS put out a video depicting himself as Jesus Christ. 98% of people agreed, but I find it hard to believe that if this poll were held in Oakland on a basketball court the result would be the same, or a Synagogue in the Bronx for that matter. The poller must be honest to the viewer where and under what pretenses the poll was conducted for the poll to have any significance. Yet another thing CNN and other news networks have done is pretending to have the full spectrum of opinions where, in fact, they simply have the two most popular yet similar. My opinion on the subject I try to put aside, let’s say you are watching Crossfire and the subject is capitol punishment. On the show they have someone from the complete right wing that says that if one kills another human being, that they in turn should die (the two wrongs of course making a right and resurrecting the victim). On the other end of the spectrum they have someone who is only mostly right wing, who says that if you kill someone, it is wrong to kill them in retribution, for human life is somehow special. It is, however, right to put them in jail until they die, slowly wasting away at the population’s expense. Never do they have other opinions, therefore misleading the public to think that those are the only two possible opinions and that any other stances are ludicrous. The semi right wing is seemingly made left wing, and other arguments, correct or not, never see the light of day. The public is left to believe that those are the only two acceptable arguments.

Recently I went into a health food store called GNC with a friend, who asked what the best pill would be to reduce fat given his current regiment. He was, in turn, sold two bottles of a fat burner that was described by the clerk as guaranteed, and he himself lost 20 lbs. with it, and proceeded to spew out random facts about the digestive tract and what chemicals can do what to who’s metabolism. Weeks later we went back, after this pill had not worked, and another clerk said that what was sold was okay, but this other pill, if used with it would be better. Especially with this special mix of proteins in a powder which will take off inches because of the body fat digestive keyword catchphrase empty promise empty promise false guarantee. With that in mind, even the most naïve person must wonder if these pills, powders, and exercise machines work at all, but they don’t disbelieve because everyone wants the easy way out, so the truth is manipulated and contorted to sell overpriced placebic shakes. Companies such as these sell easy answers to the ignorant public whom feverishly burn away money, these companies being the capitalistic mascot, taking advantage of the defenseless conditioned public.

Another great example of the twisting of honesty is a typical television interview. Two examples, the first of which involving myself, six months ago when I was on Chek 6 for finding that Vicnet had all of the customer’s vital information accessible to anybody via their Root directory on their FTP. The first broadcast I was shown as a good kid who did the right thing. The next night, after they found out that Vicnet had many financial ties, I was shown as a punk hacker who wanted attention. The same interview was shown, just different parts with a different ending was shown. Subsequently I was blacklisted from every Victoria ISP. Another great example was on a "Leftist" show called the Awful Truth, hosted by a media crusader known as Michael Moore. He had an interview with an Afghan ambassador concerning the banning of television in his country, something I thought was good and what a man who crusades against the networks may appreciate, but it was easier to appeal to the dregs and make jokes about TV being good. The interview was just hacked, different questions to different answers, which made the whole religious fundamentalist thing seem comical, compared to watching Dharma and Greg. The interview made the ambassador seem like a clown who had nothing to say, the only clip they showed of him defending himself was amidst colorful Gifs circling his head while Michael talked over the sound from a studio. The uneducated overweight man of the people gains comedic victory over the extremely learned Ambassador? But everyone laughed, and once again the wry crusader proved that slothiness triumphs over morality even on the anti-American controlist show.

My point is that we should not believe everything we hear or see, and that if it seems unbelievable then it most likely is. Polls should be made to state where, when, and the conditions in which the questions were asked. We should kill naivity when it comes to miracle consumerism, and we should also question interviews that are not whole. Not saying one should be paranoid, but at least think about it next time you watch CNN, Bill Maher, or even the local news. This is what must be done before any conclusions can be made concerning anything that has any weight; or else we shall always be marionettes for whoever realizes how to pull a string.

*Pervasion: The act of passing through or permeating

By Shane Barter