Cointelpro, Provocateurs, Disinfo Agents
Free Thu, 07/08/2010 - 3:25pm
A brief history and some examples of how this has and is affecting the United States and people exercising their 1st amendment.(9/11 material towards end).
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Good info submerged in poor production
There is some good information in this video, but for anyone not familiar with Cointelpro and related government activities, they will have a hard time separating the wheat from the chaff here. The main problem is the soundtrack, which features a constant background of "ominous" music. This is an attempt at emotional manipulation of the viewer, which should be completely unnecessary, given the seriousness of the subject matter--the use of secret spying programs and agent provocateurs to disrupt legal protest in our society.
I have said this before about other videos on provocative subjects, and it certainly applies to this one: using the tricks and manipulation pioneered by hollywood movie makers is counterproductive when you are trying to present information about a serious matter like this one. A viewer with any skepticism will be immediately turned off by the attempt to manipulate their point of view via tricks of music scoring, digital manipulation of photography, etc. The average viewer may not be articulate about these methods of viewer manipulation, but they will certainly be aware of them. The result is to place an unneeded barrier between the viewer and the information you wish to impart. Do not underestimate the ability of ordinary people to know when they are subject to attempts at media manipulation.
There is no substitute for clarity of thought and clarity of presentation. We need more of that and less "artistry" in video about important subjects, such as the perfidy of our own government in using agents provocateurs.
valid criticism
and astute observations, left field ...
I can't help but wonder, are these naive errors on the part of the producers, or something else?
Heh
"Do not underestimate the ability of ordinary people to know when they are subject to attempts at media manipulation."
If only our population wasn't so damned susceptible to such manipulation, the real masterminds of 9/11 would've never been able to pull of their scheme. Granted, such attempts at persuasion aren't nearly as effective when presenting the ugly truth rather than comforting lies. This song sums up the situation well:
Good Video
\We just played with Rusted Root and are getting ready to release a new CD - if you have a minute, check it out!
That is NICE
That is NICE. I like it.
100% agree
This sort of video preaches to the choir, at best.
Good for making the effort, but this kind of film does not spread the message and will turn off many.
There is no substitute for clarity of thought and clarity of presentation.
use of music in home-produced 9/11 docu videos.
regarding the comment with embedded video by "Pavlovian DogCatcher"...
Rock Music overlayed on video is a recipe for backfiring, particularly if the artist isn't producing the video.
People new to the message need to be introduced to it in a calm, logical manner. Think a David Chandler video. Cool, calm, collected. Just the facts, ma'am.
Rock music by its very nature is abbrasive. This type of video, if anything, only serves to marginalize the movement by perpetuating the "teenager dressed in black in the basement with too much time on his hands" reputation.
Think of documentaries with a plucking guitar - instant melodrama. Music evokes emotion. A promotional video needs to evoke logical thinking, and perhaps -no music- is best.
Don't be mistaken...this is no criticism of the music - all music has its right time and place.
I couldn't disagree more
Just as different contradictory aspects of 9/11 have caused others to delve into examining and questioning the official 9/11 story. Different styles of "message delivery" wake up different people. Some people may see a video of WTC 7 falling and start to question the truth. Others may start by questioning the lack of response by NORAD, or the put options, lack of debris in Shanksville or all of the prior warnings before 9/11. Many younger people may have never questioned 9/11 had it not been for Loose Change - Second Edition and the graphical presentation and music soundtrack that accompanied it. While others I have met don't like to rap music style soundtrack of LC2E or even to the sound of Dylan's voice. Same goes for 9/11: Blueprint For Truth. Some respond to this information and it is the turning point in their awakening to 9/11 Truth while others say it's like sitting through a boring science lecture and they can't watch the entire movie.
As for the particular video that Pavlovian Dogcatcher posted, the same reasoning applies. First consider the contents of the video. It is basically a collection of various still photos. Would people sit and watch a 5 minute video of nothing but still photos with no audio? Not likely. But adding an aggressive rock music song as the audio maintains the interest of the viewer.
My point being that there is no "One Size Fits All" approach to relaying information regarding 9/11 Truth or other subjects. We are trying to reach as many people as possible with this information so it takes a variety of styles to accomplish that goal.
Yeah, different strokes for different folks
Besides, I didn't post the video for Joe public, but rather fellow readers here in the blog section of a truth site, and even if you don't appreciate the music, the lyrics are quite relevant to the discussion at hand. Furthermore, I don't own any black cloths, nor does my house have a basement.
Actually,
I like the video that you posted far more than the one at the top of this diary that I criticized. With this second video, the soundtrack is a straightforward rock song with appropriate lyrics, and the montage of stills serves as commentary on the song. It's actually quite an effective technique, and well done. The only limitation is that this is not the kind of thing you use to try and convince people to change their minds--it's for reinforcing the beliefs of people like us.
The problem with the cointelpro... etc. video is that it seems like it is trying to be informational, with documentary style footage having related soundtrack information, but it mucks up the presentation with continuous background music that gets in the way of the information without adding anything other than ominous "atmosphere", along with digital manipulation of the images. This mixture of incompatible techniques is neither fish nor fowl, and very frustrating to watch. Bringing the issue of government use of agents provocateurs to public awareness is terribly important, and I hate to see any good opportunity wasted. Unfortunately, this particular video does not hit the mark properly, which is a pity.
Making good documentary video, or good propaganda--for our point of view--is not necessarily easy to do. We have to take the time to evaluate our efforts and, I hope, learn from our mistakes, as well as our successes. That is the spirit in which I am trying to offer these comments.
An interesting note on the lyrics
The song was writing in regard to the issue of drug addiction, but like much of the lyrics by the artist who wrote them it speaks of reality in a way which is appropriate to an array of matters. The lyrics were then used in a very different song which focus on our political situation, and there is an official video for that.
Thanks for the post it seems timely...
Considering the state of the 911 Truth Movement at present.
We need more good people to speak out for fact over fiction!
Regards John
I like seeing people disseminating subjects such as this
The intent behind the video is important. Cointelpro, Provacateurs, Disinfo Agents are very important subjects which people should be aware of. These issues are highlighted in the video.
I won't knock this video. While there might be some valid critiques for improvement in the video style, I do not see anyone posting a better 11 minute clip on the subject.
I won't knock this video. It is better than the one I made (because I never made one).
If someone can do a better one, then go ahead. There should be more videos covering this subject.
Thanks for posting this video.
COINTELPRO and the subject of Agent Provocateurs and Disinfo Agents are an important part of understanding our governments attempt to silence dissent. All people should be informed of these tactics!
Revealing
It seems particularly revealing that the 9-11 disinfo-provocateurs were disseminating these statements: 'No planes hit the WTC' and 'Space beams took down the WTC' .
The Libertarian-Alex jones approach is...
The Libertarian-Alex Jones audience is the only demographic moved by this type and tone of presentation, and sadly, but a few others in the country are persuaded by the tactic. Also sadly, the same goes for the Jesse Venturas of the world.
They are all wrapped up in this music and mystery...and it will forever keep the 9/11 Truth Community attached to and identified with such smaller semi-extreme or fringe groups.
Just to repeat because there are never enough reminders, the 9/11 Truth Community makes far, far more headway when we present ourselves in demeanors and approaches taken by David Ray Griffin, Peter Dale Scott, Kevin Ryan, Richard Gage, David Chandler and so many others who let the facts and material do the majority of the work..
We have moved mad-man Tarpley out the door because of his over reactionary behaviors, antics and BS...as brilliant as he might be, and until we get into the scholarly-professional approaches to information dissemination and public presentation all the time, our growth we will remain quite limited...and we will be identified mostly with the George Nory diaspora.
And, although the We Are Chage groups are still around and still mostly serve as plitical store fronts for the Libertarian Party et al, at least we have also "moved out" WAC's early "confrontational-bull horn buildings" tactics...and the WACs who are now peaceful, non-antagonistic and information only [and incredibly clever/talented like WAC-LA] no longer take us one step ahead-two steps back. Again, just look at the timing of the arrival of the WACs...right when the 9/11 Truth Community was just about to get its internal act together readying to explode into the public with...INFORMATION! And suddenly there is a "new attitude in town"...confrontation...and AJ in the streets bullhorning...etc.
I'm not saying that anyone in WACs is a cointelpro...but the confrontational approach is a cointelpro dream come true...well proven of course by the infiltrations of the 60s-70s peace and political groups.
Quite frankly, this piece has as much chance at being a cointelpro piece as any others...its just so weak and dependent upon the conspiracy factor and tactics.
Again, this is NOT an accusation of anyone being a cointelpro...its only an observation of the net effects of such a production. This is just the latest version of something that real cointelpro agents and provocatuers get sound sleep at night about...their targets self destructing while they nod approvingly.
Information well presented will have a far better reach than anything that is "hype first-information buried in there somewhere" offerings...
Sorry, but this is yet another small step backwards...for a short while anyway...still we suffer the growing pains...
9/11 Truth for World Peace and Justice
Robin Hordon
Kingston, WA
Music can be useful
Music in these sorts of productions has been a mildly polarizing issue in the movement. It's a sensitive issue because 9/11 Truth itself is a sensitive issue, and you don't want to come off as leading the viewer. You want the facts to speak for themselves. At the same time, there is a certain professionalism to music in a documentary, and also helps keep the viewer's attention. You look at the History Channel or Discovery Channel and you see plenty of documentaries with emotional music, but the issues they present are not burdened by the same things 9/11 Truth is, so a very fine line has to be walked on for anyone who wants to heighten the audio experience. This video is a good example of what not to do, and how "creepy" music and that sort of thing can divert attention away from the substance you're delivering, no matter how valid that information may be. But I do think that music CAN work in a 9/11 Truth documentary, it just has to be handled delicately.