Blog #34 – Examination of the sage-like words of Edward R. Murrow
Choose three statements – one from each speech – and discuss how each statement can be applied to our world and political or social situations today.
” No one familiar with the history of this country can deny that congressional committees are useful. It is necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one and the junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind, as between the internal and the external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular. 
This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy’s methods to keep silent, or for those who approve. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities. As a nation we have come into our full inheritance at a tender age. We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. The actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn’t create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it — and rather successfully. Cassius was right. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” Good night, and good luck.”
– See it Now broadcast, March 9 1954
If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
– Ford Fiftieth Anniversary Show, CBS and NBC, June 1953
The real Edward R. Murrow
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.
Our history will be what we make it. And if there are any historians about fifty or a hundred years from now, and there should be preserved the kinescopes for one week of all three networks, they will there find recorded in black and white, or color, evidence of decadence, escapism and insulation from the realities of the world in which we live. I invite your attention to the television schedules of all networks between the hours of 8 and 11 p.m., Eastern Time. Here you will find only fleeting and spasmodic reference to the fact that this nation is in mortal danger. There are, it is true, occasional informative programs presented in that intellectual ghetto on Sunday afternoons. But during the daily peak viewing periods, television in the main insulates us from the realities of the world in which we live. If this state of affairs continues, we may alter an advertising slogan to read: LOOK NOW, PAY LATER.
For surely we shall pay for using this most powerful instrument of communication to insulate the citizenry from the hard and demanding realities which must be faced if we are to survive. I mean the word survive literally. If there were to be a competition in indifference, or perhaps in insulation from reality, then Nero and his fiddle, Chamberlain and his umbrella, could not find a place on an early afternoon sustaining show. If Hollywood were to run out of Indians, the program schedules would be mangled beyond all recognition. Then some courageous soul with a small budget might be able to do a documentary telling what, in fact, we have done–and are still doing–to the Indians in this country. But that would be unpleasant. And we must at all costs shield the sensitive citizens from anything that is unpleasant.
I am entirely persuaded that the American public is more reasonable, restrained and more mature than most of our industry’s program planners believe. Their fear of controversy is not warranted by the evidence. I have reason to know, as do many of you, that when the evidence on a controversial subject is fairly and calmly presented, the public recognizes it for what it is–an effort to illuminate rather than to agitate.
I do not advocate that we turn television into a 27-inch wailing wall, where longhairs constantly moan about the state of our culture and our defense. But I would just like to see it reflect occasionally the hard, unyielding realities of the world in which we live. I would like to see it done inside the existing framework, and I would like to see the doing of it redound to the credit of those who finance and program it. Measure the results by Nielsen, Trendex or Silex-it doesn’t matter. The main thing is to try. The responsibility can be easily placed, in spite of all the mouthings about giving the public what it wants. It rests on big business, and on big television, and it rests at the top. Responsibility is not something that can be assigned or delegated. And it promises its own reward: good business and good television.
To those who say people wouldn’t look; they wouldn’t be interested; they’re too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter’s opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost.
This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.
Speech at Radio-Television News Directors Association, Chicago, October 15, 1958.
Minimum word count after picking a quote from all three speeches and then analyzing them is at least 300 words. There should be plenty to talk about b/c even though Murrow said these words over 50 years ago, they still ring true.
Due Wednesday, May 2 by the beginning of class. That means YOU!
Movie review from the NYT – http://movies.nytimes.com/2005/09/23/movies/23luck.html
“We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result”. This quote says that you can disagree with what happened in the past of your country as much as you want, but by the masses of the world you will be associated with what happened. This occurs now a lot as we look at history because many people in America may disagree with the decision to use the nuclear bomb in Japan; however, the Japanese and the rest of the world will always associate the use of the nuclear bomb in Japan with America.
“If we confuse dissent with disloyalty”. This quote even though short has a lot of meaning. Dissent meaning to differ specifically from a decision is what most believers in Communism had towards the U.S government. McCarthy was one of the most prominent people who had this mix-up. He thought that just because you had a disagreement with the U.S government that they were against the U.S and in this case that meant they were communists. Now this applies to some radical people who heavily believe in the democracy of America, and if you have dissent with the government you are a terrorist. Although there aren’t many who think like this because opinions are more excepted these days, there are still a few who confuse dissent with disloyalty.
“For surely we shall pay for using this most powerful instrument of communication to insulate from the citizenry from the hard and demanding realities which must be faced if we are to survive”. This quote talks about how the use of the most powerful instrument of communication (television) is used to sort of protect us from the truth. The quote means that the way people get there news could be lying to them by protecting them from the truth, so the masses aren’t fully filled in. Now we don’t really have this issue because the media is able to go pretty far in depth into things, like the horrors in the Middle East. It is very important that the news tells the full truth because it is how people learn what is really happening.
“We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.” This can be applied to our world and political situations today because it is true, just because you accuse someone, it doesn’t mean that they are guilty. There were plenty of people that were accused and then proven innocent. Also, you need evidence in order to convict someone of doing a crime. Finally, he is saying that everyone convicted needs to go through court rules, and have an attorney, so it can be fair. We encounter this problem often because of racism. We also tend to be stereotypical about people such as Muslims being “terrorists” but it is not true. We just accuse them because of the people responsible for 9/11 were mostly Muslim.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.” This can be demonstrated in today’s world and political situations for many reasons. Our technology today is so advanced that we can get information practically anywhere, such as computers, radios, and televisions that we start to believe everything they tell us. Breaking news or some other important events shared in public television or computers, often do not show the whole picture. They either tell a small part of the story, or occasionally lie about it resulting in controversy. Also, news spread out throughout a country is told in a biased way, which can also result in a totally different picture. People later on realized what actually happened but usually at that time decisions have been made and it is already too late.
“If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status.” This definitely represents what is going on today. We as Americans want to show everyone in the world, that we are the best country and we are the most privileged. If we deny racial equality, and deny an individual to be wrong, unpopular or eccentric, then people in other countries that use our country as guidance will be lost and will not know who to look up to. This would happen because other countries would tell the poorer countries that America is a bad country, and everyone would end up going against us. This is happening today in the Middle East. People over there are saying that America is a terrible country and everything is our fault. So countries in Africa or Asia that saw us as a guide, will now turn their back against us.
Quote 1- “We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law” (See it Now broadcast).
After reading this line from taken from a See it Now broadcast I knew that it would apply perfectly to our social situations today. Our current justice system has many flaws, one of them including false accusations, which may turn from just an accusation into something blown way out of proportion. There are many examples of when a man or woman was sentenced to death and executed based off of accusations. The worst part; however, is that usually after their death the person is found innocent. It is so unfortunate to those people and their families because the person may be found innocent upon already being killed. During the Salem Witch Trials all of the deaths and shunning were based off of false accusations, there was absolutely no proof or evidence and yet the innocent were still hung. You would think that after all of these years our justice system would improve, and yet it is 2012 and cases involving falsely accused citizens still exist.
Quote 2- “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us…the confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought” (Ford Fiftieth Anniversary Show).
What happened to “America, the land of the free and the home of the brave?” The United States of America used to be a free country, a country that made its citizens proud and inspired many immigrants. This country was built off of the Constitution, the foundation made of pure freedom and equality. Yet somehow, racism still exists today and our political leaders are so corrupt. I can almost guarantee that most of the government workers have done something illegal, but got away with it simply because of their job position. All of this happens under the radar of course, so no one is harmed…it’s a win-win situation if everyone keeps their mouths shut. Recently the President and the House of Representatives began discussing the use of spying of Americans through drones. Freedom? I don’t think so. Aside from the political aspect, society also plays a big role in this quote. People are now afraid to be different, to be individuals. This is because all of the t.v. shows and magazines show “what’s in and what’s not”, yet who are they to judge? No one can tell you who to be, but the fear of not fitting in controls people’s logic and drives them into peer pressure, taking away their individuality.
Quote 3- “But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work it, may see a totally different picture too late” (Speech at Radio Television News Directors).
The media plays a big role in social situations today. Whether its news, magazines, movies, etc. it’s okay, but only to a certain extent. Too much media information can lead to danger, maybe not to the country as a whole but certainly to individuals. The fear of terrorists today has the same effect on everyone as the fear of Communism did in the 1950’s. Those involved in the media are experts are getting people to believe what they have to say, and we do. We believe everything they tell us, even though it may not be a reliable source. People need to wake up and realize the media is not all true, they feed us lies and we need to put an end to it, to all the false words.
Quote: “We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result”.
This statement is talking about how people deny the truth and go around the subject like nothing ever happened. But eventually the truth always catches up to you, and if you fail to acknowledge the truth you will be made a fool by the truth. Today, in politics, tons of people deny heritage or their past history, whether it be affairs they had or other bad decisions that haunt their past. When these politicians deny these facts, they are making a brutal mistake by putting themselves at risk for what they have done and lying about it. Basically anyone can deny the truth and say “that never happened” but almost 100% of the time the truth will come out and peoples view of you will change negatively.
Quote: “Every Act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the… confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This statement relates to our world and political situation because every time the president or any person in politics makes a mistake about a touchy subject such as freedom of individuals, it takes away confidence of people who work to gain that freedom or work to get that freedom for others. Politicians have to be so very careful about what they say anywhere they go, because basically everything they say can be used against them. Our ancestors fought so hard to gain their and our freedom today, so to have someone say something negative against that freedom it angers us to think that our ancestors worked so hard just to have someone mock them.
Quote: “Our history will be what we make it.”
Everyone has the opportunity to create a great history of America, but we also have the opportunity to make America look like a joke. If we try hard to make this country great by doing everything in our power, we can have a great image for America. But it only takes one single person to screw our image up by making a dumb mistake by saying something or doing something to offend someone else and before you know it we look bad. But if we put in the effort and time we have the chance to create a wonderful history for the future.
“We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result.”
-This statement talks about how change can be a good thing, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it refers to one subject. This statement is not saying for a person to become a nonconformist, it acknowledges that whatever work we did in the past might not work in the future. Most events in the past have happened for a reason whether it is for better or for worse. If something did go wrong though, somebody can’t turn their head the other way and act as if nothing had happened and it doesn’t matter. This is the part where we need to plant our feet and stand firm with our rights.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us…”
-It doesn’t matter what kind of thing that has happen throughout history because it usually tends to end up with freedom. When someone is denounced freedom that American tends to feel that it is unconstitutional and wants to do something about it. Back when segregation was still an issue, a woman named Rosa Parks stood up for her freedom by sitting in the front of the bus and when she was asked to move to the back of the bus and didn’t, she went to jail. After Parks was thrown in jail, it hit the news and changed everyone’s views on what they could do in order to feel free and it eventually led up to there being no more segregation. Even in today’s time, if a person is denied something that they have a right to; they will make a scene and they will fight for what is right and just.
“I do not advocate that we turn television into a 27-inch wailing wall, where longhairs constantly moan about the state of our culture and our defense.”
-This statement shows that America does not one view of things at all, America wants the full story to be able to solve and report it back to the citizens in America. If a child was to watch a children’s show like the “Teletubbies” they can be entertained but, it does not show them that they are fortunate to be able to watch this show. It doesn’t show that there are countries in the world that have a shortage of food and are unable to receive more food, no it shows them a world where they can be happy and play all of the time. The public needs to be informed about significant issues that occur and not leave them to be kept secret; by telling the public they can be influenced to promote ideas and solve them. The type of approach that would overall be appropriate for this matter would be a balanced approach.
“We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result.”
I believe that this quote means that you can run from the past, but eventually it all catches up to you. Throughout our human lives we strive to make our mistakes disappear. We ignore them, we try to make up for them, but in the end all we truly want is for them to just simply go away. This is human nature, and we cannot be blamed for wanting to recover form our mistakes, but we can be blamed for making them in the first place. This quote can be easily applied to social and political situations today because us Americans are all about recovery. When something goes wrong we try our best and our hardest to make it irrelevant. Back when we first conquered America we overtook an already existing population and society. We were brutal, savage, and crude, taking land from other beings but we choose to never dwell on it in the history books, over even at all. We try to make up for practically killing an entire population by offering scholarships to Native Americans, but trying to seamlessly cover up the past cannot heal the wounds it caused. TO this day we are still trying to redeem ourselves in the eyes of Native American culture and I think that’s really what America is all about; trying to recover from mistakes.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This quote shows that limiting the resource of human knowledge and contribution to society defeats the whole purpose of which this country was founded upon. If we try to take away basic rights and privileges we are essentially robbing our future leaders! We are depriving the future generations and the current ones. I think this can be related to social things today because the metaphorical “man”. Is always trying to oppress society, and control what it does. This has been an issue since the 1600’s when the Puritans sailed along the vast seas to find new hope in America, and it still is an issue today throughout politics and social things with stuff, like SOPA trying to censor the internet. Crushing the principles that we were built on is a disgrace to our founding fathers. The earth rumbles as George Washington turns over in his grave.
“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends.”
I think that this quote means that humans have the utmost potential, but only if we choose to use it. This is a central theme that I believe is practically timeless. We have yet to peak as a race, or as people in general, but we can plateau if we choose to do so. Its basically controlling your own destiny, and even though Morrow spoke these words over 50 years ago, their main ideas still ring true. It is up to us to use the instrument of life to its purest potential, let it inspire us, let it guide us, but its up to us to use it the right way. Life has no instructions, so hopefully you can illuminate your way through the dark. Good night and good luck.
1. “…remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.”
We’re still encouraged to be strong and voice our opinions, forgetting about people and things that could bring us down. People still aren’t afraid to put out what they want as long as that’s what they strongly believe in. Leaders in politics can’t have wavering opinions and even if decisions they make aren’t the popular choice, as long as it helps us in the long run, they’ll be respected.
2. “Every act that denies of limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the…confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom…”
We still deal with the issue of racism, and although it’s not as big of a problem as it was before, I don’t think it’s an issue that can ever completely go away so this statement will always have meaning. A big reason as to why racism will never go away is the fact that it’s more of a joke now. Before, it was more serious and violent, but now people think it’s okay to joke around about other races, thinking it does no damage. No matter how close you are with the person you’re jokingly making fun of, it could either actually offend them or other people who can hear what you’re saying. There are most clearly established morals so I’m sure the people who joke around like this don’t intend on hurting the other person, but I don’t think it’ll ever be okay to handle issues like this so lightly.
3. “I invite your attention to the television schedules of all networks between the hours of 8 and 11 pm., Eastern Time. Here you will find only fleeting and spasmodic reference to the fact that this nation is in mortal danger.”
I didn’t know television would’ve been so bad in the 50s, but it’s obvious that it has only gotten worse. It’s one thing if a tv series has a bad plot and it taken off the air due to low ratings, but the fact that we now document lives of uneducated people making poor decisions and put them on air is a whole new low. The sad part of this is that these shows have such high viewer ratings. This is definitely a worsening issue and will probably be around for a while, along with the racism issue.
I chose the first quote, and I agree with what he is saying. He is saying that in times like these we were making something out of nearly nothing. We were taking our fear and letting it drive us to do stupid things. Here, Murrow is telling people to snap out of it, and stop listening to the attention crazed McCarthy who is merely using the Red Scare to gain access to the national spotlight. Murrow was reminding us of our moralities, that because someone has different views it does not mean we should not loose our heads and condemn them out of fear. He was also saying that we should not blame Senator McCarthy for our own actions and our own reactions. In this quote,” Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular” Murrow is telling us that we need to be courteous and open minded even if we do not agree with what’s being said, because what we think is wrong now may well be seen as an obvious right in the future or vice versa. For example the civil rights movement, what many people thought as right is unthinkable to us now. Another example is the persecution of Jews, now we think why would people ever think this way but back then at that time for many people it seemed normal. Things like this have occurred and will continue to occur for many years to come, but we need to remember what Murrow said and not lose our heads over fear of the unknown. In recent days things like this still occur, for example the Koran burnings in the South, logically it makes no sense for people to hate and fear Muslims and the religion of Islam but for some reason people always seem to fear the unknown. Prosecution of different religions in general seems repetitive; Jews, Catholics, and Muslims are all victims of prosecution for no particular reason besides their different. I think the words Murrow should be heeded and remembered often because even though we might realize it we could be doing the same thing we did 50 years ago.
Quote: “He didn’t create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it.” (see it now broadcast, March 9, 1954). This was said by Edward R. Murrow during one of his first attacks against Senator McCarthy. He is explaining how McCarthy didn’t create the threat of communism in America, but rather, when he realized there was a threat, he exploited it to the fullest. We see this type of exploitation in our current society all the time. People are always taking credit for someone else’s creations and making a profit off of them. McCarthy went after the “communists” because this showed America that he was anti-anything that wasn’t American and he felt this would be his ticket to re-election. For example, the current republican party is saying that the state of the national economy is the fault of the current administration (Obama). This philosophy makes the republicans look like the better candidate for the 2012 election and obviously makes Obama look like a weak candidate.
Quote: “If we deny the essence of racial equality then the hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for new allegiances will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status.” (Ford Fiftieth Anniversary Show, June 1953). At this time, America was just starting to recognize that white people were not the only race. Blacks were starting to demand equal rights more than ever, however, racism remained a strong influence in society. Murrow realized that in order to move forward as a society we needed to recognize other races and face the task of embracing equal rights. To this day, racism remains a stumbling block for some although significant progress has been made. Just recently, a shooting occurred of an unarmed black youth in Florida occurred because the neighborhood watch assumed that he was up to no good. Thus just reignited the negative stereotypes that fuel racism.
Quote: “This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire…This weapon of television could be useful.” (speech at Radio Television News Directors Association, October 15, 1958). At this time, televisions were just becoming popular and they were new to many Americans. People were discovering new uses for them including entertainment, marketing, and the quick spread of news. There were also downsides; television pulled families apart, children stopped learning to entertain themselves, and propaganda could be spread more easily. Murrow saw the bright side of television but he also foresaw it as the weapon that it is used as today. Today, tv still entertains us but news is no longer facts, it relies on scandal and dramatics to pull people onto the program. Reality tv is scandalous and brainwashes the youth of America. Lies and rumors spread across the country quickly and cause harm. Today, tvs bright sides are equal to its downsides.
“We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular. “ –This quote can be applied today, because throughout American history there have always been situations when we as the citizens forget about what the founding fathers of our nation stood for. This is an issue that was obvious in the Red Scare, and is obvious today. In the Red Scare, McCarthy was trying to prevent America from falling away from what it was built upon, but what he was doing, was infringing on these principles even more. He was trying to keep America from turning communist, but in the process, he was defying the principles of freedom, and free speech for the citizens he accused. Today this is brought up in reference to Government control, and issues that deal with the intentions of The Fathers of our Nation in correspondence to current issues.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”-This quote deals with the idea that limited speech and Government control can limit the benefits that would otherwise stem from them. It talks about men and women losing confidence about their aspirations of expression. This topic was brought up mightily in the topic of SOPA and other forms of government intervention that took hold of expression and limited the benefits in which we gain. This is another quote that refers to the governing body and its actions that negatively affect the people of America in a plethora of ways.
“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.”-This quote is describing some of the benefits that can occur from technology. At that time, they used the television as a way to show the American People about Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare. Today we use technology like social media networks to inform others about issues that concern us. In many ways Joseph McCarthy can be compared to Joseph Kony- not just because they have the same first name. Disregarding the validity of the entire Kony issue, we should at least see how they were both the center of a concerning issue, and that people went crazy over spreading the word about them. In the first case, technology was used to inform people about an issue, and in this new case, people did the same- both times using technology to their advantage for the sake of awareness.
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty”. This quote relates to our world and political or social situations today because some people still believe that it is disloyal to show dissent or disagreement. People that disagree to go to war with Iraq and Afghanistan are not disloyal to the country, but actually are showing their patriotism by saying this is not right. Some say we should not go to war with these countries; this could be a bad move for America. Discussion and disagreement are part of the democratic process, by not disagreeing with policies that we think are wrong, we would be more disloyal citizens.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence”. If we’re in a free country then if the government limits us the American people, people start to question and ask are we really a free country? An example is the health care law saying that everyone has to buy health care. And people are saying it’s a free country that you can’t force people to buy health insurance if it’s a free country. While some argue that health care is a right and should not be denied to any citizen. The lack of health care those people less free.
“Our history will be what we make it”. Our economy has been on the ropes for the past few years, and these years election could make or break America between Romney and Obama. Our history is now ad what we make of it so this year’s election could change America. Romney has more back ground in economics and will get the economy faster than Obama. But other believes that Obama will give money to organizations and keep him in there even though he’s been there for four years. The situation that Edward R. Murrow choose to be in changed on how people saw news concerning the country and that people in general should stand up for what it right. It was difficult because no outside the government has done it and he knew there would be consequences but this had to be done so it did it for the sake of the American people. And everyone will always remember” Good night, and good luck.”
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty.”
This statement, spoken by Edward Murrow, can be applied to our nation today in a variety of ways. First of all, religiously, many people have different views. Any American Muslim could be as patriotic, or more patriotic than an American Christian or atheist. Yet, some Americans label Muslims as terrorists just because of men like Osama Bin Laden who may practice the same religion. Just because Muslims may have the same religious views as real terrorists doesn’t mean that all of them are disloyal to our country.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This statement applies to our nation today because many people come to America hoping to find wealth and opportunity. They wanted to come to America for the same reasons that our ancestors did, freedom. Every time the government limits the freedom of Americans we are taking down everything that our ancestors fought for.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this.”
This quote, in my opinion, still holds true today. I believe that many Americans don’t keep up with the actions that many foreign political leaders take. For example, there was a lot of buzz about a man named Joseph Kony a few months back. Many Americans were just figuring out that Joseph Kony was a guerrilla group leader that kidnapped and enlisted about 66,000 children into the Ugandan army. Joseph Kony had been kidnapping and enlisting since 1986. I’m not saying that no one is currently aware of other nations’ affairs, but many people are not. Today, I still agree with Murrow’s statement that we, Americans, are very comfortable and wealthy, and that we also tend to ignore disturbing facts about other countries.
If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
In this quote Edward R Murrow is saying that if we mix up a simple disagreement with unfaithfulness, we are denying the individual right to have an opinion. It also goes along with racial inequality and that makes America look like a scam to other countries like Africa and Asia, who wouldn’t want to form an alliance with us because of our hypocrisy. Murrow also mentions that now is a crucial time after WWII the actions of America is being magnified around the world due to the communist outbreak overseas. So every act of limiting the freedom of individuals in the country costs the country the trust of its citizens. And the American people lose the American dream which would ruin the America’s status as a free country. Murrow makes this statement because McCarthy caused a fear amongst the American people especially writers and artist. Journalists couldn’t write or say anything against McCarthy without fearing McCarthy’s accusations. The freedom of Speech was limited during this time, which was ironic due to the fact that communism was the fear. Edward Murrow made a gutsy decision to discuss the McCarthy hearings along with his opinion of how McCarthy crosses the line between freedom and censorship. Edward Murrow was a constant reality check for Americans during the 50’s his messages of honesty helped America turn away from the bogus McCarthy parades. This quote is one of the many examples of his fight for humanity in America him along with his team of writers and producers took a stand for the injustice acts occurring in justice system. Its ironic how situations like the McCarthy era seem to repeat themselves throughout American society , before the McCarthy era there was the Salem witch trials which was highlighted by Arthur Miller who lived during the McCarthy era and made the comparison of the two occurrences in his play The Crucible.
Quote: We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. This quote is trying to say that you can not just accuse someone of something and think that they should go to jail for ever. It is trying to point out that our court system is good even though it isn’t and the person with the most money is always the one who will win the case. This quote is trying to let Americans know there is hope in our court system and the right person will always be the winner.
Quote: Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” This quote is trying to tell Americans that they are free and have the ability to do whatever they feel like. When you really think about we are not free, we are just doing everything that is wanted to be done by us and if that is kept being done nothing will happen. When you do what you should not do stuff can happen to you and you will begin to realize that we are not free. Everything that happens all happens for reasons.
Quote: “We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent.” This quote is telling us that Americans have everything they want and can get fat because there is not anything else to do. They can just remain comfortable and do what ever they want when they want and have no worries amount anything except trying to find ways to get more money which is turn will lead to more power. We just can stay were we are and keep doing what is needed because it will keep everything that needs to be in order.
I think anytime it can be said that the government has unbalanced power, its all relative, and using things like Congressional Committees are great ways of understanding equal power. Recently Obama made a statement that he and Vice President Biden will “go around congress if necessary to get things done” (found in the vast audio archives of Rush Limbaugh, he is my only creditable source on that, look it up) which I feel is exactly what he was referring to when he discusses the importance of Congressional Committees, but what is the use of them if they are going to be diverted when the President does not get the answer he wants?
I believe that even though it is not our side of the fight, the misunderstanding between Dissent and Disloyalty could be true with terrorist organizations overseas, and I know I’m touching on a controversial subject so if you’re offended, feel free to keep scrolling, but I firmly believe that they believed the same things we did which was “either you’re with us all the way or you’re against us” only we refused to harm anyone over it, people died for not following in Saddam Hussein’s ways or Al Qaeda’s ways.
As a nation, we are all too offended by the world around us, and we are constantly censored and black-barred. I think that’s what Murrow is getting at here when he says that we need to accept the world we live in and the people in it. In all honesty hes right, we will never see the day where something isn’t offensive, or demeaning, but at least have the common decency to tell it how it is, rather than dodge the topic. Whatever the topic may be, it is always better to hit the issue head on rather than hint at it vaguely from time to time.
QUOTE: “We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information.”
Americans these days are way too used to their comfortable lavish lifestyles and when something that is mildly unpleasant comes along everybody freaks out about it. Sometimes it’s just because everybody else is making a big deal about it. During the Cold War people were freaking out about how communists had infiltrated the country and that anybody, even one of their neighbors, could be a dirty, stinkin’ Commie. It’s in our nature to freak out about unpleasant information and this attitude is apparent in our society today. Many people jump on the bandwagon when something they disagree with happens; sometimes it’s not even really that big a deal. Take the Kony nonsense going on a little while ago, millions of people jumped on the bandwagon and started hating on this guy when this event happened some years ago. These people all freaked out without even properly taking the time to educate themselves on the subject because it is common for us to have a “built in allergy” for this type of things.
QUOTE: “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty.”
Whenever somebody has a different view that disagrees with the norm on a certain subject then most often every body thinks they are the wrong ones and they them self are right because they’re view is more popular or less radical. Back during the Cold War era so many people were accused of being communists and being disloyal to the country just because they’re views were a little bit different from everybody else’s. It’s not a bad thing if you don’t agree with the hive mind but everybody makes it out to seem like it’s a terrible thing to be able to think for yourself and have your own views. Just because somebody has a different view on a certain subject doesn’t make him or her a bad person and it certainly doesn’t mean that they are disloyal to this country and is a Communist. That’s why we shouldn’t confuse having your own thoughts and views as being a radical, disloyal communist. This is a huge issue in our society today, in politics, religion, and many other things. Just because somebody doesn’t believe in God and is an Atheist, many people think them to be some Satan-loving lunatics. This isn’t at all true; they just don’t believe in God, there is nothing more to it. It’s not right to accuse somebody of something terrible just because they don’t think the same way you do.
QUOTE: Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
Our ancestors have fought for freedom and independence for longer than this great country has even been around, since the days of the pilgrims who came here that sought independence and freedom from Great Britain. These people fought tirelessly to gain their freedom from our government and when our modern government proposes acts that limit our freedoms it’s a big smack in the face to every single citizen who fought for equal rights in the past. Such acts like SOPA and PIPA (though not passed) and the more current CISPA (which is going through Congress now) are all acts that would have severely damaged our rights as citizens of America. These acts would basically change the entire Internet as we know it, and we all know just how important the Internet is to each and every American. The Internet has become such a large part in our lives that these acts created an outrage when we found out that the government was trying to take away our rights. So basically what the quote is saying is that every thing that our government passes that limits the rights of our citizens in any way is betraying what rules and morals the country was built on, for the citizens to all have basic rights and when the government is taking away these rights then that is not ok.
I replaced most of the quotes with ellipses so it wouldn’t take up so much space.
>Speech One: “We must not confuse dissent… due process of law.” This quote reminds me of the campaigning season. All of the candidates have, throughout their campaigns, claimed that their opponents are unpatriotic and threatening core American values because of certain beliefs. For example, in Ron Paul’s campaign ad “Serial Hypocrisy”, he attacks Newt Gingrich’s beliefs and portrays him as an undesirable environmentalist and also a corrupt thief. He cites various newspapers and experts, but almost all of what they say are more opinion-based theories rather than solid fact and evidence. Through this ad, he is trying to make people afraid of Newt Gingrich and what he stands for, but he doesn’t actually give any proof that Newt is harmful to the nation or any reason that she should be condemned for his actions. Most of the candidates have been doing similar things in their speeches and ads – they are finding small flaws in their opponents and exploiting them to cause fear. This is similar to what McCarthy was doing. He would somehow link people to communism to create panic and fear of the person. A lot of the time his claims were ridiculous and based on virtually nothing – he just wanted people to be afraid. By the way, I do not support Newt or Ron Paul or anything, I just chose this example because I remembered that Ron Paul had a lot of ads targeting other people.
>Speech Two: “If we confuse dissent with disloyalty… privileged status.” Once again, Murrow uses the phrase “confuses dissent with disloyalty”. He is showing how McCarthy is trying to make traitors out of people whose opinions are different than his own. Murrow then says, “if we deny the right… status.”Pretty much he is saying, if we disapprove of people being different for their values, we are undermining our own values and showing that America’s whole idea as a haven for equality and acceptance is a facade. McCarthy was against anyone who had even the slightest socialist tendencies. Nowadays, this makes me think of persecution of the LGBTQ community, and how people are against gay marriage because it is too different than what they are used to. A lot of people are trying to blame problems on the gay community, which is totally unjust and wrong. For example, they believe that homosexuality is hurting the nuclear family structure and religious institutions, which I think is ridiculous. Often, if a guy expresses his emotion or a girl has a feminist attitude, they are immediately labeled as gay or lesbian, and often bullied or teased, just like how people would rashly label their peers as communist. The difference between this and McCarthy’s era, though, is that communism actually did have potential to hurt America (although McCarthy was way too paranoid) and the gay community is not harming anyone at all.
>Speech Three:
“We are currently wealthy…may see a totally different picture too late” and “This instrument can teach …This weapon of television could be useful.” First, Murrow says that America is too ignorant and content. We are happy with our blissful ignorance and cheap, distracting entertainment that shields us from the outside world and it’s problems. Murrow is saying that TV can be more than just entertainment – it can be used to teach. I think that this is very important. Nowadays, there are so many people who are ignorant of current events and world issues (and I’m not saying I’m not one of them). A lot of the time we are too wrapped up in our own little worlds too care about anything else. Also, most people, when they get home from a long day at work or school, simply want to watch something amusing, rather than serious news. But it’s really vital, especially during election season, to make sure everyone is educated enough about important issues to make good decisions. Since Americans are so glued to the TV, what better way is there to reach audiences? I think we have enough of the “fluff” stories that are just cute little anecdotes and we need to start inserting more important material including politics, world issues, environmental issues, and more, into the media. There are too many reality TV shows and sitcoms to fry our brains, while people around the world, including America, have struggles ranging from unemployment, to disease, to trying to survive in a war zone. I’m not saying we should eradicate entertainment – I think we should just gradually replace the excess shows with news and educational programs, for the benefit of everyone.
1. “We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.” These words, in my opinion, still stand true today because of the fact that it seems like some news casters DO stand in fear and hide behind entertainment stories rather than sticking up for cases that they support. It also makes sense in the terms of the citizens standing up for what they believe in, even if the government does not support their belief system. Today, people use peaceful protesting and also protest online about things that they don’t agree with. The major thing that we can learn from this speech is to not live in fear of what society thinks.
2. “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” I think that this is a valid point still today. Although the rights to ethnic groups have mostly been granted to the people, there are still some freedoms that politicians and some parts of society do not want to give out. One example of this is the current back and forth treatment of the LBGT community due to some religious controversy and personal beliefs. One current example of this discrimination can be seen in this article (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/waymon-hudson/dominic-sheahan-stahl_b_1456663.html). In both the video that Dominic Sheahan-Stahl posted and the article, it states that after being told that he would be able to make a speech for his brother’s graduation at the school where his family went to for three generations, he was denied the right just because the school board found out that he was openly gay. What is even more ironic about this case is that they even had an anti-bullying speaker talk at the school the day before they made this announcement. Are they fighting against what our ancestors fought? I do believe so.
3. “This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.” In today’s world, I do believe that we are beginning to see the importance of and what it can be used for. Some people who use it are out there to inspire and teach society. However, there are still people out there that only have shows on the unimportant stuff, which proves the point that television can only be as great as the people who make it. In today’s society, we need more people out there who are willing to teach and more people out there who are willing to take in information.
“We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.”
This quote means that Americans are willing to help others gain freedom elsewhere in the world, but in our own country there is not complete freedom. At the time, people and groups were divided because of the fear of Communism. Not everyone was treated with equality. People suspected of being involved with Communism in some way were treated unfairly, often without proof. Today, there are people that put others down for various reasons and differences. People are discriminated against for their religion, sexuality, background, etc. America is going outside of the country to fight for freedom, when not all citizens in America feel free.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This quote is saying that each thing that happens that limits someone’s freedom takes away from the hope of equality for all which our ancestors hoped would soon exist. The things that occur today that limit peoples’ freedoms include the issue that women might be paid less than men in some jobs, discrimination of minorities, etc. These are the types of issues that generations before us had been working to eliminate.
“But that would be unpleasant. And we must at all costs shield the sensitive citizens from anything that is unpleasant.”
On television, sometimes things that are going on are sugarcoated so that they don’t sound as bad as they really are. Take the threat of a nuclear war for example. Safety procedures were advertised in the form of cartoons for kids, which made it sound like a simple precaution. However the reality was that there wasn’t much you could do to survive a nuclear attack. If the government had just said plainly that there wouldn’t be much chance for survival, people would have gotten very upset and scared. Things like this happen today, as well. For example, the government doesn’t flat out say how bad the economy is, or the environment, or anything like that. They just use fancy words and emphasize the positive things. This way, citizens will feel calm about everything and not get too worried. They will be more hopeful that things will get better very soon, even if they won’t.
Quote: “We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
I think that the message of this quote reigns true in ht past and in the present, and in both a social and political standpoint. All too often someone of accused of doing something (or someone) and all of a sudden they are no longer a decent person. It doesn’t matter if the rumor is true or not, the fact of the matter is that now the public will not trust them. This can happen in a small setting like say a high school when someone is said to have been seen doing drugs over the weekend, and now they are labeled as being a druggie; or in politics when a candidate is said to have had a “sex scandal” in some way shape or form. Either way, the accused offender is not innocent until proven guilty; they are guilty until proven innocent, in a situation where ignorance blockades this innocence from being proven.
Quote: “If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox”
All too often I think that people immediately turn away from anyone or anything that opposes anything they do or say in any way shape or form. In a high school setting, I think that this leads to the exclusion of a lot of people and a lot of clique-y-ness of friend circles. I think this can also loosely tie into the differences between democrats and republicans, and both parties unwillingness to compromise.
Quote: “We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information…There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference.”
This man is brilliant. I think that this quote has the power to provide at least a part of a solution to all of the problems this country faces. Politicians these days are so afraid to scare off any potential voters they are barely able to take their own personal stance on any issues. Everyday people are blinded by ignorance and unable to see how much the world has to offer around them (You mean there are interesting, safe places outside of Birmingham, and in Detroit? GASP!). Nothing bothers me more then when people mach decisions based on a completely based one sided opinion, because they think they know the other side and they don’t.
Quote: “We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result.”
This statement, which was very bold at the time, says that we have the power to induce change, but we have to be willing to suffer the consequences that may come with that change. It sort of looks to the past and says that no matter what action we take, we need to be responsible about it, and not let it get the better of us. The quote warns both about the future, and the past, because it is giving future generations a warning to tread carefully, while at the same time telling the generation in which it addressed that their past decisions (no matter how much they may deny them) will ultimately catch up to them.
Quote: “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
Murrow said this quote during a controversial time, but it got the message across nonetheless. This statement, when stripped down, basically just says that our ancestors fought with their lives in order to obtain freedom, so why would we throw away all of their hard work by limiting those freedoms. During the era in which this was said, it was especially powerful, because many liberties were being taken away as a result of the communist threat, and Murrow had the guts to call out the political leaders on this pressing issue.
Quote: “We have currently built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information.”
Murrow is basically saying that citizens of the United States are oblivious to what is really going on. In his well-spoken statement, he makes it clear that people do watch the news, but most of the information that they hear goes in one ear and out the other; especially the negative information. They may know that a murder happened, but it will not change the way they go about their everyday lives. That is all folks, I would just like to end this blog by saying good night and good luck.
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
When Murrow said this in the See it Now broadcast, what he meant by it was that you cannot look at disagreement and automatically think that it is going to turn into disloyalty. He also was saying that just because you accuse someone does not mean that they actually did anything. You need proof to show that they actually did something. This is true in our world today, because people get accused of doing things all the time, but because of the lack of proof they are found innocent. Also you can only be proven guilty with evidence and based on that evidence there is a certain way that the law will deal with it. The confusion of dissent and disloyalty is seen all the time. For example, in different religions people believe different things and may disagree with each other, but that rarely ever means that they are going to be disloyal to you or harm you just because you do not agree.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
From the Ford Fiftieth Anniversary Show, CBS and NBC, Murrow is saying that every time we limit the freedom or ability to express one’s self in our country then we are losing the interest of those men and women who look towards America as a beautiful and fair country where you speak about the freedom that your ancestors fought for. People from other countries look at the U.S and some wish that their country could have as much freedom as we do, but if we start putting a limit on our freedom then those who once looked at us with admiration of our freedom are going to stop looking and will not feel the need or want to maybe come to the U.S.
“We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information.”
In the speech at Radio-Television News Directors Association, this was said, and I strongly believe that this is very true to this day. Many of us don’t like to focus on the negative, so we solely look at the positives in life, but if you don’t have a well-rounded view of things then is that really good? We also often have a tendency to think that if a situation does not directly affect us then we don’t have to worry or deal with it. But I think that is wrong, you should want to help those who are in need of your help. We cannot just keep finding ways to distract ourselves from the problems of the world; we are going to have to face them at some point. I also agree with the statement that we are very pleased with ourselves and comfortable with where we are at, but that doesn’t mean we should just sit around. If we are stable then maybe we could work harder to help those in need of help to become stable like us.
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular. ”
This quote rings true for many reasons, one of which being the startling amount of false accusations there are, whether it be in the court room or gossip. Another thing about this quote– Politicians seem to be afraid to admit they agree with some of the things the opposing party believes in, and this results in public figures who serve their political party instead of the people. Word.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This quote makes me think of women’s rights (abortion, birth control covered by insurance, etc…), because it seems funny to me that a country based on freedom would deny any person a say in whether or not their life completely changes or stays the same. Plus, as someone mentioned earlier, Religious freedom for many Muslims is a big issue
“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.”
This quote is especially pertinent, because of all the recent technological advancements. Unfortunately, Americans haven’t exactly used the television to it’s full potential, and most of our programs are crap shows made for cheap laughs.
Quote: This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy’s methods to keep silent, or for those who approve
This quote is saying that if you believe someone is doing something wrong you should stand up and speak out against it. If someone is doing wrong while you’re aware of it and you do nothing about, then you’re just as bad as the person who is doing wrong. The people at CBS during the McCarthy era had a very powerful tool at the disposable, The Television. They used this informed hundreds of Americans about the wrong doings and insanity of Joseph McCarthy.
Quote: If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
To me the quote is saying that if we can’t admit to being wrong , the new look like stuck up , rich people. If we admit to being wrong and try to fix our mistakes we might have a better outcome. If Joe McCarthy had admitted to being wrong about people being communist the maybe he wouldn’t have goon done in history textbooks, and an aggressive, insane politician.
Quate: This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.
This quote is saying that television can be a great and powerful tool if it used the right way to educate and inform the American people. It can be used in a negative way whe nit is broadcasting false information to People. For an example companies who put adds on tv lie about their products in order to make a profit..
“We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine; and remember that we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.” I love this quote so much because this quote speaks about the freedom, pride and courage that American was found upon. I think when Edward R. Murrow spoke these words during his speech during a See it Now broadcast, March 9 1954, to empower America and encourage then to recall how our forefathers started America. They started a democracy during a time where only monarchs existed and they risked their lives hoping for a better tomorrow. I believe that Murrow wanted people to remember that fact when thinking about Senator McCarthy and his crusade against communism, and for them to remember that our forefathers did not found America on being afraid to speak up for what’s right. I believe Murrow wanted Americans to state their opinion on whether or not they believed that the people that Senator McCarthy was trying for communism or “being red” was a legitimate trial or if they were unfair and trying and convicting innocent people. I hope Americans will always remember this quote because no matter how bad things get economically, politically, or socially in American, we should always remember that American was founded by courageous men who were willing to risk their lives in order to provide fellow citizens and future generations the freedom that they had always desired. Now that I have heard this quote I can relate it to the real world and hope that the sort of b.s. politics that is going on right now just so politicians will win votes will stop and someone will stand up and say that it’s their job to maintain Americas freedom and rights, not to win votes for another term.
1) We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty
This quote has to do with our world’s political situations because whenever someone disagrees with us, we immediately believe they are against us. For example, if someone from Michigan supports the New York Yankees instead of the Tigers in baseball, we immediately believe they hate Michigan and everything about it. Politically speaking, this could be thought of as if a senator does not believe in passing a certain bill for antiterrorism, but someone who is Muslim believes them to discriminate against their religion rejects them will be marked as a terrorist as all because he wouldn’t follow the status quo. When people don’t follow the crowd, instead of trying to believe there is more than one view people immediately believe they are up to no good and not fit to be with their group.
2) “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This quote discusses the costs we go through when we limit the freedom of individuals it makes those who believed in the freedom and independence of this country that our ancestors fought so hard for were futile. It means that when we refuse everyone their given rights for a select group to have what they want. Socially speaking, we can compare this to stopping someone with autism from being on a team because of their condition. Our country is all about equal opportunity for all, no matter what’s wrong with them. But when people make “exceptions” because someone doesn’t fit a certain mold they believe should be kept or because they don’t like him, we are taking away that privilege for someone. Politically speaking, it can be applied to the suspicion of all Americans since 9/11. If someone comes in and looks suspiciously Middle Eastern, they are pulled aside for a “random full body search.” Even the most harmless, peace loving man born in New York to a Middle Eastern couple can be pulled aside. But they are the only stereotypical feared terrorist-no one thinks of any other type, even though there are many around. When we stereotype someone because of what a group did to us and then use it against them, we are going back on our principal that every man is equal.
3) Our history will be what we make it
The meaning of this quote speaks of how history isn’t already written; our actions decided what it will hold. History makes us and shapes us and has guided us into different situations and given us a sense of whom we are. When we make decisions, they directly impact our history. If a stupid decision is made from hate or ignorance, our history can change for the worse. Speaking of America in modern terms, an example would be us being “overweight.” It is thought that since we are so prosperous with lots of jobs and money we must be lazy and eat all the time. Though these could have easily been started by a tourist, it has flourished because we have allowed it. We joke about it and don’t do anything to stop becoming obese. We allowed ourselves to be written into history like this. Politically speaking, we allow ourselves to be known as the policemen of the world. We always get mad when countries look to us for protection, but we have always played that part. Whenever a war breaks out in a country, we always go to help. Though it is for noble causes, we do not like having to use our resources all the time and have it asked all the time for us to do it. If we didn’t try to be the hero every time when we should have stayed out, we wouldn’t be as involved in the world and how it runs.
In the See it Now broadcast, March 9 1954, Ed Murrow said, “We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world…” America thinks of itself as the leaders of democracy world-wide. In our current political situation, our dealing with the wars overseas is an indication of how we hold that standard true. We are practically finished with the fighting in Iraq, but only leaving little by little so that we can influence a democracy. I think we like feeling like we are one of the top of the world’s leaders.
When Murrow said, “…we confuse dissent with disloyalty…” in the Ford Fiftieth Anniversary Show, CBS and NBC, June 1953, he was referring to McCarthyism and how even the slightest hint of going against the senator and his methods of anti-Communism could and/or would cause an accusation of Communism to the person who opposed. Today, politicians turn to the extremes of debates and controversial ads. Debbie Stabenow, as a Michigan democratic senate candidate, was nick-named “Debbie Spenditnow” and said to be helping other economies (China) more than our own by another senate candidate, Pete Hoekstra. This was a direct attack on her campaign by probably a minor debate comment.
Murrow stated that, “This weapon of television could be useful.” in a Speech at Radio-Television News Directors Association, Chicago, October 15, 1958. As I have said, controversial ads are useful in elections to persuade audiences. It can also be used as Murrow himself used it, to pass on true and unbiased information to interested citizens. He called television a weapon because he predicted that it would become a major role in society, as it is. Of all the TV news networks and programs, many different views and opinions of the same event can be heard and understood. It is useful, but could very well backfire and have the opposite effect.
“We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.”
This quote is saying that America always calls itself the defenders of freedom for the entire world. Meaning that we want freedom for everyone in every country, but as it says in the quote we cant be the defenders of freedom elsewhere if we stop allowing freedom at home. This is still true today we have a lot of freedoms that we didn’t have before like freedom of speech and religion, but there are still things that we don’t have freedom of like gay marriage or some of the unspoken separations of other races and some of the American people. America even to this day shouldn’t be allowed to defend the freedom of other places in the world because we still haven’t mastered freedom here in our own country.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This is saying that everything done in our country to stop the flow of freedom or limits freedom will end up making the people in our country doubtful of the power America holds. This happens in present times as well, I always thought of America as a great place to live, a place full of the best treatment and rights for people, but as I grow up and witness some of the events that take place in our world, I lose that pride and complete confidence I had in our country. When our ancestors were alive it was a time of patriotism for our country everyone was proud to be an American, but as time goes by we lose that pride and freedom our ancestors fought for and we start to see more and more people losing faith in the greatness of our country.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.”
This is very relevant to our world today, for many reasons. One being that from the 50s to today the majority of our country is fat and many people are wealthy and comfortable and many people are happy to be that way, things are not right in the world, people are starving in other countries but we are still rich, fat and comfortable. This quote is saying that Americans have this tendency to shy away from anything that doesn’t go as planned or the way we want it too, that the people just ignore the bad things going on and see the good, and only the good things. Just like in the 50s people today let the media convince us that everything is fine and we believe it, Americans are being constantly deceived by the reports shown on the news, even now to this day a lot Americans are still clueless and just going along with what ever is put into their heads
Quote#1: “We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law”.
You can never accuse somebody, and in this case many fellow Americans, that they are communists without proof. Back in 2003, George W. Bush believed that Iraq had many weapons of mass destruction that could potentially harm many countries so he attacked it. However, without really obtaining the truth other than his conviction of the 9/11 attack, he failed to find any weapons at all. This war finally ended when President Obama took office” to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to provide intelligence and surveillance”.
Quote #2: “We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home”.
A recent case, more specifically the Treyvon Martin shooting case, would be a great example of this. This year in February, an African American boy of 17, Treyvon Martin, was shot by George Zimmerman, the community watch coordinator, because he seemed to “act suspicious”. All he was doing was visiting his father and his father’s fiancé. His “suspicious” activity was wearing a hood and walking around the gated community. After the news though, George Zimmerman wasn’t arrested or accused of any charges. He had friends in high places that protected him. This was completely wrong, and the citizens of Florida believed they had to do something to change it. They believed that Martin and his family had every right to get a fair trial with Zimmerman. And when this story made national news, many attorneys and investigators from all over the U.S., helped to analyze and conclude that this case was indeed Zimmerman’s fault. In the end Zimmerman was arrested and out to jail. Without the people of Florida and many people in other states that spoke up though, Zimmerman could have walked a free man.
Quote #3: “We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result”
Many Presidents and senators have done wrong doings. However, what McCarthy did was completely crossing the line. He had made it seem as though people that weren’t with him, or agreed to his ways were all communists. And the majority of the people who were “communists” were put in jail, or questioned in a trial. Edward R. Murrow of CBS news station was one of those “communists” that disagreed with McCarthy’s ways, and persuaded the American citizens to realize the real truth at hand. He believed that if America kept allowing this man to dictate their lives, nothing good would become of it. If people had the strong conviction that McCarthy was wrong, they had to take that responsibility to step up and do something about it. The whole Civil Rights Movement was based on that belief. Without it, there was no hope. With it, this belief had the potential to take on anything deemed unfair, unjust or unconstitutional. A power that can only be steered by the strong conviction holders who stood up for what was right no matter the consequences.
Quote 1: “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of this country costs us the… confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for what our ancestors fought for”
The idea that certain individuals could be jailed or lose their job without a real trial is a very scary proposition. During the McCarthy years many people lost their jobs and some went to jail. This was seen as unconstitutional by many and believed that a person has a right to fair trial in a court of law not a senate committee. This quote reflects the unconstitutional feeling towards these senate committee hearings and refers to our nation’s founders as well. When our country was formed in the late 18th century our founding fathers believed that all men are equal and are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law because a fair trial was not an option in colonial America and our founding fathers believed that everyone should be subject to a fair trial. There have been many times in America’s short history were people have not been given a fair trial and were imprisoned or fired based on hearsay and accusations without evidence. The most recent example of this is of those being detained at Guantanamo bay in Cuba. None of those individuals being detained at GTMO have been tried because there is no clear classification for them and they are being held as if they are POW’s. As of this year the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012 states that the government can detain those who are might be involved in terrorist activities could be imprisoned indefinitely until the “conflict” is over (also applies to American citizens). This makes GTMO “more constitutional” and is pushing America farther from its roots. This seems to reflect what this quote is saying. The more we try to limit the freedoms of others the more we move away from our true believes.
Quote 2: “I do not advocate that we turn television into a 27-inch wailing wall, where longhairs constantly moan about the state of our culture and our defense. But I would just like to see it reflect occasionally the hard, unyielding realities of the world in which we live”
This quote does not only reflect the way television programs are presented but also the way history is presented. As young kids we watch T.V. and for the most part the shows we watch show happy people being successful and showing us what is good in life. The same goes for history in elementary schools. We are taught that America is great and that no country is better than the U.S.A But once we reach middle and high school we soon realize life is much different. We learn about the grim realities that the world as well as America face every day and how much of the world the U.S has unintentionally disrupted. The same goes for T.V, as we get older we start to watch the news and other more informational shows and also learn the world is not full of smiling people doing their jobs without anything to be worried about. I believe that this excerpt from Murrow’s speech is quite fitting. Sure we do not want to only see the bad nor the good but a perfect balance of good and bad must be presented so that we can be fully informed on all matters of life.
Quote 3: “We can deny our heritage, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result”
This quote is not only appropriate during the McCarthy hearings but will hold always hold true in any context. This quote is saying that anyone can deny an action but they will always be held accountable for the result of their actions. For example if a person murders another individual, the murderer can deny they killed someone but that person they claimed to not have killed is gone forever. This quote is one that every person should live by and is a quote that will always hold true in society.
In a speech that was broadcast in March 1954, a man brings America’s attention to Senator McCarthy’s exploitative methods in scouting out “commies”. In this speech he says: “We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home”. This quote can be very easily applied to the America that exists today. From the time when America began carrying out its expansionist endeavors in Puerto Rico, the Philippines and so on, it has self proclaimed itself as the virtuous leader of the world. Many Americans harbor the idea that America needs to spread its democracy worldwide and stop any other nations with government policies that do not mirror our own. A specific example of this can be found in the Middle East. America views the Middle East as an unstable threat to national security; hence the War on Terror. America faced a very similar situation when this speech made; however, the nation in need of a democratic booster shot was the Soviet Union. The American government became so frightened and threatened by communism that they began to strip Americans of their democratic rights in search of communism. What the government and Senator McCarthy did not realize is that it is impossible to exterminate an idea or prosecute Americans irrationally in search of the all so elusive and evil communism. Senator McCarthy was not establishing peace and justice as all government official should, he was encouraging chaos and stripping Americans of their well deserved democratic rights. A good lesson can be extracted from this unfortunate bout of McCarthyism, and relating back to the quote, it is ill advised and illogical to attempt to remedy anti democratic methods by participating in them. Instead of tearing away the democratic rights of Americans in search of communist ideals, McCarthy should have carried out his hunt for communists in a just and thoughtful manner. America needs to keep this in mind while it is engulfed in the War on Terror. Following the tragedy of 911, America has become fearful and taken action to defend our freedom abroad. While all of these actions are well intentioned, America must be sure to maintain a fair and nondiscriminatory governmental system at home. Many innocent Americans who appear “suspicious” have most likely endured racial profiling in airport security, or have received sideways glances from paranoid citizens and law enforcers alike. During a time of threatened security, America must keep in mind the injustices of McCarthy and tread lightly in our quest to defend freedom on the home front, or America will once again face a time of injustice.
In a speech broadcast in 1953, an important point is illuminated regarding racial equality. In a segment of the speech the orator says that “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” This quote obviously rings true to an era that was burdened by Jim Crow laws and racial inequality, but it can also be applied to the America of today. America is rumored to be the land of freedom, peace and equality; however, laws exist today that do not reflect this elusive belief. In Arizona, a law was passed that encouraged the racial profiling of all Latinos in search of illegal immigrants. It is shocking that with America’s extremely racist past a controversial law such as this one can be passed. The desire to find illegal immigrants is understood; however, if this search interferes with the constitutional rights of American’s this wild witch hunt isn’t worth the trouble. America aspires to be the democratic champion of the world and to spread its ideals in an altruistic quest to achieve peace in every nation; nevertheless, America has in its past and present has made some not-so -democratic moves. America should focus on perfecting itself before it attempts to heal the world. It is egotistical and illogical to preach beliefs that can be easily swept aside for other causes, such as a search for illegal immigrants, or as the era of McCarthy saw: a search for communists. How can a non- democratic nation say, “I wish my country to have democratic values as great as America” if America easily brushes aside these ideals for petty racism? A perfect and complete democracy is admittedly difficult to attain; however, America would be a lot closer to achieving it if it put aside its past unjust grievances.
Murrow once said profoundly, in 1958, that “We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this.” This statement highlights a problem that millions of Americans face today, as they did in 1958. When a television is turned on, one can find about five stations dedicated to informing Americans about world affairs out of around one hundred stations. Of these five stations a good number are plagued by rhetoric and profit seeking piranhas. This is unacceptable. Americans would rather hear about the going-ons of an insignificant and uneducated reality star than be informed about the world we live in today. Average American viewers are not the only ones at fault. The media aims to entertain and make a profit, instead of informing the public. As seen in Good Night, and Good Luck, when an honest reporter even attempts to broadcast something that does not decrease the already waning intelligence of millions, he is stopped by a superior that is only concerned about profits and sponsors. If America was more informed about the problems of the world, without being influenced by politicians who want to better their image or greedy companies who want to make a quick buck, the world would probably be a better place. As seen from the speech made by Murrow about fifty years ago, this problem is ongoing and won’t be fixed until American becomes less concerned about money and hidden agendas, and more concerned about the world we live in today.
His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind, as between the internal and the external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.
This quote rings quite true. Today in the political arena these facts are evident. The junior senator from Wisconsin did this, and with relative success. Because of that, mass media now can claim the same things he did. They can make unsubstantiated claims about anything they want. The junior senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, used the facts that an accusation bites harder than a rebuttal or refusal to his advantage. Unfortunately we still have the same issues now as we had 50 years past. We still have false accusations and many still equate dissent with disloyalty.
“If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status”
We need to set a good example for growing countries. That is the gist of what is being said here. We want developing countries to become democratic and join the U.S. in its crusade on the enemy. Even today this still is the truth. We appear to be so vain in the public eye that people in developing countries become jealous and don’t want to share our ideals, but want to take what we have.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late”
This is a fantastic way to open a speech. I love the way that Murrow said this. By comparing the American to a steak or pig he found something we could all relate to and something that made an easy comparison. He hit the nail squarely on the head with this one though. Edward says that we dislike unpleasant information. If you watch the news this is true. You see lots of bad news, but nothing that’s just the facts. People at the news station always tell the story with a little bit of drama, a bad guy and a victim. They make you root for one, They turn news into reality T.V. We have made some progress to critically thinking television, but we are far from it today.
From the See it Now broadcast, I really like the quote “This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy’s methods to keep silent, or for those who approve”. Murrow was really encouraging people to speak what they think, even though it might not be the most popular opinion. Back then people were terrified to talk about Communism or McCarthy. Anything you said could be taken the wrong way. You had the potential to be deported if people thought you were a Communist or a Communist sympathizer. Murrow is saying that he doesn’t want you to be controlled by fear. Today, when there is a law or act that people disapprove of, they let it be known. They are not scared to voice their opinions. For example, the law legalizing gun possession. There is a good amount of people that are totally opposed to the law, so they complain about it. If people don’t voice their opinions, the government thinks everything is perfect. If there are protests, they know something needs to be changed, or at least revisited. From the Ford Fiftieth Anniversary Show, I really like the quote “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us (bla bla bla)”. Back then, McCarthy’s raid was limiting people’s freedom. Like I said earlier, they were terrified to voice their opinions. This limits their right to speak freely. This reminds me of the Travon Martin case. Segregation is still, unfortunately, part of our world. In a country where there are, theoretically, equal rights for all, segregation still happens. African Americans are still not quite as free as whites, as shown in this case. Travon was shot because of his skin color. That incident caused a nationwide stir, and showed other people that America isn’t the 100% free country we make it out to be. From the Speech at Radio-Television News Directors Association in Chicago, I really like the quote “This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire”. Back in the 1950s there were only three channels, and each had great power. Millions of Americans tuned into their televisions every day. But with only three channels, viewing choice was limited. Today there are a countless number of channels showing anything you can imagine. A small group of them have the sole purpose of spreading knowledge. For example, the Discovery channel, the History channel, and the Science channel. Provided by the power of the T.V., these channels educate people across the country every day.
If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status. Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
This quote reminds me of today of our modern day persecution of Muslims. While we promote democracy across the Arabic and Persian world, we continue to treat our fellow Muslims in America as terrorists and second-class citizens. I see the dirty looks that they receive in public. Because of this, I believe that since we give them this treatment in America, many people aspiring to throw the grip of dictators and unfair governments will look to other forms of government instead if democracy, also decreasing America’s credibility across the world and in international organizations.
I do not advocate that we turn television into a 27-inch wailing wall, where longhairs constantly moan about the state of our culture and our defense. But I would just like to see it reflect occasionally the hard, unyielding realities of the world in which we live. I would like to see it done inside the existing framework, and I would like to see the doing of it redound to the credit of those who finance and program it. Measure the results by Nielsen, Trendex or Silex-it doesn’t matter. The main thing is to try. The responsibility can be easily placed, in spite of all the mouthings about giving the public what it wants. It rests on big business, and on big television, and it rests at the top. Responsibility is not something that can be assigned or delegated. And it promises its own reward: good business and good television.
I was intrigued by this quote because the speaker’s worst fear became an eventuality. Instead of television being a constructive place and an investigative tool it has degenerated into a cacophony of brain retarding reality tv and political commentators who can barely locate Asia on a map, much less talk responsibly about it. Television sadly did not become a place to find out who was truly responsible for failure and success; it became a place to shift responsibility; a sad turn of events to say the least.
This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy’s methods to keep silent, or for those who approve. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities. As a nation we have come into our full inheritance at a tender age. We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. The actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn’t create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it — and rather successfully. Cassius was right. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” Good night, and good luck.”
I drew many parallels between McCarthy and Bush Jr. while reading this quote. Both decreased the status and prestige of America abroad, and both made America seem like a crazy place, one where a madman could get elected with many people still respecting their views. While many people did come out against their views and policies, no one could really do anything about them, and they continued their rampage.
“We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result”.tHis quote stands out and says that we can’t deny what has happened in the past, tat we have to live with it, but the bad results that have come up have been overcome. This quote still applies today. As we look back at us dropping thr atomic bomb on Japan many people disagreed with it. The dropping of the bomb will always be linked with the us.
“We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of Law” this quote has a lot of meaning and applies to situations perfectly today. The justice system has a lot of flaws but the one big one is false accusation. There gave been numerous times that people were sentenced to death based on false accusations. The worst part about there is that they have then been found out to be innocent after there were killed. It’s 2012 and the justice system still has false accusations.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us.”Almost everything in US history has ended up with some kind of freedom. Take slavery for example, it was a very dark time in American history for the African Americans but in the end they all were freed. Another perfect example is when rosa parks would not give up her seat in the front of the bus. They was making a stand for her freedom and when she was asked to move she wouldn’t. She was thrown in jail but made a huge statement to the world about the equal freedoms that we should have.
“We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.” I believe that this is true even for Americans today because a lot of people are more open and free at home than in public. A lot of people are very comfortable and abide by their constitutional rights when at home but when they come out in public, everyone goes with what is common and what is accepted. For example, when it comes to political views (republican vs. democrat) many people agree with what is popular so they won’t have to defend their reasoning behind choosing a certain political party, whereas at home you think what you want and you won’t be shunned because of it.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the… confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” Many foreign- born Americans came to America for exactly that reason, to have freedom. If they didn’t think that we had a better offer than their country, there would be no reason for them to leave their country in the first place. (duh!) Now, many people are coming to America because our country offers more freedom and a better government than what they have now.
“But during the daily peak viewing periods, television in the main insulates us from the realities of the world in which we live.” Then, and even now the government has wanted to shield us from the realities of what is happening and to assure us that they did not mess up and that we are safe. Whenever something major is happening, the government tells us about it, but not necessarily in the manner of which they should. They tell us what is happening but they down play it and makes it seem as if everything is under control (Duck and Cover). The television is our only means of seeing what is really going on and they can provide to us the missing pieces to the puzzles. Without them, we only know one opinion and what we are being told.
“We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result.” This quote says that you can disagree with what happened in the past, but there’s not much you can do about it now. You can never escape the effects of the previous events that happened in the past, they will always be there. Granted, someone could always try to “fix” them. But, that person would most likely not succeed because the past dictates what happens in the future, like cause and effect. Like, what happened after World War I caused what was about to occur with World War II.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the…confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” This quote shows how one “bloop” could set everything the country has worked for, and send it spiraling downwards. Many countries admire America for our democracy and freedoms and most even wish they had it in their country. If we ever did something that could possibly cost us our freedom, then the people in our country would lose faith in the democracy that holds America together and no longer make any effort in keeping it in America. This is relevant to the current situations in America because with the scares of terrorists, and the state of the economy being poorer than usual, people end up making impulsive decisions. There are always many stories of people just accusing other people of being terrorists, just because of the way they look. This always makes me think of how the person being accused must feel. They probably feel that all their rights are being violated, like they aren’t even in America anymore. The America where people feel safe, because they are free to be themselves full y and entirely.
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.” I think this quote is one of the most relevant to our world today. This quote points at how people only see what they want to see. We all allow ourselves to be brainwashed and taken over by the media. The American people are still ignorant of the world around them and satisfied with whatever happens in the world as long as they are not affected by it. I think this is one of the saddest things that goes on in our society today, that we let people think for us, and that we are not able to fully form our own opinions without someone affecting them for us.
“Cassius was right. ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”’ This quote, I believe has so much to do with present days situations in America. As a country, we are very patriotic. It can be a great thing, but in the same token, it is one of the many faults we have. I think that Americans as a whole are very proud, but it becomes bad when we fail to accept responsibility for our own actions instead of blaming them on someone or somewhere else. It can be very easy to blame the president or the government for our troubles, but many times, we caused them for ourselves and it isn’t the fault of another.
“If we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox… then hundreds of millions… will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status.” This quote perfectly describes, in my opinion, how we as Americans view ourselves and others. I think it’s safe to say that America is a pretty darn good country in many aspects, but our pride in it is a whole different thing. Because of the “privileged status” in America, people as a whole like to think that they are perfect. And with being perfect, comes the mentality that everyone else has to be too. People are allowed to make mistakes, but fear and frustration have warped our beliefs to think that all mistakes are bad, and this belief is turning our country upside down.
“But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us… then those who look at it… may see a totally different picture too late.” The technology these days has taken off. Great things have come out of the technology revolution, but there are so many things gone wrong. Television comes in handy when wanting to relax, but with all of different stories being told, we as Americans need to distinctly define what is fiction and fact, and what reality versus what is fantasy is. We are so easily persuaded and convinced that what we see is an appropriate portrayal of reality. When in fact, we have to “get up off our fat surpluses” and live instead of dream.
1. The first paragraph shows how that fear is the USSRs gratest weapon considering that, thats all they need because with this fear in the United Statesthey are already destroying themselves with absolutley no cost to the soviet union. So with that the statement is that why fear ourselves, fear the enemy. We can see it pretty clearly when the US makes all these laws against terroism which in the end hurt more Americans then it does “terroists”. The damadge to are econmy the damadge to are companies the mistrust of are goverment has all come from the fear of something happening when really nothing for all we know will. In the end I dont think I can say there was more suffering through physical al queada/ terror actions. But, it may be pretty close if you in account the pain and suffereing of all the american people that have been locked up without trial, mistreated by airport officals or physicaly affected by the overall fear of the middle eastern terrorists.
2. The paragraph is stating that if we act almost like an oppresive regime denying and prohibiting the free movement of ideas and the equality of people no matter who they are then, they are going to be problems no matter what indirectly it will affect how other counties view us and how they conduct themselves. If other countries believe that the US is the right way to go then the US would be setting a bad example cause although we call ourselves a democracy if we conduct ourselves like that then we nothing more than an oppresive regime so. Unless we change our ways as the role mmodel to the world we will make everything bad cause like sibling they will take after us and decide that may want to be like us thus causing drama. Cause the way they operate is not what are morals are we are about equality and equals to everyone where as when we operate like that we go away from are morals so we arent acting like wea re suppose to. We can see this today when developing countries are trying to be like us. But, since we as a country set a bad example the countires dont end up the way they should.
3. The idea that media affects everything from how we live and how we affect our daily lives. So hopefully as a country we can get past our differencies and are filtering eyes of how we only want to know what we want to know. As a group if we could do that then as asociety we could slowly advance into a more understanding and more democratic republic. Because at this rate if we continue which you can see in this day we succumb to the pressure of media and news outlets to do things a certain way bet, as soon as we can learn to think for ourselves then we can keep moving forward. As long as we can do this and not get caught up in the little thing then as a whole we should be ok. But, that is the hard part and which can be clearly seen today. Between all this pressure on obama and all the other candidates. So hopefully we can move forward as a soceity.
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty.” We can draw a paralell to this quote with todays demonstations and protests by todays nintey nine percent group. They are protesting the corruption of Wall Street firms that cause the recession. This is not disloyalty because the status quo in corporate America is not good for ninety nine percent of american, be casue only one percent of america, the top wealthy people, are the only people benefiting from America’s corruption.Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” This is true to doay’s America because people constantly want to suceed and find wealth. People continue to emmigrate to America in order to find opputunity and success. When our legislature limits the freedoms of our people, we are directly contradicting outselves. “We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this.” This stands true today because we are continuously telling people what they want to hear. The national news services have a tendancy to edit out the news that could be disturbing to the viewers. The aim is gone from disseminating hardcore news to entertaining.
We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, these were the words of the great man named Edward R. Murrow. The U.S is one of the many suoerpowers of thw rold that proclimas themselves the “defenders of the world” the U.S has thrown isolationaism out the window. and in with getting involved in many situations some in which I disagree and some are prefectly necessary. For example thw war on terrorism we are trying to defend another countries freedoms by doing this we are just improving and living up to the reputiton we have by being the defenders of the world.
Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” Edward R. Murrow said these poweful words on the show “See it now.” I think waht Edward R. Murrow is trying to say is with more goverment interfearance, the goverment limits our freedoms. The founding fathers of this great country designed this frand capitlastic goverment. So we have a small centralized goverment. They do this so every citzen has more rights. Edward R. Murrow is referring to how the founding fathers actually bulit this conutry instead of more and more limiting freedoms.
“here is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference.”This weapon of television could be useful. People use television everyday to help prove their point but the question is can you always trust the media? Do you remember when McCarthy tried calling out Murrow, he lied to the public trying to convince he was a communist obiouls this was a big scandal Murrow if he had not come out and defended himslef could have been tried and killed. In todays time people say look my opinion is right because cnn SAID SO. What people have to take into account is that the people in the media especially today most of the time lie I think that’s what murrow means when we are battling ignorance, intolerance and indifference.
1. In today’s world many people believe every rumor that they hear unless something with stronger evidence is shown to them. “We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.” This quote is very similar to the way that many teen minds think today. All day everyday teens talk about hat they have heard about their friend or the hottest new rumor. Many times when these rumors are being spread they bend and become farther from the truth, but as teens we believe it all. The
quote states that an accusation is not proof, which means that just because you hear it doesn’t mean that it is true. Without proof anyone could accuse anyone of anything, like in the Salem Witch Trials. This is just like what happened when communism struck America. People when into a state of mass panic attack and would say anything to make sure that They weren’t accused of being bad. Without proof the world would be in a state of panic and many innocent people would be wrongfully punished.
2. Today everyone is talking about how things are made in China and how we are invading other countries to help them, but America is going through one of its worst times. “We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.” America needs to stay in America and focus on helping the place were we are living.
3. “But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.” this quote really applies to America because it is a well know fact that Americans are thought to be Fat and lazy. Personally I think Americans watch too much tv and believe everything they see and by the time that we realize it, it is too late. Nothing can be done to help the United States until we decided to get up and do something for ourselves.
“There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities. As a nation we have come into our full inheritance at a tender age.” This relates to us as a society today because all of the people in the United States need to do their responsibilities as a citizen of the great country we live in today. This also shows that even starting at a young age we have to act like we are citizens of this country by participating in the country and by helping the country grow to what it can be. If the citizens don’t follow this and they don’t help their own country, we wouldn’t be what we are today.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” This quote explains in today’s society because if we denied freedom we would be going against what our country is for. We are the land of the free and if we try and restrict this it would make us seem quite hypocritical and stupid. People in the past fought for our freedom and if us as a country try to restrict that it makes us less diverse as a whole which isn’t what we need as a country.
“I am entirely persuaded that the American public is more reasonable, restrained and more mature than most of our industry’s program planners believe. Their fear of controversy is not warranted by the evidence”. This can be applied to our world today because some people don’t believe in what the citizens of the United States can accomplish. If we work together we can accomplish whatever we want because if we work hard enough we can accomplish these things as a whole country. In the past it has shown that if we work hard enough we can achieve extraordinary things.
Quote: “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.” Murrow uses this powerful quote to point out a very obvious statement that has been recently ignored. Saying something does not always make it true. I could claim I can fly, but will that save me from death as I jump out of a plane? Taking a mere statement about someone, such as ‘Has relatives in the USSR’ and turning it into ‘I am 100% sure that he is a communist’ makes no sense logically.
Quote: “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” Translate this quote into its simplest possible form, and you get: ‘What we are doing would shame those who fought for this country to be a free country’. Those who first came to America, first colonized it, and fought for a democracy would be ashamed by the way we were running ourselves in a time of fear.
Quote: “This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.” This quote really exemplifies a realization that the power of the majority was and, and still is today, the strongest power in our nation. During the Cold War, being considered a communist was only one accusation away. What people said about other people defined who they were. The power of the public is extremely strong, and television is one of the greatest tools of getting information to the public. However, if those who control television are using it to feed the public lies instead of accurate information, it becomes a massive weapon of destruction.
Quote: “Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.”
I think that this quote pretty much explains that if you make one tiny error everything can come crashing down in front of your eyes. Most other countries would do anything for America’s democratic ways. However if something ever happened to this and our freedom, our democracy would no longer be respected. This would be a huge deal to America because our democracy is one of the major things we have going for us. To relate this to current day, the terrorist’s threats that occur make people say and do crazy things that they never normally would. It creates a panicking society like it did when America almost risked their freedom.
Quote: “We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result.”
I think this quote talks about how you can deny your history but you have to accept the consequences at one point. No matter how long you keep denying the incident that you in fact committed, at one point or another you will have to own up to what you did. It is talking about how you might as well do it sooner than later, so you can move on with your life. It also talks about how change can be good and sometimes is much needed. It’s not saying to change just to be rebellious but when actual change is needed to make something better, it can always benefit. Sometimes people are afraid of changing, but they just need to take a leap of faith and do so in order to benefit themselves and others.
“We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason” This quote very well sums up how our middle east situation . We are in another part of the world for 10+ year for what? This statement corresponds with our middle eastern situation because 9/11 did scare us and enrage us so we go into the M.E. with our troops and have a big hyped up raa raa moment but then after a couple years go by we continue to be in afghan for what it seems to be no reason our troops in their and since 2001 we have spent more than 1 trillion dollars on this http://costofwar.com/en/. Truthfully this is nothing but unreason we have had many troops injured or die and it seems to be with no benefit. We go further into debt for nothing this all started with one life changing event but the end result is that there is nothing but unreason.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us the . . . confidence of men and women who aspire to that freedom and independence of which we speak and for which our ancestors fought.” This quote corresponds to our situation with The Gay community. When blacks wanted rights many iconic leaders can to surface such as MLK, Rosa Parks, WEB du Bois when Indians wanted change Gandhi’s came but as the gay community has been struggling and has tried to pass for their equal marriage people like Santorum just smack their attempts down when they try many to legalize gay marriage Their attempts are brushed off no matter how many valid arguments are brought up it seems that they can’t win so the people being heard is little there is no big voice heard for them or voices it’s like they said to themselves if we have a chance to vote to legalize it we will but if not oh well.
“Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.” Lets face it we believe everything we hear on the news even though sometimes it’s over dramatized just to make people or places look worse than what they are just to seem like you have a huge story, and as people we like this because it’s ends up being something to talk about or something to make you feel better about your self’s, and since we are too lazy to research we end up just listening to this entertainment in the form of news and helps you form an opinion about something or
someone whether good or bad.
I’m sorry it’s late!
“I do not advocate that we turn into a 27-inch wailing wall, where longhairs constantly moan the state of our culture and our defense.”
Watching crap television rots our brain and puts us behind many other countries because we could be reading or studying. The Jersey Shore is more watched than MSNBC, where stories are told of foreign affairs, wars, and just plain old news. Not all news is equal, in fact, most of the news reports dreary incidents and things that put you down. The news that people should be watching is the kind that gets them informed about issues that they should possibly be involved with so they can really make a decision in the world. The news that Edward Murrow reported was not only controversial, but he didn’t actually have to report it. He chose it because they followed his morals.
“Every act that denies or limits the freedom of the individual in this country costs us…”
Events in history don’t always end in freedom, but they sometimes do. When segregation was still an issue, M.L.K. Jr. went to jail many times and many followed his path. After the Parks bus incident, it hit the news and changed everyone’s views on what they could do in order to feel free and it eventually led up to freedom at last. In the Middle East though, we still see prejudice against ethnic groups, like the Israelis and Palestinians. Women don’t have a voice in some countries, and that limits the potential that a country can be.
“I invite your attention to the television schedules of all networks between the hours of 8 and 11 pm., Eastern Time. Here you will find only fleeting and spasmodic reference to the fact that this nation is in mortal danger.”
It’s weird to think, but it makes sense: most of the so-called exciting news about scandals, drugs, murders, and danger itself. When people get home from school, work or what ever they do (none of my business), it’s their time to relax and watch some entertaining TV. People want to see stuff that excites them and takes them away from their boring lives. If that is crumby news to some people, so be it. Most people are sleeping by the time 11 PM rolls around and eat dinner around 7 PM., leaving that spot open for good TV, or bad depending on what you think.
Quote – “We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
This quote connects to today’s society in that civil court cases as well as accusations of politicians are pushed through the system without due thought. Political careers are shot down because of one false accusation or one mistake that is actually more trivial than anything. An example is that many people were against Obama accusing him of possessing a fake birth certificate and were even more skeptical when they discovered that his middle name was Hussein: a name that brings thoughts of our current threat from middle-eastern terrorists. However the fact that his middle name is Hussein has no impact on the person he is now and without evidence they decided that his certificate must be a fake.
Quote – “If we confuse dissent with disloyalty — if we deny the right of the individual to be wrong, unpopular, eccentric or unorthodox — if we deny the essence of racial equality then hundreds of millions in Asia and Africa who are shopping about for a new allegiance will conclude that we are concerned to defend a myth and our present privileged status.”
This quote relates to modern social conditions in that even to this day our climate has retained its racism and distaste to the unorthodox and eccentric. Many groups have been started to support those that are different, a large example being the LGBT which supports non-heterosexual members of our communities and lets them express themselves without fear of being discriminated against. This acidic social climate in America has led to the general international picture of the regular American as a fat, racist, disdainful person. Despite support groups and their counterparts American society has shown no reason that they should not be pictured that way.
Quote – ““We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this.”
In today’s world, everything we see is censored. We never see the families devastated by the war in the Middle East and we never see the atrocities committed by either side. Nobody realizes the true magnitude of what America is engaged in. We owe trillions of dollars in debt to China and will not be paying it back in the near future. Our lives are insulated by our news networks and we don’t get to see what really happens outside of our living rooms and our fast food. If Americans can’t grow the stomach to handle the hard news of the world then we won’t be able to maintain our position among the top countries of the world and our beloved position as the Earth’s policemen.
Quote #1:“We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result.” This quote can be applied to our country’s current political and social situations because it discusses how we have denied our heritage, and are completely responsible for what the outcome is of our decisions. Socially, our society has grown and changed significantly over the past decade. The fashion styles, dialect and many other things have been altered, changed and even created. Since our country has gone through such an evolution of fads, it is no surprise that we are loosing touch with what our founding fathers initially wanted for our country. We have become so trashy and sloppy with the way we compose ourselves. Politically, we as a population often times try to manipulate and cheat our constitution, when we should stay true to what is written in ink.
Quote #2: “We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.” This quote claims that freedom, if in fact we still have freedom in our lives, we cannot stay true to what we believe in the comfort of our homes. We must go out and preach it to the world, so that they too might learn how to become free again. This quote also discusses how society claims to be the defenders of the freedom of the people, when in actuality we conform to society and blend in with the crowd.
Quote #3: “Our history will be what we make it.” This quote, in my opinion, is a very blunt and short way of saying that what we do will be what the future generation reflects upon and our decisions will be discussed amongst classroom environments. This sentence should put a great amount of pressure on our lives because we do not want our grandchildren to look back on our time as a time of shame. We must think through our decisions and make choices based on possible outcomes and benefits.
Quote 1: “We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have currently a built-in allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information.”
American’s, and people in general, are usually more interested in the positive media. This quote basically states that the American people are comfortable in their little safe bubbles where nothing ever goes wrong. We often are uninterested in anything “messy” (unless it has become recently fashionable to be interested in the cause). The Quote goes on to say:
“But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognize that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late.”
The speaker is calling on the American people to take in interest in T.V, take an interest in the facts, and take an interest in the world’s issues. T.V could be solely for entertainment purposes, or “to distract, delude, amuse, and insulate us”, but the potential possibilities for the learning capabilities of a television are vast and will no longer be available if left untapped.
Quote 2: “We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.”
Often times just an accusation can tarnish a reputation. In a court of law, though, due process and sufficient evidence are needed to convict a person of a crime. In society, however, being put on trial can have devastating effects on a person’s life. During the red scare, people could loose jobs, friends, or supporters simply for being called a communist even if there is no basis in fact. Similarly, during the Salem witch trials, if you were accused of being a witch, your life was pretty much over. You would loose friends, possessions, credibility, and quite often your life. The Salem witch trials occurred during a time of iffy court systems where emotions, religion, and opinions became entangled in the process of determining people’s fates. This led to the innocent hangings of many of the accused and although this would not happen today, or so I’d like to think, the ostracizing of people remains a constant.
Quote 3: “We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result.”
In the past, America has been a place to fight for freedom of all kinds: freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion, etc. It is a frequent occurrence that people are denied these rights through peer pressure and the pressure to conform. When people speak out against something and their view is unique or unheard of, people get scared and try and force the speaker to conform or get out. It is through these two options that many social injustices result. Mostly, a voice is being silenced. The consequence of silencing voices of different opinions is that you end up with a society of white boxes who think, act, and feel the same way. The irony in this, is that many would consider communism, the thing these oppressors fear most, to do the same thing. Moreover, the negative impacts on society that come from denying America’s tradition of freedom leave the American people at fault.