172 Chapter 7
Herewe finda hugeironyconcerningW. E. B. Du Bois.Du BoisrecyclesHitler’s argu-
mentthatthe corporatemediaindoctrinateeveryone.Yet,simultaneouslythis sameDu
Boisassertsthatsuchcorporatemind-manipulationprovesthatAmericanmediacon-
glomeratesare similarto the Nazis.For decadesin America,Du Boiswrites,“Big Business
monopolizednews-gathering,newspapers,periodicals,andpublishing.”^172 He believes,
“Todayit is clearto all whoknowthe factsthatAmericanindustryhas launchedin this
countrythe greatestpropagandaeffortthe worldhas everwitnessed.In comparison,Hitler
and Mussolinifade to insignificance. Ourdailypresswithfewexceptionsis controlledin
presentationof fact and expressionof opinionby the organizedindustrialinterestsof the
UnitedStates”^173 (emphasisadded).HitlerandMussolinifadeto insignificancein com-
parisonto U.S.corporations?In thathis accusationis paranoidand inflammatory,and in
that it is directedagainstfor-profitmedia,Du Boisis the one soundinglikeMeinKampf.
Echoingthesesentimentsis humoristGeorgeCarlin.In a monologueintendedto be
contemplatedseriously,Carlinblathersthatyou are brainwashedon accountof howthe
capitalistconspirators“ownall the big mediacompaniesso theycontroljust aboutall the
newsandinformationyouget to hear.” Theyare “beatingyouoverthe headin their
mediatellingyou whatto believe,whatto think,and whatto buy.”^174 In 2006thesewords
of Carlin’s werebroadcaston the cableTV channelHBOby the corporateconglomerate
TimeWarner.As of this writing,this monologueis foundon an audiorecordingthatis
soldand marketedby majorcorporations.Shouldwe entertainthe notionthatcorporate
mediahavea vestedinterestin subjectingtheirconsumersto propaganda,onewould
haveto takeCarlinas a shillfor big business.
Shouldleft-wingintellectualsconcedethatHitlerascendedto dominationthrough
anti-capitalistrhetoric,though,theywill probablycounterthatthe nationalsocialistsdid
not implementsocialistpolicieswhenthey controlledthe Germangovernment.That
claim—thatthe Nazispreachedsocialismin theorybut refrainedfromit in practice—
mustbe examined.Shouldwe discoverthat the ThirdReichprovideda massiveregulato-
ry-entitlementstate,the discoveryshoulddisabuseus of the beliefthatthe NSDAPhad
anythingto do withwhathas beenbelievedto be a laissez-fairesocialDarwinismextolled
by HerbertSpenceror WilliamGrahamSumner.
NOTES
- B. Hoffman 2006 paperback,236.Further,inibid., 318-19n. 85, this authordecriesthe Libertarian
Partyfor being“far right” and triesto associateit withneo-Naziwhitesupremacistgroups. - Qtd.by G. Seldes1960,639.
- M. Hardtand A. Negri2000,110.
- A. J. Gregor1979,xi.
- “Fascism,”Dictionary.Com, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fascism,accessedWednesday,
October1, 2014.N. Ferguson2006,228, also referstofasciomeaning“bundle.” - J. Goldberg2007,36. Accordingtoibid., 80, Mussolinialso coined“totalitarian.”
- Qtd.by J. Toland1976,355.
- J. Toland1976,355.
- Qtd.by J. Toland1976,355.
- BenitoMussolini,“The BasicPhilosophyof Fascism,” ch. 35 of Oakeshotted. 1942.Thisexcerptcan
be seenonlineat http://tinyurl.com/2zlftt,accessedSunday,June17, 2007. - “Capitalism,”Investopedia, 2005,qtd. by “Capitalism,”Dictionary.Com, https://web.archive.org/web/
20070314011455/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/capitalism, accessed Wednesday, October 1,
- “FreeMarket,”Investopedia, 2005,qtd.by “FreeMarket,”Dictionary.Com, https://web.archive.org/
web/20071110204654/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/free%20market,accessedWednesday,Octo-
ber 1, 2014. - “FreeEnterprise,”AmericanHeritageDictionary4th ed. 2006,qtd.by “FreeEnterprise,”Diction-
ary.Com, https://web.archive.org/web/20070314011455/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/capitalism,
accessedWednesday,October1, 2014.