Mass media – The Purple Hermit

In the topsy turvy world of the Pandemic where social distancing is paramount, the news media and politicians are broadcasting from their home environment either by Skype, Zoom or other technological wizardry. This is fascinating as instead of a neutral studio backdrop we get a glimpse of the real personalities behind the public image. Or do we?

The funny thing is the majority of such broadcasters are careful to arrange themselves in front of their vast book collections reminiscent of a city library with thousands of resplendent volumes on custom-built floor to ceiling shelving. It’s as if they have to prove to themselves and to the audience just how intelligent and ‘expert’ they really are. I would love to know how many of those books they have actually read and digested or are they merely status symbols signalling their supposedly superior social class. The tasteful middle class interiors with designer accessories and original artworks are a universe away from the average person’s home, that is if they’re lucky enough to have a home at all. I have yet to see an ‘expert’ speaking from a cluttered bedsit or a small kitchen with dishes draining by the sink. Perhaps we would trust these people more if they showed their human side. They’re keen to prove how intelligent they are but books are not the only marker. There’s something called “common sense” which has fallen out of fashion in recent years. And there are different types of intelligence, not just the academic sort with its focus on science and rational thinking, there is also emotional intelligence, the intelligence of direct experience. There is intuition, gut intelligence, survival instinct, body intelligence.

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According to Howard Gardener, the American developmental psychologist there are nine different types of intelligence, all equally valuable. Which one are you? I am probably a cross between interpersonal and existential but perhaps that’s something for someone else to judge.

So back to the Pandemic crisis…perhaps we would be coping better with defeating Coronavirus if we relied on people with different perspectives on life, different skills and different types of intelligence. A footballer, a psychotherapist, a musician, a poet, a plumber, a mother of six, a gardener..they all deserve the same respect. Their insights and skills are just as useful as any so-called expert with an impressive book collection and a David Hockney on the wall.

Perhaps the world is not as we know it. We live in an age of conspiracy theories. Whether it’s the death of Princess Diana, the Twin Towers and 9/11, the veracity of the moon landings, who shot JFK or alien abductions. In the digital age it’s become too easy to manipulate the public with fake news, fear-mongering and subtle propaganda. Once upon a time a photograph was believed to be an accurate record of a moment in time but now we know it is a fiction. It’s increasingly difficult to know where truth lies. We have lost trust in the authorities and the scheming mass media who only give us fragments of the full picture.

Now there is new evidence linking the death of Marilyn Monroe with UFOs. Yes, you heard that right! A recent crowd-funded documentary, ‘Unacknowledged’ directed by Michael Mazzola, focuses on the work of conspiracy theorist Dr Stephen Greer. The film claims the Hollywood star was murdered by the CIA because she threatened to expose the truth about aliens and Roswell. Apparently, John Kennedy told her about his trip to a secret military base to see ‘things from outer space’. It’s claimed that Marilyn had affairs with both Kennedy brothers and when Bobby wanted to end their relationship she threatened to reveal all at a press conference. Stephen Greer has convincing documentary evidence to support his claims. Some time before this film was conceived, a former CIA hitman made a death-bed confession about his part in killing Marilyn and now we know why.

Even UFO sceptics will be swayed by the overwhelming evidence in ‘Unacknowledged’ showing how a secret capitalist-militarist power elite have suppressed information about the existence of aliens and the revolutionary technology that could change the world for the better. Industrialists with vested interests in petroleum products are threatened by developments that would undermine their control and profits. Even the US President has been kept in the dark. The film presents a cohesive argument including classified documents and a vast number of mind-blowing interviews with former top scientists, military officials and politicians. ‘Unacknowledged’ is worth watching if you have an open mind and are willing to think out of the box. The documentary is available to rent from Amazon and Netflix.