To The Moon

That could be a reference to the incredible surge of Bernie Sanders in the polls on the eve of the Iowa caucus, but it isn't. I believe that this caucus, the first of the primaries for the Democratic party nomination, is still going on as ‌I'm typing these words; exciting times indeed, and if there's any hint of a result by the time I finish, I'll include it at the end of this post.

_{Image by manhhai - source: Flickr}

This post however is about the largest and most expensive PR stunt in the history of the world which came to a conclusion on July 16, 1969, when Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon for the very first time. Yep, that's what it was: a PR stunt. Often times it's been asked: why didn't we ever go back to the moon? Why isn't there a permanent base on the Moon already, you know, like practice before billionaires go on crazy adventures to build one on Mars? I submit to you that one possible answer to these questions is that the Cold War has ended, and America therefore has lost the incentive to prove to the world that they're better than the commies. The other possible answer is that it was all a hoax to begin with, which is something I don't want to get into in this post, but I will say that the moon-landing being a PR stunt first and foremost does speak in favor of it having been fake news on an astronomical scale...

PR, or Public Relations, is just a nicer word for "propaganda", which is (dis-)information, used to promote a political cause, ideology or point of view. The whole nuclear arms race was about the superpowers' proficiency in manufacturing long range missiles; building a rocket to the moon, and being the first to do so, would be an enormous statement of superiority in that department. Going to the moon within a decade, as proposed by John F. Kennedy in 1961, wasn't just a boost to national pride and signalling the superiority of capitalism over communism, it was a message to the U.S.S.R. in the arms race. In the below linked video there's audio of a 1962 conversation between Kennedy, NASA Administrator James E. Webb and chairman of the Science Advisory Committee Jerome Wiesner, and Kennedy makes it clear that this was not about the scientific leap forward, but about "political reasons";

But this is important for political reasons, international political reasons, and for... This is - whether we like it or not, an intense race. If we get second to the moon, it's nice, but it's like being second anytime. [...] The only thing is I would certainly not favor spending six or seven billion dollars to find out about space. Why are we spending seven million dollars on getting fresh water from salt water when we're spending seven billion dollars finding out about space? So obviously, you wouldn't put it on that priority because, except for the defense implications behind that and the second point is the, the, the fact that the Soviet Union has made this a test of the system.
_{source: John F. Kennedy - November 21, 1962}

There's a lot to say about JFK, most of it good, but he was guilty of his share in the capitalist PR machine, as were all presidents before and after him, and not just in America. I wanted to highlight this as a reminder of how deep the mind-games go, how much we're brainwashed into supporting the ideology that prolongs a 10,000 year old status quo in which a tiny minority rules the lifes and minds of the 99 percent. This is no small matter people. Throughout the ages we've been ruled by ideas of the elite, so much so that we really do believe we're not worthy of something better. The Bible says mankind lives in a state of sin when it talks about Original Sin; kings, emperors and feudal lords have used that book to justify their rule over the people. If only we, the people, live our lifes the right way, not complain about our hardship too much, and patiently wait for our reward in Heaven, everything will be fine. Slave owners used that book to justify them owning slaves. In modern times that idea has been translated by the likes of Thomas Hobbes and Adam Smith, who share a strong belief that regular people, non elites, are barbarians who can't be trusted to rule themselves and that government is there to protect the rabble against their own stupidity. In the 20th century these ideas were taken by Edward Bernays, the father of PR, who devised the tools to manipulate public opinion for the same reason: the people can't be trusted, aren't "wise" enough to make important decisions. From the Bible to The Wealth of Nations and to Bernays' guide to mass manipulation Propaganda, our predominant ideologies have always been shaped by that tiny ruling class, and the moon-landing is just the most expensive chapter in that very old story.

So, right now there's a candidate running in the Democratic primaries who's taking on the propaganda, who's not depending on TV or newspaper coverage... While I'm typing this I'm listening to The Rational National's livestream on the Iowa caucus, and I'll switch to several others, but there's no final outcome yet. It does look good for Bernie Sanders though... Just a few more hours to go; more on this in tomorrow's post!

_{Listening In: JFK on Getting to the Moon (November 21, 1962)}

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