JackCentral

Michael Parenti, an award-winning and internationally acclaimed author and lecturer, visited NAU Feb. 12 to speak publicly about what he titled “Political Perception, Public Deception.”
His lecture was a critical dissection of the media, the government and the society we live in through academic analysis. Particularly, Parenti targeted the irresponsibility of the current administration and Americans’ gullibility to the media.
The event was sponsored in part by the Department of Sociology and Social Work and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Parenti received his Ph.D. in political science from Yale University and is the author of 20 books and many more articles. His most famous book, Democracy for the Few, served as a critical analysis of U.S. society, economy and political institutions. His most recent book, Contrary Notions, discusses a wide array of subjects including history, empire, media and political life.
Parenti drew upon his broad knowledge of many subjects to challenge students to think more deeply about the world in which we live.
He began by provocatively asking, “Are our leaders stupid? Or are we stupid for not seeing how successful they really are at getting what they want?” He then listed the “successes” of the current administration including eliminating the estate tax, doubling the military budget, allowing nearly 100 corporations to make billions of profits in Iraq and cutting taxes to the wealthiest.
Elizabeth Vogal, who has a B.S. in sociology and a master’s in anthropology from NAU, said she found Parenti’s perspective interesting, particularly his understanding of the image of the government.
“I liked his discussion on how public perception tends to either believe or promote that Bush’s administration is all about stupidity, but in reality they are promoting and accomplishing their own agenda,” Vogal said. “I think it is something that the public is unaware of.”
Parenti’s harsh criticism of the Bush administration stems from events like Katrina and the entirety of the War in Iraq. Still, students did not find him radical or critical enough.
David Slipher, a junior political science major, said Parenti did not expose the current administration’s ineptitude enough.
“I have heard more speakers who were more adamant about the U.S. role and what the U.S. should and should not being doing, but he was reserved about it,” Slipher said.
Slipher said Parenti’s forward thinking and blunt approach was evident in his criticism of everything mainstream, from media to politics and academia.
Parenti said the media is used by people in power as tool to deceive the public without any regard for the truth or a deeper understanding.
In regards to the Bush administration, Parenti said they use the media and word choice to persuade or deceive the public from the reality of their motivations.
“There is no question of truth or falsity; it is a question of how do I get into your head so you keep paying those taxes and rallying behind the flag,” Parenti said.
Parenti discussed the power of language, particularly within the governmental officials’ speeches.
He also dissected the issues behind truth and objectivity. He noted many facts given to the public by the media are unquestioned simply because they fit popular opinion.
He said the difficulty behind the media is it does not contextualize issues. The media must put issues like the War in Iraq in a historical context by explaining the facts behind the war and not just skimming the surface by putting them in a broader context.
Some students left the lecture knowing more about the secret intricacies within the American government.
Megan Cox, a freshman political science major, said she was surprised by some of the facts Parenti revealed in his presentation.
“I was aware of most of his discussion,” Cox said. “Some of it I had never heard before like the fact that Saddam Hussein was being trained by the CIA and the United States government, which I found terrifying in its hypocrisy.”
Parenti’s criticism of academia rested in its inability to approach controversial subjects.
“It is true that academia is an old institution that in some departments just stick to the general ways of thinking,” Vogler said. “Fortunately, at NAU we have departments that go beyond the status quo.”
Parenti said the best academic and media contributions come from politically committed individuals outside of the mainstream, notably from feminists and minorities. He said those outside of the dominant culture, particularly subordinate groups, are able to have a more complete view of the world and the way it truly functions.
“Radical views can be more reliable that dominant views,” Parenti said. “They are not supported by the unanimity of bias.”
Parenti implored students to ask “why” more often, and to dig deeper into what are known as truths fed to us by the media, politicians, society and academics. He said he wanted Americans to research and explore supposed “truths” before believing what any one source claims.
“To contextualize information, issues and controversies, we must learn to ask why,” Parenti said. “We must move beyond the parameters of safe and acceptable discourse. Social issues and conflicts must be linked to the political and economic forces that bind them.”
Parenti enforced this idea that people need to think critically of the world around them, but others found it must be more than just asking questions of their leaders.
Vogler said it was the job of individuals to seek out knowledge from various sources and continually evaluate what those sources claim to be true.
“I think the problem is not how can people educate themselves,” Vogler said. “But how can people have a real desire to go beyond what the media or other outlets tell them, until they do they are not getting the whole picture.”

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