I think this is a good example of subtle media manipulation. So that the US citizens will quickly (but unconsciously?) identify with the Albanians, notice what the refugees are wearing when they are captured on film. So far, I have seen a small child looking over a fence. The shot included the Levi tag on his jeans. (Not a close up, but close enough I knew what it was.)Next, I saw a man with a Chicago team jacket on. This morning a man was interviewed wearing a Rebock cap.

It is a way for the media to tell us, "Hey, they are just like us" and what better way then with clothing.

Also, this morning I listened to a briefing or something. One thing that stuck out was a comment that the US would be suffering casualities. This was in reference to the bombing of the refugees on the road.

I predict that within days we will hear that several (17) of our soldiers have been killed. This is the story we have been hearing in earlier threads. This would be a good time for NATO to release the information. Kind of "an eye for an eye" type thing. We mistakenly killed some innocent citizens but several of ours were killed also.

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), April 15, 1999

Answers

Linda, do you mean to suggest that Someone is providing familiar clothing to those people, so they look like us and we'll feel even sorrier for them? Or that the media is deliberately seeking out those wearing clothing like ours?

I hate to tell you, but even in China, India and Mexico, where most of our clothing seems to be sewn these days, there are similar familiar articles of clothing to be seen among the cheong-sams, saris and ponchos. In addition, American-style clothing is exported (and illegally counterfeited) all over the world.

I've also seen lots of footage of older women with Moslem head-coverings and more traditional dress.

That story about Nato personnel being killed (it was 19, I believe) originated with Macedonian customs inspectors--not exactly am objective source.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), April 15, 1999.

No, I do not think the media are giving clothing to these people they are interviewing but I wonder if they are seeking out a certain type of person to be interviewed. One the American people will identify with. One that is wearing appareal that would easily be recongnized by Americans. We are very clothing "aware".

I think that there are a lot of Americans that are against our involvement in Kosovo. This might be a way of manipulating public opinion about this war. Make the American people identify with the Albanians.

I think all types of manipulations are used, not only in this situation but in our daily lives. All of our senses are involved each minute of the day as we make decisions from what we are going to eat (sight, smell, taste, touch) to how we react to what we are seeing and hearing on tv. There is no doubt televsion is the manipulation machine.

This is just an observation, Old Git. As far is my opinion about the war, I feel very sorry for the people on both sides. I do not know the true ciscumstances of either side. We could just as easily be bombing the Albanins and getting the same media clips about the Serbs if it were reversed. We are seeing and hearing what our government wants us to know which may not really be the actual facts.

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), April 16, 1999.

I don't think we really need to worry about the media manipulating public opinion. I think they have already (historically) proven that they can tell the majority what to think. If the "polls" don't reflect what they want to print, they will just print what they want to anyway. But I do agree that they will very often try to help us form the opinion they want us to have by what we see on the TV.

-- winna (??@??.com), April 16, 1999.