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Introduction
The article The Kind of World We All Want: MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, WE CAN STOP THE GREATEST PROPAGANDA MACHINE IN HISTORY is the speech of Sasha Baron Cohen, in which he addresses a highly disturbing issue of racism, hate, and bigotry. According to the actor, in the present day, the Age of Reasonthe era of evidential argumentis ending, and now knowledge is delegitimized, and scientific consensus is dismissed due to internet companies (Cohen 3). Facebook, Google, Twitter, Facebook, and other digital platforms are regarded as probably the most powerful propaganda machine in human history. According to Cohen, these companies are responsible for the disseminating of fake news that triggers peoples fear and outrage. As a result, the level of racism and violence and the related number of crime is continuously rising across the globe. More and more people believe in conspiracy theories promoted by mass media that have no scientific base or proof. In addition, due to these conspiracies, it is easier for hate groups to recruit new members, easier for particular countries to commit genocide, and easier for foreign agencies to interfere in elections (Cohen 4).
Main body
In general, the author of this speech has been managed to prove his main point quite successfully, mostly using real-life examples from his work. First of all, he provided reasons why he had formulated his thesis. For example, acting as Borat and Bruno and pretending to be an ultra-woke developer, Cohen noticed himself and showed that people frequently ignore anti-Semitism, homophobia has an immeasurably violent potential, and Islamophobia is accepted (3). Subsequently, the author reflected on the ability of fake news and conspiracies to spread more rapidly in comparison with reliable information and their impact on peoples opinions and behaviors. Thus, he mentioned that some jokes in his films are accepted by the audience just because people believe in conspiracy theories that are successfully promoted by social media.
The most reliable proof of the authors thesis is an experiment he described in order to demonstrate that those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities (Cohen 5). In his show, Cohen informed a man who was convicted that Antifa, an anti-fascist organization, is a terror one that its members would put hormones into infants diapers during the Womens March in San Francisco to make them transgender (5). Thus, the man was proposed to plant devices on several people at the march and push the button, causing their explosion and he did it guided by absurdities spread by the internet companies.
In addition, the author proposed the ways how the spread of fake news by mass media may be limited. However, he made it valid basing his assumptions on Zuckerbergs speech related to Facebooks new policies. In general, the author did not agree with the ability of all people to express their opinions on digital platforms as there are child abusers, anti-Semites, misogynists, and racists whose positions should be unacceptable. In other words, as bigots, abusers, and pedophiles are not traditionally welcomed in any healthy society, they should not be given a platform for free expression as well. In addition, the author suggested the responsibility of the internet companies for the potential harm that may be caused by fake and unreliable information they spread.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is possible to say that Sasha Baron Cohen has successfully proved his point that in the present day, mass media propagates conspiracies and promotes fake news that, in turn, leads to violence, hate, racism, and prejudice. In general, he proved it using the examples from his work films and a show. In addition, he logically provided several solutions for the minimization of the spread of unreliable information by mass media arguing digital platforms policies.
Work Cited
Cohen, Sasha Baron. The Kind of World We All Want: MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, WE CAN STOP THE GREATEST PROPAGANDA MACHINE IN HISTORY. Vital Speeches International, vol. 12, no. 1, 2020, pp. 25. EBSCOhost. Web.
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