30 years ago, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and lost very badly.
I didn't know that was true until 2004 (14 years later) I watched a documentary (I think it was on national geographic) talking about the first gulf war from a different perspective and I remember being shocked.
We were taught that the battle is called "أم المعارك" aka "mother of all battles" and Iraq actually WON that war against 33 aggressors.
We only had 3 channels in Iraq back then and all of them were owned by the state.
Satellite television was not allowed if you were not well connected and know how to hide the equipment.
There is so much talk these days about "fake news" and disinformation on social media.
For most of us who were born and raised in Iraq disinformation campaigns were the norm.
I am sure it's the case for many other authoritarian countries and not just in Iraq.
That's why I have made it the mission of my life to combat propaganda and misinformation from authoritarian states and I believe that critical thinking and media literacy are some of the best ways to combat them.
We need to teach the next generations HOW to think not just WHAT to think.
No comments:
Post a Comment