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Page 10 News Street Roots • July 10-16, 2015 The Barsamian theory of revolution David Barsamian — author, journalist, ‘Alternative Radio’ founder — discusses how real change can happen BY RIANNA HIDALGO CONTRIBUTING WRITER avid Barsamian is full of quotes. Among his favorites is Samuel Huntington’s “Power remains strong when it remains in the dark; exposed to the sunlight, it begins to evaporate.” Barsamian will tell you, in words rife with sarcasm and wry humor, that the media are the ones pulling the curtains. At a recent Town Hall lecture in Seattle, he tossed out phrases like “Presstitutes,” “Lapdogs with laptops” and, my personal favorite, “Press corpse.” “It’s an art, really,” he told a chuckling audience. “Dead bodies posing as journalists.” Barsamian is a journalist himself, one who is highly critical of nearly all mainstream news sources for failing to question the status quo, distorting and ignoring alternative views, and not only buying into but also becoming part of “corporate crap.” He believes journalist Finley Peter Dunne’s old notion of comforting the afflicted and PH O TO COURTESY afflicting the comfortable has been turned on David Barsamian founded the hourlong public affairs radio show “Alternative Radio.” its head. "H ie media fuxtctxoa as a So in 1986, he weapon of mass distraction, a high note and a call to action. This time, it founded the hourlong Madonna adoption to a Justin Bieber a rrest was a translation of a poem by Ahmed Faiz: The media function as a weapon of mass WMD. I think I t poses a serious public-affairs radio “Speak, your lips are free. Speak, it is your distraction, a WMD. I think it poses a show called health hazard lo r the own tongue. Speak, your life is still yours.” serious health hazard for the communication “Alternative Radio,” communication needs e l which continues today needs of citizenry in a democratic society, citizenry In a democratic Rianna Hidalgo: I wanted to start with and is offered free to all and we need to have ideas and perspectives society, and we need to have “Alternative Radio” which you founded in the public radio stations in that cut through all the garbage about American Exceptionalism and, you know, Ideas and perspectives that cut the U.S. His work as an '80s. What was going on in your life at that point, and what fueled your desire to start it? “We are the city on the hill” and “God’s gift through a ll the garbage about independent to humanity” and all of the jingoistic American Exceptionalism and, investigative journalist David Barsamian: I was a volunteer at nationalism. has earned him the you know, 'We are the city on KGNU, the community radio station in I was just in the Boulder post office, and ACLU’s Upton Sinclair the h ili' and 'God's g ilt to Boulder, and I began the program called Award, among other there’s a huge line there today because humanity' and aH ol the “Ganges to the Nile” and another program boastings (including there’s a shortage of clerks. Workers have called “Hemispheres.” I was developing my being deported from been laid off or volunteered to retire early, jingoistic nationalism /' skills as an editor, narrator, writer, producer, India, likely for his and I thought to myself, this country can interviewer, all those things, and I was very reporting on largely build aircraft carriers that are worth billions unhappy with the state of the media in the unreported human and billions of dollars but can’t staff a post United States, particularly the fact that rights violations in Kashmir). office; cannot provide universal, free health people I admired very much and thought It’s no surprise that he is a wealth of care (or) universal, free education from should have a wider audience were virtually excerpts and passages. He is known for his kindergarten right through to university; not to be found anywhere — of course not in interviews with hundreds of activists, cannot take care of the environment and the corporate media but not even in the thinkers, writers, artists and historians who cannot take care of its poor people. so-called alternative media. I’m talking about run against the grain, especially Noam people like Noam Chomsky and Edward Said Chomsky. Many of those conversations have R.H.: The list of issues you bring up is long. and Eqbal Ahmad, Howard Zinn, Helen been folded into books, such as “Power Is there a current event that you think we Caldicott, Angela Davis. People who I believe Systems: Conversations on Global should really be paying attention to? really need to be heard because of their Democratic Uprisings and the New D.B.: First and foremost has to be the radical, progressive ideas that were so Challenges to U.S. Empire.” By the time he ecocrisis, because that will have enormous relevant then and continue to be relevant arrived in Seattle for his lecture, Barsamian planetary consequences. We’re treating now. was on the tail end of a Northwest tour with Mother Earth like a dumpster, like a garbage So, on a whim and with not much seven speaking engagements in eight days. can, and we keep defecating upon her. background or encouragement, I said, I’ll He was exhausted, sporting a raspy voice It’s going to have extremely dire in addition to his ironic “Homeland Security” take a chance and see what happens and that consequences for the future. That, I think, is was the beginning of “Alternative Radio,” T-shirt But he still spoke with passion and something that I talk about no matter what unapologetic fervor about U.S. foreign policy, which is gonna be celebrating its 30th the topic is that I’m asked to speak on, anniversary soon. the Middle E ast global warming, capitalism, because it is threatening our very existence. democracy, terrorism, income inequality and, R.H.: The people you mentioned - what The number of species that are above all else, the use of media across the drew you to them? disappearing is at a record rate, the rising globe as a propaganda arm. temperatures threaten coastal regions and He spoke from his home base in Boulder, D.B: Well, there’s so much crap in the island communities all over the world. The Colo., despite several warnings that these corporate media. I mean, much of it is just extreme weather that is being experienced topics “make his blood boil,” and that I might sheer escapism, from the latest Jenner need to move the receiver away from my operation to a Kardashian divorce to a ears. Still, even at Town Hall, he ended on a See BARSAMIAN, page 11 D O F D A V ID B A R S A M IA N
