Back in 2021, internet history was made when NBC sports reporter Kelli Stavast was interviewing auto racer Brandon Brown, who had just won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race. The crowd behind Brown clearly could be heard chanting 'F Joe Biden,' but Stavast embarrassed herself, her network, and corporate media as a whole when she tried to tell Brown and the entire viewing audience that the crowd was chanting 'Let's Go, Brandon.'
An avalanche of Twitter memes and jokes were born that day and they still continue in 2024.
But as hilarious as the moment was, it was a prime example of media gaslighting (or at least attempted gaslighting). Stavast was truly trying to tell everyone, 'Do not believe your eyes and ears. Believe me, for I am the media.'
And even though that gaslighting attempt failed in legendary fashion, it was still a warning of what the media does and would continue to do.
Not all gaslighting is funny though. For a prime example, we turn to the Australian police and the Sydney Morning Herald, who combined to show us -- in disturbing fashion -- how bad the gaslighting has become from powerful establishment institutions.
We're sorry, WHAT?
Here is more from Jessica McSweeney at the Herald:
Forensic analysis of video and audio from the pro-Palestine Opera House protest in October has found no evidence a grossly offensive antisemitic phrase was used, police say.
A video of the protest purported to show a small group of protesters chanting 'gas the Jews' while outside Sydney’s most iconic building. However, police said other antisemitic phrases were chanted at the protest.
An expert in biometric science commissioned to analyse 'significant volumes' of audio and visual footage from the protest had concluded with 'overwhelming certainty' that the phrase actually chanted was 'where’s the Jews', Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Friday.
Recommended
Ahh, the famous -- and unnamed -- 'experts' strike again.
They really believe people are this stupid ... and need them to be. In case anyone has forgotten the incident (and we hope no one has), here is the actual video.
We apologize for the vile and NSFW language you will hear in this video, but we think it's important, given the claims of Deputy Commissioner Lanyon.
What do you hear? Yeah, we heard it too.
But the distinction between 'gas' and 'where's' is important. Under Australian law, if the protesters did chant 'Gas the Jews,' meets the threshold for criminal prosecution for inciting violence. Saying 'Where's the Jews?' (and even 'F--- the Jews') does not meet the same threshold.
Imagine that.
Not to mention, does anyone think an angry mob shouting 'Where's the Jews?" is ANY BETTER? It's pretty much still an incitement to violence to any reasonable person (the Australian police are excluded from the category of 'reasonable people').
The only thing surprising about the gaslighting anymore is how bad they are at it. Especially in Australia, and especially after all their years of practice with COVID.
We're not too interested in being fair to Herald 'journalist' McSweeney here, but IN the interest of fairness, we should say that she was only reporting what the police told her. However, she repeated their gaslighting with zero questions and zero skepticism. She is complicit.
And they wonder why the 'expert' class has become a laughingstock.
Many people, of course, saw the parallel between this claim and NBC Sports' embarrassing gaslighting three years ago.
Still others came up with some other creative 'slogans' the protesters could have been shouting.
That last one might be our favorite.
And, of course, there were many obligatory Simpsons references. Because The Simpsons have done everything.
We didn't know there were that many German speakers in Australia, but sure. Let's go with that one too.
If you are wondering where you have heard such nonsense from authorities before (other than in Germany in the late 1930s), X had answers for that too.
"1984" was the best documentary book ever written. https://t.co/1Zo906N8c9
— Heimish Conservative (@HeimishCon) February 2, 2024
The good news is, of course, not a single person on Twitter was buying this gaslighting, just like no one believed 'Let's Go, Brandon.'
Authorities, the 'experts,' and the media have spent years -- decades even, in many cases -- absolutely demolishing their credibility. They have none left, particularly when we have audio and video evidence that they are lying to us. And they brought it on themselves.
The bad news is that they are using this as an excuse not to prosecute anyone. The same thing happens in England at every 'pro-Palestinian' rally.
In the end, they don't actually care whether anyone believes them. They're just making up excuses to justify and rationalize their own negligent and destructive behavior.
And that is something we all need to be extremely worried about.
***
Join the conversation as a VIP Member