"The French philosopher and social historian Michel Foucault maintains that every social discourse contains one or more (small or large-p) politically generated truth claims. Foucault also believes that every discourse encounters a counter-discourse that challenges the original discourse’s legitimacy." http://earthpages.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/counter-discourse/
Through using the Putumayo Report by Casement, in his article "Culture of terror - Space of death" alongside Foucault's counter discourse method, Taussig attempts to unveil the cause behind the lack of truth, the phenomenon which leads individuals to live in a paranoid world, fear, cultural terror, and finally what stands in the way of the true discourse. Colonialism used these factors to its' benefit, as the report sheds light on, with focus on the acts of the British colonialists in Peru, the violence and crimes committed where justified or unchallenged by feeding the growth of the "culture of terror", that is why a report of such sort was a path to the truth, standing against the aggression plus explaining the manipulation carried by the British government.
As the hostility continuous, with growing new forms, the need for the truth still persists. Along way after the Putumayo Report and more relating to modern current issues, Edward Snowden "the whistleblower" comes with a series of reports unveiling some of the "world's power" top secrets, especially in regard to the National Security Agency (NSA), exploring how their acts have forced many Americans to live in a constant state of terror, blinded citizens from seeing the truth behind their governments brutal acts against them and other nations in the world, and deceiving them to believe that its for the "good" and safety of the nation, even if that meant invading persons privacy, thus Snowden was considered in the eyes of the American Government as a traitor to his country!
As Thomas Jefferson once said “I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” These reports are a push for us all around the world to open our eyes to the truth and carry further action towards it, let us not waste the efforts of those like Snowden, Casement and others.
Through using the Putumayo Report by Casement, in his article "Culture of terror - Space of death" alongside Foucault's counter discourse method, Taussig attempts to unveil the cause behind the lack of truth, the phenomenon which leads individuals to live in a paranoid world, fear, cultural terror, and finally what stands in the way of the true discourse. Colonialism used these factors to its' benefit, as the report sheds light on, with focus on the acts of the British colonialists in Peru, the violence and crimes committed where justified or unchallenged by feeding the growth of the "culture of terror", that is why a report of such sort was a path to the truth, standing against the aggression plus explaining the manipulation carried by the British government.
As the hostility continuous, with growing new forms, the need for the truth still persists. Along way after the Putumayo Report and more relating to modern current issues, Edward Snowden "the whistleblower" comes with a series of reports unveiling some of the "world's power" top secrets, especially in regard to the National Security Agency (NSA), exploring how their acts have forced many Americans to live in a constant state of terror, blinded citizens from seeing the truth behind their governments brutal acts against them and other nations in the world, and deceiving them to believe that its for the "good" and safety of the nation, even if that meant invading persons privacy, thus Snowden was considered in the eyes of the American Government as a traitor to his country!
As Thomas Jefferson once said “I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” These reports are a push for us all around the world to open our eyes to the truth and carry further action towards it, let us not waste the efforts of those like Snowden, Casement and others.
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