The Chris Hedges Report: Ukraine and the ‘Worthy’ and ‘Unworthy’ Victims of War

Image by Felton Davis via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

with Chris Hedges

TheRealNews on Apr 22, 2022

Rulers divide the world into ‘worthy’ and ‘unworthy’ victims; those we are allowed to pity, such as Ukrainians enduring the hell of modern warfare, and those whose suffering is minimized, dismissed, or ignored. This bifurcation of the world into worthy and unworthy victims is a key component of propaganda, especially in war.

In this episode of The Chris Hedges Report, award-winning journalist Peter Oborne joins Chris Hedges to examine how worthy victims are used to allow citizens to see themselves as empathetic, compassionate, and just; how they are an effective tool to demonize the aggressor; and how they are used to obliterate nuance and ambiguity.

Peter Oborne is a former political commentator of The Spectator, The Daily Telegraph, and Daily Mail, who covered the war in Yemen. He currently writes about politics for openDemocracy and Middle East Eye, and is the author of The Triumph of the Political Class and The Rise of Political Lying.

Transcript

See also:

Worthy and Unworthy Victims, by Chris Hedges

From the archives:

Vijay Prashad: Ukraine a Pawn in a Larger Struggle

Chris Hedges and Paul Jay: The Profits Of The Arms Industry Are What Drives These Conflicts

Chris Hedges and Ralph Nader: The Hypocrisy of War

Vijay Prashad: The Coming Food Crisis: Ukraine War Is Wake-Up Call for Global South

Russia’s Role in the Ukraine Conflict, by Yanis Iqbal

OMG, War Is Kind of Horrible, by David Swanson

Demanding a “No Fly Zone” Over Ukraine is Insane, by Kenn Orphan + Anti-Russian Hysteria in the US: Who Does It Serve? by Natalia Marques

No Human is Alien to Us, by Kenn Orphan

Ali Abunimah and Rania Khalek: Ukraine War Exposes US Hypocrisy, Double Standards and Racism

Abby Martin Interview with Ahed Tamimi and Her Family + How Palestine’s Tamimi Family Resists Israel’s Occupation