One of the great lies told with a full forethought of malice over the centuries is, that the pen is mightier than the sword. This insidious lie finds its foundation in the idea that idea’s once expressed can never be unexpressed. Within this truth, the uglier truth behind the lie is concealed.
The pens strength is not, nor has it ever been that any idea once expressed cannot be unexpressed. It exists solely and exclusively in its ability to communicate. What that ugly truth it is concealing is, is that communication hold within itself the capacity to convince an enormous number swords to all show up at the same place, at the same time, for the same purpose. This is the pens only strength.
The media in the United States still operates under Mark Twain’s maxim, “Never pick a fight with a man who buy’s ink by the barrel”. Mark Twain was slyly alluding to the consequences of doing so. The consequences being that a newspaper by virtue of its ability to communicate with a vast number of individuals had the capacity to rally a large number of swords to its cause should an individual choose to pick a fight with it.
In centuries past, when weaponry was less lethal and more individual, battles were won more often than not, by that individual or group who could put the largest umber of swords in the field. Even the mighty Roman Army was forced to acknowledge that 10,000 well armed and well trained soldiers were no match against 500,000 angry armed barbarians.
The American media relies on the very US Constitution it seeks to overthrow to protect it even as it undermines the rule of law of which the United States Constitution is the foundation of in the United States. There comes a time when the scared villagers seeing that they will receive no redress of their grievances from the law, collectively make the decision to address those grievances themselves.
Then, out come the torches and pitchforks and the hunt for the monster begins. This hunt inevitably ends poorly for Doctor Frankenstein and his creation. All the barrels of ink in the world (or terabytes of pixels) are no defense against swords or bullets. The pen’s only strength is to convince a large number of swords to all show up at the same place and the same time for the same reason.
Woe unto the holder of the pen when they convince an enormous number of swords to show up all at the same time, at the same place for the same reason to trap Doctor Frankenstein and his monster in the very house of the pen holder.
Woe unto the pen holder when he has convinced the mob of angry villagers that he himself is Doctor Frankenstein and his pen is the monster.
The Wilderness of Mirrors 