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The End is Near, Inc.
This is the title of the recent full-spread article in Boston Magazine about me, my work, and our community. It’s due out in hard print on Sunday with the Boston Globe. It is already available online here.
Unfortunately, the article relies too much on sensationalistic stereotypes and includes some troubling distortions. My chief concern is that the story, told through a very few limited, out-of-context, and edited quotes, paints a picture of Becca and me as doomsayers with a bunker mentality. Nothing could be further from the truth.
We somewhat reluctantly agreed to have our whole family included in this very public article, opened our home for several days for the effort, and are now wrestling with the impacts that will stem from the fact that our best efforts have now been tagged as “The End is Near, Inc.” - an unfortunate mischaracterization that completely misses what we are really about while implying that we do this for the money.
And though the editor has agreed to remove it in the online edition, the print edition contains a 100% Photoshopped creation of me in a bunker, instead of the actual photo that was taken of me in my (completely normal, albeit messy) home office. We did not have a chance to review the content or the images prior to publication, which will never happen again.
Look at what they did with a gray screen shot (before, then after) without ever indicating that they'd do such a thing, let alone seeking my permission:
Yikes. To be completely clear: I do not have a bunker, do not know anybody who does, have never advocated that anybody build one, and utterly distance myself from the cultural stereotyping that is implied by the idea of a bunker and all associated imagery.
I can say that I’m disappointed, but I can’t say I’m terribly surprised. The article’s publication has been an important learning experience—it’s reminded me how difficult this story is to tell to the average person. It’s a challenge to get most people to understand that while change is inevitable, it’s only bad if we fail to adapt on time and on our own terms.
The irony here is that Boston Magazine intended this to be a positive piece on the impact of my message and the large audience that it has resonated with to date. But in relying on easy “survivalist” stereotypes to frame the story (bunkers, Mad Max references, etc), they’ve succeed in missing the forest for the trees, conveying an image in polar opposition to what we actually stand for.
The work here has been so successful because I strive at every turn to leave my opinions and beliefs out of it, which helpfully clarifies the picture for people. In allowing belief-based slants about preparation to color this article, Boston Magazine has missed out on the fact that what people really want and need right now is truth and the facts.
People are worried these days and have legitimate reasons to be. We need to meet that concern directly and honestly while offering helpful information and guidance for building a positive future.
The most unfortunate thing about this is that Boston Magazine missed out on a really big story. The movement that’s building around this material is not a fringe thing. There are millions of people - from across the socioeconomic spectrum - thinking about this and changing their lives because of it.
My goal through this work is not to guide people to build bunkers and isolate themselves, but to invest in their communities, strengthen their resilience, and create a world worth inheriting. Along the way there are indeed some necessary, steps that I think everybody should undertake as individuals, but only as an insufficient set of first actions along a continuum that moves us from being relatively isolated into connected, resilient communities. I made this abundantly clear.
I am not a part of a group "devoted to spreading the preparedness doctrine," but a card-carrying member of a movement that seeks to build a national narrative that makes sense and that is sustainable. We understand that awareness precedes understanding and that both must come before actions. So, yes, we seek to raise awareness as a first step. After all, somebody has to.
If you want to help us in changing the tired story that the mainstream media repeatedly chooses to tell about this message, then I’d encourage you to read the article and comment or write to the editor to tell them what this movement is really about. If you do take the time to send along your thoughts, I would ask that you make them as factual, calm, and collected as possible.
Best,
Chris Martenson
Mailing Address
Boston Magazine
300 Massachusetts Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
617-262-9700; fax 617-262-4925; editorial fax 617-267-1774
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Here's a comment left at the Boston Magazine site by someone (i'm not sure who) that picked up on the attempt to shape impressions:
I get the feeling that for most people expecting anything other than more of the same would be considered bunker mentaility.
Congratulations, Chris...your message has been so successful that the media now has to resort to a hatchet job to discredit it.
This is some of the most irresponsible journalism I've seen in a long time...listing children's names and ages, implying buried PM's on your property, and informing everyone that you have all of your guns locked up and would be unable to use them for home defense...
This one-sided article lacks objectivity and is entirely slanted...I would expect better journalism from a Boston paper...
Geee. A media outlet ignoring the facts, wrenching out of context, distorting the truth, and engaging in smear tactics. What a surprise. Whooda thunk that?
No wonder this country's screwed. I'm headin' for my bunker.
I have to believe that after reading the article, people looking for your message will find it. Those that are not ready won't. Two seconds on your site will immediately negate any misconceptions. Publicity is publicity.
One of the greatest truths I have gotten from your site is that the more people who prepare for these changes, the better we will thrive on the other side.
Thanks for taking the hit for the betterment of mankind.
FWIW, even though I fully understand your horror at the bunker photoshop and would feel equally pissed, it is more of an eye catcher than just a nice looking guy in a red tie. It may be just the ticket to draw that one person to CM who becomes the tipping point.
Thanks from the Beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, Tycer
Chris,
If it were me I would file a complaint against the writer and feature editor with the editor of the Boston Globe, with copies to the Presidents of the Connecticut and Massachusetts Chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists.
http://www.spj.org/region1.asp
Whether the "treatment" they gave the article was consistent with accuracy is debateable (from their perspective anyway) but to photoshop and deliberately and wilfully distort reality clearly contravenes the Society's code to "Never distort the content of news photos or video."
The way to avoid this issue is to be the writer yourself commenting on our society should you wish, or have the time, to move to this level of visibility.
The author's first name is Pagan?!?! Is that for real?
I love how she ended it with an implication that Martenson readers are paranoid militia types. Good grief...
I hope this terrible experience you've had with the typical MSM mentality does not affect your message or criticism of those at the helm of our wayward ship, the USS Bozo. I do have to say though that the photoshopped picture of you in a bunker is hilarious. I'm not going to waste time reading the article, but it sounds like they made a mockery of you. They should run a follow-up article to publicly apologize.
“The failure to dissect the cause of war leaves us open for the next installment.” - Chris Hedges
"The bigger you build the bonfire, the more darkness is revealed." - Terence McKenna
"The only real voyage of discovery exists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust
Dr. M,
I'm sure you are used to this kind of crap by now, but it infuriates me that you were portrayed in this way. To be brutally honest, had that article been my introduction to you and your work, I would have never visited your site. And what pisses me off the most is that any one of us would have been thrilled to have the personal one-on-one time that this hack got with you. What a waste.
I'm sorry that this post was far from constructive, but I just can't help myself at this point.
All the best to you and your family....Jeff
Captain Sheeple
Chris,
You earned others respect and built a community without their permission or vetting; they don't like it when someone builds influence/respect without going through them.
They are increasingly losing their status as the gatekeepers on [mis|dis]information dissemination to the public. And they know it. They are dying the death of 1,000 cuts.
Instead they talk about how bloggers should be regulated like they are. Fail. They should be arguing to be unregulated like bloggers. Cue the Internet Freedom Act.
Translation: You're doing it right. Take heart. Given the quality of community you have built here, most (if not all) see right through mainstream media's refusal to break through the 12 years of the Skinner box, er, I mean public education.
You won my support. And I'm not easily won over.
Cheers.
Agorism is the way out.