Spirit Walk Ministry
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
United States
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One of the saddest lessons of history is this:
If we've been bamboozled long enough,
we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle.
We're no longer interested in finding out the truth.
The bamboozle has captured us.
It is simply too painful to acknowledge,
even to ourselves, that we've been so credulous.
So the old bamboozles tend to persist as the new bamboozles rise.
~ Carl Sagan: The Fine Art of Baloney Detection ~
Propaganda is a specific type of message presentation, aimed at serving an agenda. Even if the message conveys true information, it may be partisan and fail to paint a complete picture. Jowett and O'Donnell in their book “Propaganda and Persuasion” define propaganda as:
"The deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist."
In a narrower and more common use of the term, propaganda refers to deliberately false or misleading information that supports a political cause or the interests of those in power. The propagandist seeks to change the way people understand an issue or situation, for the purpose of changing their actions and expectations in ways that are desirable to the interest group. In this sense, propaganda serves as a corollary to censorship, in which the same purpose is achieved, not by filling people's heads with false information, but by preventing people from knowing true information. What sets propaganda apart from other forms of advocacy is the willingness of the propagandist to change people's understanding through deception and confusion, rather than persuasion and understanding. The leaders of an organization know the information to be one sided or untrue but this may not be true for the rank and file members who help to disseminate the propaganda.
Recognizing Propaganda
Some of the most effective propaganda techniques work by misdirecting or distracting the public's finite attention away from important issues. It's important to read between the lines of the news and see what isn't being reported, or what is reported once, quietly, and not followed up. In an age of information overload, distraction techniques can as effective as active propaganda. One way to test for distraction is to look for items that appear repeatedly in foreign press (from neutral and hostile countries) and that don't appear in your own. But beware of deliberately placed lies that are repeated with the hope that people will believe it if it is repeated often enough.
All active propaganda techniques can be tested by asking if they tend the target audience to act in the best interests of the distributor of the propaganda. Propaganda presents one point of view as if it were the best or only way to look at a situation.
The aim of propaganda is to put you in your “happy place”, a false reality where you think you are safe, but you are actually not safe, but in a dream world where you are docile and compliant and willing to accept a reality that hides behind partial truths and outright lies in order to frighten you away from questions of critical thought.
This form of deception is not limited to that which comes from outside influences, but can be "self-propaganda", a form of self-deception in which you program yourself to believe something that allows you to create your own happy place where you can hide from a true reality you do not wish to face.
Sometimes propaganda can be exposed by the fact that it changes before and after a critical event, whereas more honest information should largely remain the same after the event as before. If there are big disparities, or if some "awakening" has occurred, it means that what was provided before the fact was not really the truth, but... propaganda.
Techniques of Propaganda
Symbolism: The act of creating a concept, thing, object, or idea that represents an abstraction or an instance of that abstraction, such as a flag or an Uncle Sam.
Applied Confusion: A propaganda strategy that sows turmoil in the minds of the public and gets them to believe that positive action is hopeless, that the world’s problems are bewildering complex and that the answers are found only in fringe factions.
Canceling: Canceling and cancel culture have to do with the removing of support for public figures in response to their objectionable behavior or opinions. This can include boycotts or refusal to promote their work. o cancel someone publicly often requires broadcasting that act, which then makes the target of one’s canceling a subject of attention. The objective behind canceling is often to deny that attention, so that the person loses cultural cachet.
"The truth is what is, and what should be is a fantasy.
A terrible, terrible lie that someone gave to the people long ago."
~ Lenny Bruce "What should be!"~
Propaganda Links
Spirit Walk Ministry
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
United States
contact