The beauty of propaganda

Especially in a “free society”. Huxley knew its value, and in “Brave New World” described how the appropriate attitudes were instilled before the infant starts to function. And such is the advantage of these attitudes, that the pawn really believes that these attitudes are their own conclusions! Likewise, Huxley portrayed the manner in which a totalitarian regime controls thinking (somewhat less scientifically) through continuous indoctrination. The methods are different, the results the same: a population convinced of a lie by means of brain-washing. And they believe their thoughts are their own!

In her praise of Israel’s attack on Syrian, my fellow blogger manifests most of these characteristics. The fact that “enemy regimes” have been a staple of media indoctrination for almost two hundred years (but much more so since 1916) seems to be missed. The fact that the media is now part of the problem, rather than part of the solution is missed. Eisenhower should have referred, even in 1960, to the military-industrial-media-Zionist complex.

Noam Chomsky writes of the “manufacture of consent”, and this phenomenon was recently demonstrated in the press’ handling of the visit by Iranian president Ahmadinejad (http://www.socialistworker.org/2007-2/647/647_09_Inventing.shtml). It was also observed in the build-up to war with Iraq, and currently, the media (having failed to rally the public to war with Iran) is laying the groundwork so that the United States can create another “Tonkin Gulf” incident to justify attacking a sovereign country which has not attacked anyone. Remember, it is American troops which are half-way around the world occupying a hostile country!

I’ll have more to say in another article about why those who love the promise of political equality in America criticize its performance. Love it or leave it is not an answer, neither for Bonhoeffer nor for us!