The Contrarian

Given the ludicrous “arguments” conservatives have been bandying about lately, I thought it might be useful to examine the tactics of propaganda — specifically how words like “freedom” and “liberty” can be co-opted to transmit targeted messages to audiences groomed for maximum receptivity.

Though I’m not yet ready to write that essay, I did stumble across a link at Diabologue that looks at some of the ways the public can be primed for inculcation. The article is called “23 Tools To Brainwash and Influence People Through Media.” Most of it is provocative hogwash, but there are some choice nuggets. Again, this list isn’t about Political Power Words, but rather the means through which they can be effectively transmitted via mass media. Remember, the techniques outlined below aren’t party-specific — you can find them being employed by media organizations across the ideological spectrum. I think most of the list is obvious and not terribly tantalizing, but there are a few salient points. (My own commentary is in brackets):

• Encourage group-sanctioned individuality only. By making ‘individuality” the new conformity you are generating a powerful illusion of free choice. [This is actually at the heart of the "free" markets = choice myth so successfully exploited by the Right. To learn more, check out No One Makes You Shop at Wal-Mart: The Surprising Deceptions of Individual Choice]

• Appeal to the lowest common denominator. Make sure that all shows model conflict resolution of people with an emotional and intellectual maturity no greater than that of a six year old. [Did you catch Katy Abram, the "sleeping giant" from a Pennsylvania town hall meeting on health care? This woman is 35 years old, and has, by her own admission, "never payed attention to politics." Her husband takes care all of the financials, and she can't answer 5th grade civics questions. They also "don't talk politics" in her home. Yet she's somehow an expert on health care, and feels no compunction about invoking the Constitution, which I can practically guarantee she's never read. Here's what Katy had to say about America's multi-trillion dollar adventure in Iraq: "I always had faith in our government, and to be honest, I just didn't care." Check out her interview with Lawrence O' Donnell and tell me her brain hasn't been turned to mush by "American Idol":
  • The key to truly effective brainwashing is to work at people’s most fundamental awareness. Shape them at the neurological level so they develop the faculties to take your input and call it “thinking for myself.” Enable them to stop thinking. [See Dylan Ratigan's interview with Libertarian wingnut Craig Miller (the guy who confronted Senator Specter) to see how such programming can be so pervasive as to override neuronic logic centers:

  • Teach people that they are their thoughts and emotions. Reinforce this by teaching them to feel bad about their ideas, and to feel bad about feeling bad. Remember: Identify, identify, identify –- this will widen the empty void inside of them that only shopping can cure. [See Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, etc.]
  • Bypass rationality by any means possible. People don’t need logic to accept information. Belief is emotional. Always remember: WAR=PEACE. [See the "Birther" movement]:

We’ll get offer a more in-depth inspection of culturally-sanctioned Political Power Words and their propagandistic uses in a future post. In the meantime, check out this Chris Matthews interview with Ron Paul supporter William Kostric — the man who carried a gun and a “Blood of Tyrants” banner to President Obama’s New Hampshire pop-in. While he’s clearly the most intelligent of the bunch, Kostric is eerily similar to political assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, who was also interviewed by TV reporters of his day. Anyway, this staunch individualist seems quite fond of Libertarian-approved placeholder words (and guns, obviously):

As the country song says, “I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.” Yeah, and mentally compromised.