Propaganda Techniques

In many ways, this is the age of "stupid". American people seem, to me, to be more gullible and misinformed than ever. Maybe it has something to do with the echo chamber of the media and Internet, but we do seem to be talked into and "sold" on things and ideas quite easily, and without giving them a moment's thought.

When most people hear the word "propaganda", they think of the tools used by Nazi Germany and other radical regimes. You know that kind - blatant, dated, 40's and 50's "good versus evil" hype. With TV and the Internet, most of us accept advertising as just part of the media, and much of it's cloaked as entertainment. After all, it's fashionable to be part of the crowd - no one has brainwashed us, and we've made the choice to buy a product or idea of our own free will. There's no hocus-pocus about it, and no one has hypnotized us, right?

But, actually, the TV and radio are the most common hypnotic instruments used in modern times, and all but the very poorest of American families own them. After you stop laughing, think about it. With few exceptions, much of TV and radio content is mindless, and neither really requires much thought - in fact, they do our thinking for us. What better way to reach people when they are in the familiar surroundings and comfort of their own homes, (or cars), and in a relaxed, receptive state? Advertisers are counting on that lowered state of resistance to convince us to buy their products, and many of today's politicians and people behind power want us to rely on them for the "facts". In my opinion, too many people are either undereducated, lazy, or both, and rely on what is given them at face value.

Here's a good video  that lists the types of propaganda, using a modern day twist that just happens to use the Bush administration as an example.

Blogging

I'd like to keep this blog from being one long, whining rant, unsubstantiated by facts. As a 3rd generation Italian-American transplanted from the rust belt to the bible belt, I'm hoping that a portion of what I share here might resonate with fellow working and middle class Americans. My writing skills leave a lot to be desired, so I'll be getting a lot of help from books and other media, as well as credible internet sources.

Most Americans agree that somehow our country has wandered off track, and much of the angst is directed at American politics. There's been no shortage of blame, and it seems that things really heated up with the attacks of 9/11. That day our nation awoke from the arrogant daydream that we were somehow immune to what the rest of the world had known for a long time. It seems that an ugly fear and hatred arose from the ashes of that day, and I think a good deal of the negativity was fostered by the administration of that time - the distain and intolerance for anyone or anything different than White Anglo Saxon Protestants. And, the lightening rod for most of it has been President Obama. You can say what you want - but at the end of the day, I think a lot of people still can't  handle a smart black man...

Introduction and hello

I first want to say that this is going to be a no-frills blog - you probably won't be seeing a many photos or hype here - that frosting has been saved for my other internet spaces.

To share a bit about myself, I, like many other baby boomers, was raised in an era of respect, decency, and the golden rule -  I remember a time when people had consciences, knew right from wrong, and for the most part, longed for world peace and love. I'm  not saying it was all good, because there was plenty of hatred and discrimination in those days, and we didn't have as many creature comforts. But, we've zig-zagged ourselves to a better place in many ways.

Along the way, we've paid a high price for our evolvement, the first being a huge cost to our planet for all this "progress".  It seems that we've not only devised a system that takes the most advantage of our earth while causing harm to ourselves, but we've also engineered a way to speed things up while making it unfashionable and unpopular to stop or reverse the trend.

Part of the problem is *attitude* - the disregard for fellow Americans, our global family, and our home, the earth. So many still don't realize that that we're all connected - what happens to one affects us all, and that we all share the same "back yard". My goal is to strike a small spark of awareness so we might all enjoy a better world.  I share my thoughts in support of of sanity...