Propaganda Debunking
Related: About this forumThe widespread phenomenon of modern Propaganda
With thousands of advertisements seen by Americans everyday, and a corporate media that reinforces the needs of Empire, propaganda in the U.S. is more pervasive and effective than ever before. The manipulation of public opinion through suggestion can be traced back to the father of modern propaganda, Edward Bernays, who discovered that preying on the subconscious mind was the best way to sell products people don't need, and wars people don't want.To get a deeper understanding of how propaganda functions in today's society, Abby Martin interviews Dr. Mark Crispin Miller, professor of Media Studies at New York University.
http://failedevolution.blogspot.gr/2016/06/the-widespread-phenomenon-of-modern.html
RufusTFirefly
(8,812 posts)Great interview.
I recommend Adam Curtis's Century of the Self for those who haven't seen it.
I have long remembered MC Miller's article on product placement in movies that he wrote about 30 years ago (yikes!)
This is an incredibly important topic. I think there are a lot of smug people out there who believe they're "too smart" to fall for propaganda.
I find the subject fascinating -- in a car accident sort of way. Once the scales fall from your eyes, it becomes a lot easier to recognize a lot more propaganda -- although probably not all of it. I suspect that none of us is completely immune to its influence.
newthinking
(3,982 posts)shadowmayor
(1,325 posts)My Uncle Frank - WWII vet fought at Peleliu, Leyte, Okinawa and was stationed in Japan for a year ;after the bombs were dropped told us that America was bombarded with just as much propaganda as the poor Russians were by Pravda and the state. My cousins were incredulous, but Uncle Frank would have none of it - he just knew. That was in the 1980's. He told me of the Desert Storm fiasco - "son, that wasn't a war, that was a slaughter" and he passed just as lil' Bush invaded Iraq. He couldn't believe the Bush administration - he thought Rummy and Dick and Condi were the most incompetent group he'd ever seen and that was even in comparison to Saint Ronnie's den of thieves and liars. The fact that we let that little turd occupy the White House is the greatest testament to the value of propaganda in our country.