Propaganda only really works if the audience is receptive to it. In our current case, it is long past time to conclude that those who believe Trump and his lies WANT to.
Propaganda only really works if the audience is receptive to it. In our current case, it is long past time to conclude that those who believe Trump and his lies WANT to.
My personal, extremely minority opinion is that the mass population is ALWAYS susceptible to repetition of any simple idea that can be reduced to a short phrase, because the majority of people don't want to prolong every brief interaction we have with all the people we meet each day by focusing on the other person's use of it in a casual small-talk setting. We let it pass, and they'll continue to repeat it to others who subconsciously assume that if so many people are saying this phrase that there must be something to it. Propaganda works subconsciously via repetition. Very few people dare jeapordize their casual social interactions at work or with neighbors, etc., by having those people think of them as argumentative and as someone to avoid in future. So it spreads until it reaches 'critical mass' levels in the public, at which point disagreeing with it could mark someone, in certain social circles, as 'not one of us', because in that group, at least, "everyone knows it's true, they're all saying it!".
I think communication technology matters, too. The rise of fascism accompanied the rise of broadcast media (radio). People and society hadn't developed mental barriers to the propaganda. After the War, the dangers of this sort of thing were apparent, and broadcast media became less powerful. Television is just radio with images, so that didn't change the balance. Social media is completely new and society hasn't developed mental antibodies yet. I think the rise of a new type of media is playing a role, too.
This is also what I've observed. There is a lot of peer pressure involved. Even people who aren't interested and want nothing to do with politics pick things up, just like I could name a few Kardashians despite doing my best to avoid such knowledge.
Ha-Ha about the Kardashians. Repetition! That's the only reason many of the worst songs ever recorded became hits on the old Top-40 radio - you just kept hearing them and the kids who didn't really care much about music would just buy the "45" for whenever their friends dropped over, assuming they must like it since it was being played on the radio every 10 minutes.(note to younger readers - this comment refers to life in the pre-digital dark ages)
Propaganda only really works if the audience is receptive to it. In our current case, it is long past time to conclude that those who believe Trump and his lies WANT to.
My personal, extremely minority opinion is that the mass population is ALWAYS susceptible to repetition of any simple idea that can be reduced to a short phrase, because the majority of people don't want to prolong every brief interaction we have with all the people we meet each day by focusing on the other person's use of it in a casual small-talk setting. We let it pass, and they'll continue to repeat it to others who subconsciously assume that if so many people are saying this phrase that there must be something to it. Propaganda works subconsciously via repetition. Very few people dare jeapordize their casual social interactions at work or with neighbors, etc., by having those people think of them as argumentative and as someone to avoid in future. So it spreads until it reaches 'critical mass' levels in the public, at which point disagreeing with it could mark someone, in certain social circles, as 'not one of us', because in that group, at least, "everyone knows it's true, they're all saying it!".
I think communication technology matters, too. The rise of fascism accompanied the rise of broadcast media (radio). People and society hadn't developed mental barriers to the propaganda. After the War, the dangers of this sort of thing were apparent, and broadcast media became less powerful. Television is just radio with images, so that didn't change the balance. Social media is completely new and society hasn't developed mental antibodies yet. I think the rise of a new type of media is playing a role, too.
This is also what I've observed. There is a lot of peer pressure involved. Even people who aren't interested and want nothing to do with politics pick things up, just like I could name a few Kardashians despite doing my best to avoid such knowledge.
Ha-Ha about the Kardashians. Repetition! That's the only reason many of the worst songs ever recorded became hits on the old Top-40 radio - you just kept hearing them and the kids who didn't really care much about music would just buy the "45" for whenever their friends dropped over, assuming they must like it since it was being played on the radio every 10 minutes.(note to younger readers - this comment refers to life in the pre-digital dark ages)