tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post1781715130846548312..comments2024-02-23T11:23:45.971-05:00Comments on Lost Motorcyclist: Dealing with PropagandaLost Motorcyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08873504561959138792noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2156536327610779049.post-89615207690719146502010-01-06T09:49:09.995-05:002010-01-06T09:49:09.995-05:00Propaganda, like any effective marketing technique...Propaganda, like any effective marketing technique, works best when it appeals at an emotional level. And of our emotions, greed and fear are the most powerful, so appeals to those seem to work best.<br /><br />The soap companies have learned this lesson well. North Americans are <a href="http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780676976632" rel="nofollow">obsessed with cleanliness</a>, spending <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/08/fashion/08Skin.html" rel="nofollow">billions and billions</a> annually to avoid dirt and bad smells.<br /><br />Religious leaders, political demagogues and their ilk, of course, have manipulated fear to their own ends since time immemorial: fear of death, fear of god, fear of 'the other.'<br /><br />And the conservatives, too, have learned this lesson well. Appeal to peoples' baser instincts with simple, but powerful, concepts and you'll be able to lead them.<br /><br />Effective propaganda discovers and exploits 'holes' in peoples' world perceptions. I'm not popular; can it be because I have <i>halitosis</i>; perhaps I need a different mouthwash. I pay too much in taxes; the government must be wasting my money; I'll vote for the guy who promises to reduce my taxes. I'm really afraid of dying; can this really be 'all there is'; I will accept Jesus as my personal saviour and I'll have eternal life.<br /><br />We 'liberals' err in trying to appeal to people through rational argument, evidence and reason. Our arguments become nuanced (like reality) and, thus, ineffective against those simple, powerful, emotional implants from the right or from the religious.<br /><br />As the man says, 'Sigh.'Madeyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593933575568389288noreply@blogger.com