Propaganda, American-style
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In Propaganda, American-style, Noam Chomsky (1988) refers to Walter LippmannÆs description using communication to shape opinion in others, ôLippmann said that the art of democracy requires what he called the æmanufacture of consent.Æ This phrase is an Orwellian euphemism for thought controlö (1). Ironically, thought control is not germane to democracy but to all states and regimes. For HitlerÆs Nazi regime and StalinÆs communist regime both skillfully used propaganda to manufacture consent among the public as a means of controlling their thinking. Propaganda is typically used by an individual or group that wishes to shape the opinions or thoughts of another individual or group(s) in order to achieve agenda or aims of the propagandist. Recently, we might say that President BushÆs State of the Union speech in which he accused Iraq of buying uranium from Africa was propaganda. It has now been proven this was untrue and high ranking administration officials new of its inaccuracy. However, it was used in the speech anyway and now many feel it was merely propaganda to garner domestic support for military action against Iraq. Propaganda is not always used in a harmful way. For example, those who are against teen pregnancy often use propaganda to help young people understand the dangers of unprotected sex. Those who are opposed to big tobacco and the ills of smoking often used propaganda to expose corporate deceit and help individuals become aware of the dangers
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might be true in situations like President JohnsonÆs Great Society, in which Johnson used propaganda to win support for numerous social programs. However, it might also be true in situations like Vietnam where state leaders are intent on keeping the truth of their actions hidden from public view. Such a divisive war is a threat to the social fabric of society. Thus, in such cases, propaganda is used as a means of keeping stability in society. The use of propaganda is often related to oneÆs idea of government and its relation to individuals and society. Many argue that propaganda is necessary in a democracy because the handful of people who have the skills to know what is best for the state must manufacture consent for that direction from a majority to retain the image of validity. Others argue that people would make up their own minds best if they were privy to the real facts of a situation and not some spin-doctorÆs account purposefully manufactured and disseminated by a handful of powerful officials.
While we have seen that propaganda can be used beneficially or detrimentally depending on its purpose, in the modern era propaganda represents perhaps a larger threat to states and individuals than ever before. This is part
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Approximate Word count = 1335
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)
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