4 ms·

Propaganda exists not to convince. Propaganda exists to define what the rules are, so they can spot people who deviate. If "dogs" was an illegal word, then anyo

by T2_t2 11y ago

Propaganda exists not to convince. Propaganda exists to define what the rules are, so they can spot people who deviate. If "dogs" was an illegal word, then anyone that says "dogs" becomes an way to spot people prone to illegal activity. Dictatorships really don't care what you think, they care what you DO, and more importantly, they care what you can openly discuss and with whom. Making it easy to spot those likely to rebel is the goal of propaganda, who gives a hoot what anyone thinks.

etangent 11y ago
> Propaganda exists not to convince. Propaganda exists to define what the rules are, so they can spot people who deviate Exactly that. Surprising how many people misunderstand this; but then most of us live in a free country (so far).
- mdpopescu 11y ago
  If by that you mean "we can say anything", you might need to reconsider. [1] For example, saying "the Holocaust is a hoax" in Canada or Germany can get you in jail. [2] Saying something that even hints that women are different than men in the UK will probably result in you losing your job. [3] I'm pretty sure the same is true in the US, at least on the East Coast. [1] http://paulgraham.com/say.html http://paulgraham.com/say.html [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Z%C3%BCndel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Z%C3%BCndel [3] http://metro.co.uk/2015/06/15/i-was-hung-out-to-dry-claims-top-scientist-fired-for-sexist-speech-5245921/ http://metro.co.uk/2015/06/15/i-was-hung-out-to-dry-claims-t...
viraptor 11y ago
That's going to the extreme the other way. Propaganda has multiple uses, trying to reduce it to "only this and not other reasons" is a mistake. There can be propaganda against and for something. There can be political and religious propaganda. There may be propaganda to keep you in place, or to force some specific idea. I think the view you described is a very simplified one.

by T2_t2 11y ago

etangent 11y ago

> Propaganda exists not to convince. Propaganda exists to define what the rules are, so they can spot people who deviate Exactly that. Surprising how many people misunderstand this; but then most of us live in a free country (so far).

mdpopescu 11y ago
If by that you mean "we can say anything", you might need to reconsider. [1] For example, saying "the Holocaust is a hoax" in Canada or Germany can get you in jail. [2] Saying something that even hints that women are different than men in the UK will probably result in you losing your job. [3] I'm pretty sure the same is true in the US, at least on the East Coast. [1] http://paulgraham.com/say.html http://paulgraham.com/say.html [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Z%C3%BCndel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Z%C3%BCndel [3] http://metro.co.uk/2015/06/15/i-was-hung-out-to-dry-claims-top-scientist-fired-for-sexist-speech-5245921/ http://metro.co.uk/2015/06/15/i-was-hung-out-to-dry-claims-t...

viraptor 11y ago

That's going to the extreme the other way. Propaganda has multiple uses, trying to reduce it to "only this and not other reasons" is a mistake. There can be propaganda against and for something. There can be political and religious propaganda. There may be propaganda to keep you in place, or to force some specific idea. I think the view you described is a very simplified one.