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Propaganda takes time. Often the most effective stuff happens when you aren't even aware of it. You progress through your regular life and encounter regular thi

Propaganda takes time. Often the most effective stuff happens when you aren't even aware of it. You progress through your regular life and encounter regular things. People bitch on the internet about stupid stuff with the occasional decent argument, and nothing looks out of the ordinary. You see laughable arguments about politicians with hints of truth, or intrude, but maybe you ignore it. After a while you see more arguments along the same line of reasoning, but with more data and less vitriol. You find yourself agreeing more, even if you like the person being disparaged. You may even come around to accept a side of an argument you didn't think much about before. This is how minds are turned. First the trolls and bots do as they do. Some people catch a whiff and continue the trend. Sometimes as a joke, other times seriously. Even those who pretend to be joking will not long be indistinguishable from the fools who think they are in good company. Propaganda is not a tidal wave that comes crashing down on established opinions, it is a steady stream that eats at solid rock until it creates a deep gorge you could not have imagined structured in any other way.

_greim_ 11y ago
The world is neck deep in dearly-held beliefs that would quickly die out if people en-masse embraced the kind of systematic, relentless skepticism required to combat this. Society protects these beliefs by stigmatizing skepticism, but in doing so effectively makes itself vulnerable to exploit.
- rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
  I myself am skeptical about that. Edward Bernays, who really pioneered propaganda, argued that people put elements of identity in "logic-proof compartments" because to be one thing by definition means not being another thing, and people often would rather shut out thoughts than seriously question themselves. Are you an "entrepreneur?" What about "talented?" Or "Democrat?" Or even, "Liberal?" "Conservative?" Public opinion is as much an influence on propagandists as they are on public opinion.
fweespee_ch 11y ago
> Propaganda is not a tidal wave that comes crashing down on established opinions, it is a steady stream that eats at solid rock until it creates a deep gorge you could not have imagined structured in any other way. Yes. However, they swing things in a single election cycle for marginal supporters of a candidate [which are the folks that really control the outcome in the US. The majority of the states are consistent.]. http://www.luc.edu/quinlan/stories/archive/why-attack-ads-work.shtml http://www.luc.edu/quinlan/stories/archive/why-attack-ads-wo... > Roughly 14 percent of the students said the attack on their candidate made them support him even more, the researchers found. But an equal percentage of students said the advertisement weakened their support and caused them to move closer to the opponent—the one who ran the negative ad. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/vergano/2010-01-22-psychology-political-propoganda_N.htm http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/vergan... > •Just giving medical students pens with a drug's name on them made the students significantly more favorably disposed toward the medication than otherwise, despite their immersion in classes aimed at letting them rationally evaluate drug benefits, found a 2009 Archives of Internal Medicinereport. > •Remember shaking hands with Bugs Bunny at Disneyland? Roughly a third of people presented with a fake ad depicting a visit to Disneyland that featured a handshake with Bugs later remembered or knew the meet up with the 'wascally wabbit' had happened to them, according to a 2001 University of Washington study. Even though Bugs is owned by Warner Brothers and verboten at a Disney facility, so it couldn't have happened.

_greim_ 11y ago

The world is neck deep in dearly-held beliefs that would quickly die out if people en-masse embraced the kind of systematic, relentless skepticism required to combat this. Society protects these beliefs by stigmatizing skepticism, but in doing so effectively makes itself vulnerable to exploit.

rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
I myself am skeptical about that. Edward Bernays, who really pioneered propaganda, argued that people put elements of identity in "logic-proof compartments" because to be one thing by definition means not being another thing, and people often would rather shut out thoughts than seriously question themselves. Are you an "entrepreneur?" What about "talented?" Or "Democrat?" Or even, "Liberal?" "Conservative?" Public opinion is as much an influence on propagandists as they are on public opinion.

fweespee_ch 11y ago

> Propaganda is not a tidal wave that comes crashing down on established opinions, it is a steady stream that eats at solid rock until it creates a deep gorge you could not have imagined structured in any other way. Yes. However, they swing things in a single election cycle for marginal supporters of a candidate [which are the folks that really control the outcome in the US. The majority of the states are consistent.]. http://www.luc.edu/quinlan/stories/archive/why-attack-ads-work.shtml http://www.luc.edu/quinlan/stories/archive/why-attack-ads-wo... > Roughly 14 percent of the students said the attack on their candidate made them support him even more, the researchers found. But an equal percentage of students said the advertisement weakened their support and caused them to move closer to the opponent—the one who ran the negative ad. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/vergano/2010-01-22-psychology-political-propoganda_N.htm http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/columnist/vergan... > •Just giving medical students pens with a drug's name on them made the students significantly more favorably disposed toward the medication than otherwise, despite their immersion in classes aimed at letting them rationally evaluate drug benefits, found a 2009 Archives of Internal Medicinereport. > •Remember shaking hands with Bugs Bunny at Disneyland? Roughly a third of people presented with a fake ad depicting a visit to Disneyland that featured a handshake with Bugs later remembered or knew the meet up with the 'wascally wabbit' had happened to them, according to a 2001 University of Washington study. Even though Bugs is owned by Warner Brothers and verboten at a Disney facility, so it couldn't have happened.