I love this subject. Our brains are so fascinating.
True that propaganda is intended to get people to take action, whether it's selling cars or wars. Related to that, it's easier to train a smart dog than a dumb one.
Intelligent people are moved to act without thought. Something about the poster, film, bumper sticker, political slogan, lyric, etc. compels them. Lower IQ people will follow the crowd, but they're not moved by the propaganda itself in the way that higher IQ people are.
Very insightful. I would add one point. Propaganda fills the void that should be filled with thought. The propagandized need ready-made opinions, which they can present in lieu of their own thoughts. That’s why challenging those opinion appears to them to be a personal attack -- violence.
"social media has laid bare the strategies we use to lobotomize ourselves and protect ourselves from ever having to think, but at worst it has put them on display in a fashion that invites people to copy them, rather than reject them as the shallow coping mechanisms they clearly are."
I love this line, which drills into exactly why I despair at the influence of meme-driven political Twitter. Very good piece all round - thank you.
I love this subject. Our brains are so fascinating.
True that propaganda is intended to get people to take action, whether it's selling cars or wars. Related to that, it's easier to train a smart dog than a dumb one.
Intelligent people are moved to act without thought. Something about the poster, film, bumper sticker, political slogan, lyric, etc. compels them. Lower IQ people will follow the crowd, but they're not moved by the propaganda itself in the way that higher IQ people are.
Very insightful. I would add one point. Propaganda fills the void that should be filled with thought. The propagandized need ready-made opinions, which they can present in lieu of their own thoughts. That’s why challenging those opinion appears to them to be a personal attack -- violence.
Yes that's true. It feels like our own thoughts even though we haven't actually thought about anything at all.
"social media has laid bare the strategies we use to lobotomize ourselves and protect ourselves from ever having to think, but at worst it has put them on display in a fashion that invites people to copy them, rather than reject them as the shallow coping mechanisms they clearly are."
I love this line, which drills into exactly why I despair at the influence of meme-driven political Twitter. Very good piece all round - thank you.