Propaganda
bobby
As educated Americans, we all know the path to a better world. We need to pass more market friendly measures to reward responsibility and entrepreneurial initiative from individuals burdened by an ineffictive, inefficient and bureaucratic goverment which, though well intentioned, does more harm than good.
A familiar picture? If so, it’s no accident that we all accept it. It’s the dominant economic paradigm that surrounds us. It’s the central frame of discussion adopted by the entire range of news media. And it’s the result of a massive propaganda campaign waged by business interests over the latter half of this century.
During the global economic crisis before the Second World War, significant advances towards the social democratic system had been made. These moves were put on hold during the war. However, the U.S. population was quick to pick up where things had been left off following war’s termination. A large wave of strikes spread across the nation, and The U.S. business elite soon realized it was facing a crisis. It responded with a massive concerted effort to indoctrinate the American public with the business-friendly point of view.
Doubt me? Check out Selling Free Enterprise. It’s a dry academic study, mostly facts and figures. But if you can get past that, it’s a fascinating read, and some of the facts I think will astound you: during the 1950s, an entire third of elementary school textbooks was coming from the National Association of Manufacturers. Businesses undertook huge campaigns to get their message into U.S. communities, churches, schools, and social groups. Companies sent their pool of low-skilled laborers to days off work where they were educated about the dangers of high corporate taxes, unions, and the promise offered by their version of free enterprise.
While the book concentrates on the immediate postwar decades, the efforts continue right on to the present. When Reagan died a few years ago, the press was awash in reminiscing of such a strong proponent of free markets and international economic liberalization. Never mind that his administration initiated the biggest wave of Keynesian spending ever seen. Propaganda and indoctrination is alive and well in our socitety.
It’s a common misconception that propaganda is a weapon of totalitarianism. In totalitarian societies, dissenters are forcibly dealth with. But in free societies, acceptance of indoctriniation is a key priority.
Perhaps the essential difference between free and totalitarian societies in the world today is that free societies believe their own propaganda.
Posted on: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 at 4:30 pm 
Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.