By Kelly O'Connell ——Bio and Archives--January 30, 2012
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The spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person. Or; Ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also, a public action having such an effect.Jacques Ellul claims there is no single definition of propaganda, but lists one made by the former Institute for Propaganda Analysis, as being highly influential. The IPA defined propaganda as
The expression of opinions or actions carried out deliberately by individuals or groups with a view to influencing the opinions or actions of other individuals or groups for predetermined ends and through psychological manipulations.
A related point, central in Ellul's thesis, is that modern propaganda cannot work without "education;" he thus reverses the widespread notion that education is the best prophylactic against propaganda. On the contrary he says, education, or what usually goes by that word in the modern world, is the absolute prerequisite for propaganda. In fact, education is largely identical with what Ellul calls 'pre-propaganda--the conditioning of minds with vast amounts of incoherent information, already dispensed for ulterior purposes and posing as "facts" and as "education."It cannot be doubted that modern "free" public education stresses "facts" versus how to think, write and debate -- or the core curriculum of the famed liberal education. This failure is the source of much subsequent evil. B. Intellectuals are Empty Vessels Designed for Propaganda: Consequently, intellectuals are not merely the most likely group to be successfully directed by propaganda, but their very ideological existence depends upon drinking from this well. Again, Kellen sums up this point:
Ellul follows through by designating intellectuals as virtually the most vulnerable of all to modern propaganda, for three reasons: (1) they absorb the largest amounts of second hand, unverifiable information; (2) they feel a compelling need to have an opinion on every important question of our time, and thus easily succumb to opinions offered to them by propaganda on all such indigestible pieces of information; (3) they feel themselves capable of "judging for themselves." They literally need propaganda.C. Propaganda is Geared for Action, Not Mere Belief -- But Defeated by Debate: Propaganda is meant to direct persons to act, not merely believe. Contra, it is imperative they do not think deeply about their action. Ellul says on this,
Remember that propaganda seeks to induce action, adherence and participation - with as little thought as possible. According to propaganda, it is useless, even harmful for man to think; thinking prevents him from acting with the required righteousness and simplicity. Action must come directly from the depths of the unconscious; it must release tension, become a reflex. This presumes that thought unfolds on an entirely unread level, that it never engages in political decisions. And this is in fact so. No political thought that is at all coherent or distinct can possibly be applied.But as Ellul writes,
Propaganda ceases where simple dialogue begins...Propaganda cannot be satisfied with partial successes, for it does not tolerate discussion; by its very nature, it excludes contradiction and discussion.In other words, propaganda seeks to overwhelm the recipient so that resistance seems foolish or even crazy. D. Propaganda is Anti-Historical & Consumes all Literature: The appetite for a historically cleansed record in accord with present propagandized narratives is also noted by Ellul, as he writes:
Finally, propaganda will take over literature (present and past) and history, which must be rewritten according to propaganda's needs.We have seen this recently with Gingrich's "history: being mauled beyond recognition, and with other histories, such as the Puritans who had to be demonized because their convictions are now verboten. Further, the Arts themselves become vessels for delivery of propaganda, such as Eisenstein's masterpiece -- Battleship Potemkin. E. Modern Propaganda is Deeply Religious: The difference between modern and older propaganda is the newer variety seeks not just to persuade, but more importantly to cause to become a follower of mystical, religious claims regarding some special group or ideology. Ellul comments on this,
The goal of modern propaganda is no longer to transform opinion but to arouse an active and mythical belief...the propagandist tries to create myths by which man will live, which respond to his sense of the sacred. Such an image pushes man to action precisely because it includes all that he feels is good, just and true, such as the myth of race, of the proletariat, of the Führer, of Communist society. Eventually the myth takes possession of a man's mind so completely that his life is consecrated to it.F. Modern Man is the Center of Reality: Propaganda regimes creates a godless, humanistic cult. It claims the proper aim in life is happiness; that man is naturally good; that history develops in endless progress; that everything is matter. Ellul writes of the plight of irreligious modern man, who in his loneliness becomes an easy target for propaganda campaigns:
Above all he is a victim of emptiness-he is a man devoid of meaning. He is very busy, but he is emotionally empty, open to all entreaties and in search of only one thing-something to fill his inner void. To fill this void he goes to the movies-only a very temporary remedy. He seeks some deeper and more fulfilling attraction. He is available, and ready to listen to propaganda. He is the lonely man... He feels the most violent need to be re-integrated into a community, to have a setting, to experience ideological and affective communication. That loneliness inside the crowd is perhaps the most terrible ordeal of modern man; that loneliness in which he can share nothing, talk to nobody, and expect nothing from anybody, leads to severe personality disturbances. For it, propaganda, encompassing Human Relations, is an incomparable remedy. It corresponds to the need to share, to be a member of a community to lose oneself in a group, to embrace a collective ideology that will end loneliness. Propaganda is the true remedy for loneliness.
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Kelly O’Connell is an author and attorney. He was born on the West Coast, raised in Las Vegas, and matriculated from the University of Oregon. After laboring for the Reformed Church in Galway, Ireland, he returned to America and attended law school in Virginia, where he earned a JD and a Master’s degree in Government. He spent a stint working as a researcher and writer of academic articles at a Miami law school, focusing on ancient law and society. He has also been employed as a university Speech & Debate professor. He then returned West and worked as an assistant district attorney. Kelly is now is a private practitioner with a small law practice in New Mexico.