-Caveat Lector- Propaganda-a few thoughts Many years ago I had a meal with the man who edited the news for the springbok radio in south africa. He was not a supporter of the nationalists and so was willing to talk about how the media was being manipulated in the old South Africa. Unfortunately in the new South Africa the new government is just as manipulative of the media and so most whites who are in sensitive positions have been removed to make way for the new ANC cadres. In the revelations at the TRC, it was stated that there are more government agents in the newsrooms today under the ANC, than there was under the old dispensation and that it is common practice for all western governments to have agents in the newsrooms. The conversations went something as given. I will give frequent interpolations to describe some of my thoughts and interpretations. Please tell me how does the Nats manipulate us. What techniques do they use . They control us by controlling the agenda. They dominate the topics that we think about and talk about. If anything dipleases them the news is spiked. Any topic that shows the ANC in a favourable light is pushed aside, as far as they know any way. I try and make the news a bit more balanced but im only given a little room for maneuver. Is tha all I asked. No there are other things but controlling the agenda is the main thing. You cant think about what you don't know about. You are constantly left reacting not acting and feeling lost for a voice. ----------------------------------------------------------- >Jacques Ellul in his book Propaganda talks about Propaganda encirclement. That is if encirclement is >achieved no room for alternative thinking is allowed. The base that allows free thought is taken away. >It is a common situation in totalitarian societies --for it is a common situation in the western world. It is a >reference to a situation in which one point of view dominates the media. It does not mean that only one >point of view is presented. No, it means that one particular point of view CANNOT BE AVOIDED. >A person cannot relax for five minutes in front of their television, or listen to music on the radio, without >being subjected to the "one world" point of view. In the former case, it manifests itself on news and news->interpretation programs and in sitcoms and comedy routines; in the latter it manifests itself in the lyrics of >music.. The "one world viewpoint" has its foot in the door of every newscast, story, debate, and song. >The very act of having to be on guard, to avoid something, is yet one more way in which one world >propaganda works, leading to a situation where you cannot escape its mindset. Whenever some new event >happens, you automatically KNOW what the liberal/one world point of view will be on a particular >subject, meaning that the relentless propaganda has led to an internalization of the oneworld mindset in >YOU. When such-and-such happens and you suddenly think "Boy I'll bet the feminists won't like that" >you should be aware that you are as much a victim of propaganda as anyone else. >This leads to a situation Ellul calls "Privatization" --the isolation of people who don't share the >propaganda view-- and represents the OTHER way in which propaganda warps society. >The Nats could never achieve total propaganda encirclement because the media , the TV, the Cinema, the >Churches, the Newspapers all had an alternative viewpoint which showed the nats propaganda for what it >was...propaganda. But their power was enough to control the agenda for Southern Africa. They were also >not capable or unwilling to counteract the one world propaganda that was being pumped into the country. >They were caught in a mindset in which they believed their own propaganda and did not see that apartheid >could not continue and an alternative solution should be sought, one that would have been equitable to >both sets of people. Instead in trying to cling to total power, the lost it all and left the country vulnerable >to ethnic conflict or ethnic totalitarianism from the black elites. -------------------------------------------------------------- But musn't there be other techniques. Yes , but controlling the agenda is the most important. But let me tell you one. If you have an opponent you constantly show him in a negative position. Like you position the camera so you are looking up the nose. This distorts the face and leaves him looking diabolical. You musnt do it too much or else it becomes too obvious and becomes a caricature. The constant repetion of the image is enough to determine the peoples attitude Another is to take the picture looking down, to make the person look small and insignificant. Look next time they show Desmond Tutu, they love doing it for him. But I respond the blacks don't fall for that and they regard Tutu as a hero. Yes, The Nats have never even attempted to propagandise the blacks. Besides all the black journalists support the ANC and they are always trying to spread the ANC's opinion. ----------------------------------------------------------- >Typically the way propaganda is given is by employing people who hold the opinion that you want >spreading. The best form of deceit is self deceit (the heart is deceitful above all things ? ) because you >never but help, spread the desired opinion. In the new South Africa the government is making sure that all >editorial positions are taken by blacks. The same blacks who supported the ANC in the old regime. Thus >the can say that they do not control the press. But at the same time the ANC party line is spread . >Notice that the creation of impressions is most effectively done on the unconscious level. Moods are >controlled and bypass the critical faculties as mentioned below. ------------------------------------------------------------- The Nats are actually a bit stupid then in there control in leaving such an important group out. Yes he said. There propaganda is very crude. It is very effective because it is so omni present and works on the fears of whites. Sometimes I try to make it a bit less direct and just to keep the listener interest I minimise it. A good propagandist make the target want to watch the propaganda. But don't forget no country is above it. I have often found the BBC world service lying. But they always respond that the end justifies the means and they will keep on lying. ------------------------------------------------------------- >This is where the one worlders have an advantage in that they are more subtle. With all the skills of >hollywood, they are masters of promoting the line and getting people to pay for the pleasure of being >brainwashed. ------------------------------------------------------------- What else can you do? I asked . is there something more subtle. Yes he replied. If you want to make a bad feeling for a land what you do is show the country but drain it of the richer colours and leave the blues and greys. You can also us e music to create the impressions and moods which you associate with the topic. The man was getting restless with my probing and we discused something else. --------------------------------------------------------------- >Literally, what a good propagandist is intending to do is to colour your perceptions and orchestrate your >emotions without you realising it. >There was a british film "reputations" which coverred the life of a well known politician. I had heard that >although this politician pretended to be religious was not particularly sincere in his faith. He plagiarised >his work at college, he fellow travellers were not christians but communists and he had the sexual appetite >of a stud, often sleeping with multiple partners/prostitutes. I wondered how they would approach him. >What they did was very clever. They portrayed him throughout the program as the troubled saint leading >the country onto the one true path. The facts were mentioned but downplayed . the music would disappear >during these sections but would return when it showed him on his true path and the reds and oranges were >hyped up almost but not quite to the point of gaudiness, as the film ends the character departs after his >death into a swirl of music. Perhaps he was right, perhaps there were no alternatives. But because the >alternatives are not discussed---- that is why it is propaganda. ============================================================================ ===== Postscript I am not defending apartheid in the next few lines but commenting on how' 'real' politic could have happened. It didn't and I left wondering why. I am not giving answers but asking questions. Roelof (Pik)Botha was a mason. He controlled the government TV (SABC) and was head of foreign affairs. The usual cycle of events in SA was that the police would commit some atrocity in front of the cameras. This would then be sent overseas and shown on the TV's (but never shown on SABC). Th agency that did the transmission overseas was often the SABC. This would then make the SA image worse and cause the foreign affairs to complain about the countries image and the need for reform. In practice the embassies jobs was to monitor and report on public perceptions. Logically the embassies should have reported back that such incidents should stop. Not only were they evil but they were a blunder. Failing that a totalitarian country should have made sure that all cameras and films were confiscated and the emotion wrenching images should have been stopped. Neither happened. It was strange that apartheid was dropped so quickly after the fall of communism. Was it a wise political move or was there something deeper. It appears that one of the political tricks is to wage half wars. In vietnam either the US government should have realised the folly of the war and pulled out..or should have made sure that all the borders to Vietnam were cut off and the country denied resources(and if it couldn't then the south vietnamese should have been winning the hearts and minds of their fellow country man...otherwise pull out) In the war on drugs you can either go for an all out war...mao tse tung 'solved' the drug problem by shooting those who were addicts(which ended the addiction of the majority or you decriminalise soft drugs but remain ruthless with the rest (or decriminalise the rest as well) A half way house only leads to a war of attrition in which civil liberties and common decency are forgotten. When do we know where stupidity ends and conspiracy starts? DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
