The Bewildered Herd - Mass Shootings and Propaganda
Propaganda is to a democracy what the
bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.
-Noam Chomsky
When we think of propaganda, it often conjures images of recruitment posters of the early twentieth century in pre-World War I America.
WWI Poster Propaganda
These classic pieces are emblematic of the first wave of US domestic government propaganda aimed at the American people. Characteristically, the messages are overt and clearly communicate the government’s intended message.
Putting aside the classic “in your face” model, I want to touch on some of the more advanced forms of propaganda that are pervasive throughout western society. I’ll be exploring the idea of advanced propaganda in more depth in upcoming posts but today I’d like to revisit a slice of Noam Chomsky’s dissection of media manipulation from the 1980s, which is still very much relevant today as it was then.
The Propaganda Model
Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman each contributed greatly to our understanding of media manipulation leading to what we know today as the propaganda model.
The general principle is that power is concentrated in relatively few un-elected individuals and corporations, and that this leads to selectivity, filtering and sanitization of news stories such that what reaches the general public is only that which supports the purpose of those few stakeholders, who typically seek to maximize personal power and corporate profit.
Al Jazeera English - YouTube Channel
Propaganda is intentionally-designed communication that invites us to respond emotionally, immediately, and in a either-or manner.
-Neil Postman
Propaganda's Success
At a time of increasing media manipulation and censorship it’s well worth reading.
You may feel confident that you know all there is to know about manufacturing consent and media manipulation but I find it well worth a second look.
You can view the free PDF here
The Bewildered Herd
The Bewildered Herd as an expression that captures the essence of what we are collectively experiencing throughout western society today.
Whether it’s a mass shooting at a country western festival or at a Florida high school, we lurch from one crisis to another, barely comprehending the senseless violence we witness on our screens and the loss of life in the grim headlines. These events are so common, so normalized now that we can predict some of the details within seconds of hearing the news.
Lone gunman, mentally disturbed male, loner, psychotropic drugs, antidepressants, AR-15, handgun, multiple victims, school, prayers, vigils, gun control, 2nd amendment, don’t politicize the tragedy, fear, confusion, how did this happen?, we’ll never know why, etc.
Of course, there are other descriptors but the point is these events are all too predictable. We know another is coming, there’s nothing we can do, it’s just a part of American life now.
Reading Media Control again, I noted a few interesting passages that I’d like to reiterate in the current context and how controlling the masses is achieved through propaganda.
Excerpt 1
In what is nowadays called a totalitarian state, or a military state, it's easy. You just hold a bludgeon over their heads, and if they get out of line you smash them over the head. But as society has become more free and democratic, you lose that capacity. Therefore you have to turn to the techniques of propaganda. The logic is clear. Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.
Clearly, propaganda is the weapon of choice for western democracies as the use of force would break the illusions we so dearly cling to.
Excerpt 2
(Referring to the 1920s & 30s)
The other problem was that it was becoming possible for people to organize. People have to be atomized and segregated and alone. They're not supposed to organize, because then they might be something beyond spectators of action. They might actually be participants if many people with limited resources could get together to enter the political arena.
Unsurprisingly, we find the timeless concept of divide and conquer as the desired outcome of just about every piece of propaganda. It really is a particularly nefarious aspect of contemporary western propaganda having the goal of dividing and reducing citizens to being passive spectators in current events as a central tenet. We can have all the 'freedom' and 'democracy' we like just as long as we never organize ourselves in any effective way.
Excerpt 3
They were called "scientific methods of strike-breaking," and worked very effectively by mobilizing community opinion in favor of vapid, empty concepts like Americanism. Who can be against that? Or harmony. Who can be against that? Or, as in the Persian Gulf War, "Support our troops." Who can be against that? Or yellow ribbons. Who can be against that? Anything that's totally vacuous.
American society is full of mindless entertainment designed to distract people from reality. Chris Hedges describes this state as “electric-hallucinations”, part of a constructed alternative reality where American society as a whole prefers to remain inside of this illusory fantasy.
Excerpt 4
The bewildered herd is a problem. We've got to prevent their roar and trampling. We've got to distract them. They should be watching the Superbowl or sitcoms or violent movies. Every once in a while you call on them to chant meaningless slogans like "Support our troops." You've got to keep them pretty scared, because unless they're properly scared and frightened of all kinds of devils that are going to destroy them from outside or inside or somewhere, they may start to think, which is very dangerous, because they're not competent to think. Therefore, it's important to distract them and marginalize them.
Could mass shootings be a distraction from other important issues, created to draw the public’s attention towards sensational violence and away from other important issues?
I know this is a sickening thought, but the US government's incessant interference and indiscriminate bombing of Arab countries throughout the Middle East does not exactly give confidence that democracies respect the sanctity of human life more than anyone else.
Since the Las Vegas massacre I’ve given this idea considerable thought. As I’ve said before, the predictable outcome of any mass shooting is that it rekindles the gun control debate. This is a highly divisive issue in America and it provokes extremely emotional responses from both sides.
One of the main purposes of propaganda is to activate strong emotions in the general public. The masses can be steered towards desired goals by sophisticated emotional manipulation. In the case of mass shootings, it acts a sort of cultural RESET, realigning civilians along opposing ideological positions.
Divisions among people intensify as individuals revert back to their default positions and political affiliations. Each fresh mass shooting helps to insure that American society remains bitterly divided.
Excerpt 5
The media are a corporate monopoly. They have the same point of view. The two parties are two factions of the business party. Most of the population doesn't even bother voting because it looks meaningless. They're marginalized and properly distracted. At least that's the goal. The leading figure in the public relations industry, Edward Bernays, actually came out of the Creel Commission. He was part of it, learned his lessons there and went on to develop what he called the "engineering of consent," which he described as "the essence of democracy."
The people who are able to engineer consent are the ones who have the resources and the power to do it—the business community—and that's who you work for.
A cursory scan of the media landscape gives us the impression a wide spectrum of views and opinions exist in America. However, though it’s true there’s a wide variety of publications, websites, studios and production companies the reality is that just 6 conglomerates control 90% of all the media in circulation.
This is significant, as these corporate entities are able to dictate what you see, listen to and read. They have the power to shape and mold the information we consume and even how we perceive this information. Ultimately, they are at liberty to frame the public discourse and even provide viewers with ready-made opinions on specific issues.
Excerpt 6
Pick the topic you like: the Middle East, international terrorism, Central America, whatever it is— the picture of the world that's presented to the public has only the remotest relation to reality. The truth of the matter is buried under edifice after edifice of lies upon lies. It's all been a marvelous success from the point of view in deterring the threat of democracy, achieved under conditions of freedom, which is extremely interesting. It's not like a totalitarian state, where it's done by force. These achievements are under conditions of freedom. If we want to understand our own society, we'll have to think about these facts. They are important facts, important for those who care about what kind of society they live in.
Finally, it really is VITAL to understand that the western media we consume is the most advanced propaganda ever devised. The versions of reality that we’re being sold are in large part productions created to direct our thoughts and energy towards areas that do not threaten the status quo and established power structures. Moreover, this propaganda aims at deterring democracy itself.
Distraction is not the full story by any means. The Bewildered Herd is being psychologically traumatized to maximize emotional control over their minds. Fear, anger, frustration, confusion, hope an even sympathy are all shepherded by sophisticated propagandists of the American media Public Relations machine.
Mass shootings occurring in our communities, churches, schools, workplaces and homes creates an ongoing atmosphere of fear. We can never know when or where violence will visit us, so we’re in constant fear. Receiving no answers from law enforcement and government officials about what their investigations uncover leaves the public in disarray and frustration.
I realize that suggesting that mass shootings and the media coverage that ensues being propaganda constructs will not sit well with many but I personally don't feel that this is beyond the pale. We've seen time and time again how these horrific events are repeating constantly throughout the US without any satisfying explanations. The oft repeated arguments of a ploy to ban all guns, proliferation of assault rifles or simply a deranged loner on heavy medication still leaves many of us seeking answers beyond the current framing of the media.
Humans understand that they are too weak against all other things. Water will drown you, nature will eat you, the sun will burn your eyes..
So it decides to destroy the only thing it knows it can, it's own kind, and things smaller than itself.
Once you take the time to realize that there are far more powerful green and purple suns out there, and even bigger planets with stronger beings that exist,
Once you realize that you yourself are living in a giant super massive organism, things start to change.
You start to direct that painful energy towards yourself, and you start to turn into, the best version of yourself you can be.
We must all be here for one another, because unfortunately, we are all in this together 👍✨❕
Great post mate, I’m in the US right now and the propaganda is unbelievable. It’s literally everywhere you go!
Billboards, radio & TV.
Watch sports....
Salute the flag....
Support the troops.....
OBEY!
OBEY!
OBEY!
Aaarrgghh, get me out of here!
There's something going on near my son's school today, so he's on "lock-out" and not at school. We've gotten a spate of emails from the school district since the 14th saying there have been threats, but have all turned out to be hoaxes. It definitely feels like someone/something is trying to generate a level of fear, and this area is prone to that, being very near to Columbine high school. The fact that these school shootings are generally an American thing, that there's no larger trend in human psychology worldwide toward this behavior, suggests that there is some orchestration behind it. I'm not sure if it's for distraction or just to keep everyone on edge to the point that they're more malleable and willing when the government attempts to tighten its control.
That's very worrying, I hope everything turns out ok at your son's school.
I agree that we should see these types of events happening in other countries if it were a worldwide phenomena but we don't. We do see terrorist attacks though but not the mass shootings every few months. It really does make you thin that something is behind a lot of these shootings. I totally agree that the US gov wishes to tighten it's control over the general population by any means necessary.
Those in favor of gun bans are arguing that the thing making the United States different is the availability of firearms and this is the reason we don't see it happening in other countries. They say that after the UK and Australia totally banned guns after similiar mass killing incidents, the problem was solved. However, truly insane people will find other ways of committing mass murder just like the Boston Marathon bombers.
There is a definite pattern to these episodes in the United States. Since the movie theatre shooting in Colorado, they've been happening on a linear schedule of about 5 to 10 months (averages out to about 6 months between events). The script is always the same as this article mentions. Many of them also happen in areas where the gun issue is politically divisive - swing states like Colorado, Florida, or Nevada, or in the blue districts of red states.
What you propose is, by no means, outlandish. Anyone who thinks that any atrocity is beyond the scope of the U.S. Government needs to reevaluate the situation.
My personal view is that the media and government are simply the two arms of the banksters. This is the one two punch they use. The media controls the mind while the government controls the body. They use the propaganda machine to program people into obedience, into sheepish behavior. Of course, if the people start to show any initiation on their own, that is stamped out either through laws (you cant do that) or via force.
I am continually astonished at the people I meet who do not even question what is being programmed into them. Of course, they are ideologues who want to blame the democrats or republicans for all the problems. Depending upon which side of the aisle on is on determines whether MSNBC is the fair news organization and FOXNews satan or vice versa.
The trouble with discounting all conspiracies is that there is an element of truth in most of them. And as we see, over time, some of those conspiracies are proven correct.
I never put anything past some of the elements of the elite class. They all have an agenda. For many, it is just making more money. However, there are a number who have much sinister intentions. And they will use whatever methods necessary.
Great article...thanks sharing these views. It gets one thinking.
Thanks for your great comments and insight, I think the mind and body analogy is a great point.
I'm also shocked that people just accept what they're being told without question. Perhaps, they choose not to think because it's easier to just pick side A or side B and have your prefabricated opinions fed to you through the screen.
I feel that if our governments/leaders/elite wage wars in foreign lands to gain control of natural resources with little regard for life, why should we expect them to value life at home? I think it's part of the illusion as well, because they do not value life but the ideals that we've been indoctrinated with our whole lives prevents many of us from seeing the ugly truth.
I tend to look at things a bit more simplistic.
The US has a $1T defense budget. Wars in Afghan and Iraq keep going.
Many accused the Bush administration of invading Iraq for the oil...if they did that I could live with it since we would have $1.25 gas. Instead, they left the oil, and turned to "peacemaking" which seems to be scaled down war with nation building..both which cost a ton of money which the bankers love.
I agree it is easier to wage the wars on foreign lands, less clean up. They just throw out in the name of Terror and it seems to appease the populous. Of course, now with the terrorist accusation thrown out at every uprising, they basically can do what they want on American soil and the people will believe it since FoxNew and MSNBC say so.
The head is the sand is much easier as long as one is given more credit to buy stuff to feel better about oneself.
'The media controls the mind while the government controls the body'. I like it - very well put.
Great post. Chomsky has a great way of explaining things. I read Manufacturing Consent a while ago and forget how good it is. The levels of sophistication we see now where propaganda is concerned are mindblowing.
Most people can't even contemplate it and genuinely believe they are free and that society/the world is the way it is due to random chance and circumstance.
As I continue to struggle with people who unquestionably believe it all, one of the few things that gives me a sort of hope is the fact that it is taking more and more time, effort money and technology to keep people distracted and believing in the fake world they have been sold.
The truth and information that could set so many people free is literally in front of them but they are watching satanic music videos on YouTube or playing Candy Crush instead.
I think mass shooting events are used to distract people when the more subtle propaganda and distraction is failing. I think Bill Clinton ordered the bombing of a pharmaceitucal factory somewhere in the world because Monika Lewinsky was due to testify days later. I think nothing is out of bounds when it comes to keeping the truth hidden from the masses
Nothing you say sits badly with me. I'm 100% with you.
Yes, I think generally people are in love with societiy's distractions - bread and circuses. They prefer to keep the blinders on and enjoy the VR world of entertainment all around us before giving a second thought to more pressing issues. I think you may be right about using massshootings as a tactic when other distractions are failing to keep people in check.
LOL, the Clinton never cease to amaze with their corrupt escapades!
Yes and yes. Someone said it is all smoke and mirrors with the Clintons and their buds. Take a look at my post a few minutes ago. I never was aware that thousands of men, women and children were made slaves from Ireland and treated inhumane and often tortured and sent to be slaves in the West Indies. Why is this not in the news to remind us of the horror of the past and forbid us to repeat it over and over again.
Thanks for you comments.
Almost 20 people are dead, the media will report this naturally and ofcourse when these types of massacres happen there is fear, paranoia and many other natural responses. They hype up the issue in an effort to grab views this is nothing new and I'm pretty sure everyone realises this by now. I'd add that these school shootings dont happen on this scale in other countries but there are no other nations that have 3 guns floating around for every 1 citizen. America has a gun problem..I dont think you could really even argue that point. Sharing a continent with the US it's just sad to keep hearing about this every month and absolutely nothing is done to even try to stop it. People even say if there were more people with guns they could be used to kill the bad people with guns and that's just sick logic. We'll be here again soon and I can't buy, believe or contemplate that the govt is behind these incidents in an effort to control or mislead ppl into seizing their weapons. We have guns in Canada too but most are used for hunting and gun control is pretty tight as far as getting them and storage and safety here. We're not complaining that our govt is trying to take away our rights they're only using common sense and practicing due diligence to restrict weapons that are used to kill ppl. It's just far too easy for people with clear mental problems to grab a gun in the US and head out to murder innocent people, people can spin it anyway they want but that's only a distraction from the issue that kids are being killed at alarming levels in America and more needs to be done to protect innocent lives
" America has a gun problem..I dont think you could really even argue that point. ". Think again. We have had the same access to guns for our entire history, and the AR-15 has been around since the 60s. The reason these shootings are happening now is a societal problem and the result of well meaning laws that have the opposite effect of their intent.
Mass shootings always happen in "gun free zones". Law abiding citizens respect the prohibition and disarm, creating a wonderful soft target for a predator.
The Columbine massacre happened when the "assault weapons" ban was still in effect.
The highest number of gun deaths occur in cities with the strictest gun control.
Comparison of statistics to other countries by those with an anti-gun agenda conveniently leave out per-capita comparisons and don't factor in that states with less stringent gun control have much less gun crime overall.
I'm frankly sick of the debate. I have yet to have an anti second amendment champion tell me their plan for confiscating my AR-15. You need a good one because I will not comply with a buyback or turn-in order.
Trump is a businessman in the first place, we're living in capitalism ideology, that's why it's hard to ban a gun from the seller. That's the result of democracy, we have free will and there's positive and negative result in the environment we created, unless you are living in communist country where everything is being controlled. In conspiracy theory perspective, I'd like to share a story from the Japanese fishermen that I got it from Google:
"The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the water close to Japan has not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went further than ever. The further the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring the fish. If the return trip took more time, the fish were not fresh. To solve this problem, fish companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go further and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen fish. And they did not like the taste of frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So, fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, they were tired, dull, and lost their fresh-fish taste. The fishing industry faced an impending crisis! But today, they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan .How did they manage? To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks but with a small shark. The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move. The challenge they face keeps them alive and fresh! Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired and dull ? Basically in our lives, sharks are new challenges to keep us active. If you are steadily conquering challenges, you are happy. Your challenges keep you energized. Don’t create success and revel in it in a state of inertia. You have the resources, skills and abilities to make a difference. Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!
Great work as always @v4vapid I see propaganda creeping into every facet of our lives. That said, when I see the insidious subliminal mind viruses of thought control begin to spread through our populations like a pandemic I realise just how nuanced and indeed cutting-edge propaganda has become. Each event seems to feed the next, and they use every opportunity to splinter further and further divisions. A popular one in recent years seems to be the attempt to open chasms of division between the generations and this shooting has (I believe) been used to further capitalise upon this process.
They have spent the last few years carefully crafting a perception in the minds of the youth that everyone over a certain age (apart from a few key voices) is a bumbling idiot and that the younger generations know best and it's their responsibilty to change the world. Alas the denigration of age deliberately sidesteps the associated wisdom of elders. This is a wisdom that's still revered throughout many cultures and socities and I feel our disconnection from it to be entirely deliberate. Unfortunately many of these university educated young people have also been programmed with kneejerk emotional responses and indeed idealism is far easier controlled than fact. The problem is as utopian as many of these idealistic ideas sound they're also beginning to read like a NWO ticklist.
In relation to gun violence (not speciically this shooting as I haven't had time to fully look into it yet) who doesn't want a world with no violence? Equallyn perhaps some people would do well to look into the architects of this brave new utopia/dystopia .. because one things for sure their reasons will not align with those practicing prayer vigils. There are no easy answers my friend and as time moves on those that are able to see what is happening will become increasingly villified. As with all our societal splinters, the attempt to box the truth seeker in (and equally hold them within the let/right paradigm) and attach negative labels to them has well and truly begun .. will they stick? I guess we shall have to wait and see.
Excellent points here! You're touching upon something very important in these comments, the notion that propaganda is reaching new levels of sophistication, subliminal mind viruses/nuanced/cutting-edge are apt descriptions of what we are surrounded by today.
The advertisement industry and PR think tanks employ some of the greatest minds in psychology pushing the upper limits of mind manipulation.
I have no doubt that the social engineers are constantly on the look out for ways to divide truth seekers and the population as a whole. We're weak when we're boxed into our differentiating categories/labels.
Holy shit was this an amazing article. The al-jazeera clip was extremely insightful. Need to show that to my girlfriend. Will probably cause a fight, but meh... Lol.
I have been thinking about this for some time now. I've always had a questioning mind, and there doesn't seem to be any other factor that can explain why just within our borders, in the last 20 years, there seems to be more psychopath lone gunman types than in any other time in history combined. Just doesn't make sense in any other view point other than there's some shady shit going on.
Amazing article. Thought provoking as always.
The best part is, we all know about propaganda....
Like, it's been around for ages, most people are taught about it, yet what keeps happening? People keep watching the news and believing every little bit. The trust is still there, they believe the information reputable. At least the majority do...
And look how much of it is supported, all other mainstream entertainment basically supports it, the people that own these news outlets own every major source of information. I'm sure they've been trickling into anything they can get their hands on.
Think about scientific studies, who owns the journals that publish them. Who provides funding?
Or entertainment, looks like four of the six companies provide other entertainment.
Who knows how deep this goes...
When are people going to wake up? I feel like newer generations do a better job of discovering all the shit going on, but how to fight against it?
Blockchain technology is the best idea I've seen yet. No censorship, limited centralization, difficult to manipulate because of record keeping. That's why I'm so bullish on steemit. It represents freedom of communication like we haven't seen before. We still need a scrutinizing eye when it comes to news sources though
Yes, propaganda has been around for ages and we're all aware of it. I guess people just naively believe that we're not the targets of it and assume they're impervious to manipulation somehow anyways.
I agree with you that blockchain technology may provide some solutions to these issues but I also see how blockchain tech could be used for nefarious purposes as well. Time will tell. If people see the value of principles of 'decentralization' , 'anti-censorship' and 'accountability' maybe there's hope yet.