Propaganda is MUCH more effective than most people think.
In popular media, it’s usually only the stupid and the weak willed, but in reality, pretty much ANYONE can be fooled to a lesser or greater degree by propaganda if it’s persistent and/or effective enough.
The fascist Republican party is literally a religious cult, complete with being just as difficult to escape without strong social support and deprogramming as for example Jehovah’s Witnesses or Scientology.
Trump’s way of convincing voters he was a good businessman is literally just repeating, “I’m the best at business.” Fox reports it, Facebook bots astroturf it, and influencers amplify it. And after a daily diet of news TV, Facebook and Tiktok feeding those reinforcements, people walk into conversations and eventually the voting booth, check their vibes, and find that opinion pre-formed.
Never mind that he bankrupted a casino, or inherited the money that made him rich, or has done a thousand obvious infomercial-level grifts that anyone can look up. And repeat this with a hundred other lies that create a shared “truth” without any self-reflection or research.
There’s a reason the advertising industry is maaaaaassive. And no, you aren’t “immune to ads” or willingly make yourself “less likely to buy the product”. You think you are, but you’re not.
Yeah I think the people who drank the Koolaid were WELL indoctrinated into this stupidity before Trump came along, they don’t question Trump because they never questioned anything that came before when it was maybe reasonable (not really).
Just because a lot of them are assholes looking for justification for their bigotry doesn’t mean that every one is that.
My (now atheist and progressive) partner grew up in the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Republicanism. A couple decades after she managed to break free, she’s STILL shunned by most of her family and has a strained relationship with the rest.
To pretend that it’s just assholes being assholes together for no other reason than their own free will might be comforting to you, but it ignores key causes and thus makes it harder to combat the cult.
Terry Goodkind is a terrible author and even worse human being, but his “First Rule” was pretty accurate. To wit: “people will believe anything if they want it to be true, or if they’re afraid of it being true.”
There’s a reason a lot of propaganda is either saying how great things are under a group (even when they clearly aren’t), or fear-mongering about their opponents.
Propaganda is MUCH more effective than most people think.
In popular media, it’s usually only the stupid and the weak willed, but in reality, pretty much ANYONE can be fooled to a lesser or greater degree by propaganda if it’s persistent and/or effective enough.
The fascist Republican party is literally a religious cult, complete with being just as difficult to escape without strong social support and deprogramming as for example Jehovah’s Witnesses or Scientology.
I think about this a lot.
Trump’s way of convincing voters he was a good businessman is literally just repeating, “I’m the best at business.” Fox reports it, Facebook bots astroturf it, and influencers amplify it. And after a daily diet of news TV, Facebook and Tiktok feeding those reinforcements, people walk into conversations and eventually the voting booth, check their vibes, and find that opinion pre-formed.
Never mind that he bankrupted a casino, or inherited the money that made him rich, or has done a thousand obvious infomercial-level grifts that anyone can look up. And repeat this with a hundred other lies that create a shared “truth” without any self-reflection or research.
Propaganda is repetition. That’s all it needs.
The Apprentice has a lot to answer for in this regard.
Reality TV is cancer.
Effective propaganda is multi-path repetition. That’s why pigface is always using the “everybody says” line. Pervasive lies.
Another example, see: ads
There’s a reason the advertising industry is maaaaaassive. And no, you aren’t “immune to ads” or willingly make yourself “less likely to buy the product”. You think you are, but you’re not.
You’re not immune to propaganda
Adblock on every screen nearby. No broadcast / cable TV. Aggressively filtering things that add ads.
People model this as an insane overreaction. The world outside is a madhouse.
Yeah I think the people who drank the Koolaid were WELL indoctrinated into this stupidity before Trump came along, they don’t question Trump because they never questioned anything that came before when it was maybe reasonable (not really).
You gotta have faith /$
I should make a $faith crypto coin…
Oh. It exists. It’s at $0.00
Never discount… people, too.
How many out there think: “He’s just like me, but gets to say what he wants to!”
People fall for propaganda because they want to - they’re not stupid, they’re playing along because they like it.
A lot of them, sure, but far from everyone.
Just because a lot of them are assholes looking for justification for their bigotry doesn’t mean that every one is that.
My (now atheist and progressive) partner grew up in the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Republicanism. A couple decades after she managed to break free, she’s STILL shunned by most of her family and has a strained relationship with the rest.
To pretend that it’s just assholes being assholes together for no other reason than their own free will might be comforting to you, but it ignores key causes and thus makes it harder to combat the cult.
People fall for lies that they want to believe, not because they’re simply assholes, but because the truth is hard and painful.
That’s why social support and deprogramming is necessary, because you need to ease people into a very difficult reality.
They’d rather just play along because it’s easier, safer, and more comfortable. They like it.
Terry Goodkind is a terrible author and even worse human being, but his “First Rule” was pretty accurate. To wit: “people will believe anything if they want it to be true, or if they’re afraid of it being true.”
There’s a reason a lot of propaganda is either saying how great things are under a group (even when they clearly aren’t), or fear-mongering about their opponents.