Media Control - The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda Noam Chomsky Book
by Noam Chomsky

Though a number of Noam Chomsky's ideas are sometimes too anarchistic for me, his enlightening written effort -- Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda -- is a book that any person who contemplates their position in life should thoroughly read. Written in 1997, Chomsky takes the reader through a brief history of the types, uses, and past implementations of propaganda in a no-holds-barred expose'. The book, at 58 pages, is a quick read and can be purchased online. Chapter 2, entitled Spectator Democracy, and Chapter 3, entitled Public Relations are the two chapters that solidly establish the book's foundation; therein, he discusses an elite intelligentsia that attempts to control the "educated" masses, who are considered too stupid to grasp what is in their best interests, through a process termed 'manufacturing consent'. In his book, the phrase "manufacturing consent" means that a peopled intelligentsia crafts a plan using special methods of dissimulation (such as those manipulation and propaganda methods elucidated by Edward Bernays) to subtly convince the masses that an elitist agenda is the people's agenda. Put clearly, an elitist agenda, which is designed in the best interests of the elite, is introduced surreptitiously to a society's people as that which is best for them. What then occurs, over a period of time (usually a generation or two), is that many (sometimes a majority) begin to act in accordance with the main points of their deceptive agenda. What do you think of that?! A person would be wise to ask the following questions. What is me, or, properly, what am I? Am I me, or am I an avatar (that is, an embodiment of a view of life) created by a multi-faceted, elitist intelligentsia?

I'm not always on board with Chomsky's thinking though, and as he ages, his thinking seems to reflect that it's afflicted with confirmation biases and fear. Nevertheless, some of his perceptions are accurate. One has to be careful NOT to take everything he pontificates about as gospel.

"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum - even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there's free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate." Noam Chomsky

Other excellent writings about the subject of propaganda are the Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard, The Unreality Industry by Ian I. Mitroff and Warren Bennis, Propaganda by Edward Bernays, and the Prevalence of Deceit by F. G. Bailey.

"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, and our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.... It is they who pull the wires [or strings] that control the public mind." Edward Bernays

"By dividing the voters through the political party system, we can get them to expend their energies in fighting for questions of no importance. It is thus, by discrete action, we can secure for ourselves that which has been so well planned and so successfully accomplished." Montagu Norman, Governor of The Bank of England, in a speech to the US Bankers' Association in New York City in 1924

Lastly, consider these:

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." William Casey, CIA Director, 1981-1987

"None are so hopelessly enslaved, as those who falsely believe they are free. The truth has been kept from the depth of their minds by masters who rule them with lies. They feed them on falsehoods till wrong looks like right in their eyes." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe -1809

"Nothing is so little regarded in the West as free thought and truth. Explanations are controlled to advance the agendas of the ruling interest groups." Paul Craig Roberts - May 14, 2019: The Lies About World War II.

"There can be no doubt that the promise of greater freedom has become one of the most effective weapons of socialist propaganda and that the belief that socialism would bring freedom is genuine and sincere. But this would only heighten the tragedy if it should prove that what was promised to us as the Road to Freedom was in fact the High Road to Servitude." Friedrich Hayek, The Road to Serfdom

"There are powers in this world that don't want people ascending at all." SEEKINGinger, a CS user - 2021

Oooo! Learned about Chomsky in Psychology class.

I must get this book; you have me intrigued.

I love Jung's work too! I really should read more of his work, beyond what was in our textbooks.

Thank you for this post.

You're welcome. :-)