
For a long while now, I have had in mind to
write an article on the topic of specific techniques of thought
manipulation by way of propaganda. In modern-day America, the use of
propaganda is common-place in virtually every mainstream media source available.
We see this manipulation on TV, in movies, magazines, internet
publications, video games... Just about every established medium employs propaganda in one form or another.
The questions of who and why this manipulation takes place may be
answered in another article some time in the future, but for the
moment, the matter of definition is our first priority. To be
personally educated on the matter of informational accuracy is vital
in a free and open society, I believe, and the ability to discern
between fact and fiction is of key importance as well (as many times, both
fact and fiction are communicated side by side with little or no
obvious distinction). This article is intended to open the eyes of
the reader so as to provide the tools necessary for discerning the
information we encounter.
Propaganda is a favored tool of
manipulative governments around the world, and has been for ages. It
may be surprising to some that this method of thought, feeling, and
behavioral manipulation has been habitually employed by the American
governance for decades, but the fact stands. Wikipedia provides a
fairy extensive list of historic uses of this propaganda
throughout multiple war-time ad campaigns, as well as numerous
situations of foreign tension, throughout American history.