1984: Thread

[grarpamp]

How To Protect Yourselves From The Ministry Of Propaganda

http://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2022/08/make-sure-you-download-latest-ministry.html

While it's fun to sort all the propaganda into various boxes, we would
do well to look for what all the marketers / MoP players seek to
mystify.

It's time once again to check for Ministry of Propaganda updates,
which like Windows and iOS is constantly being updated to counter new
threats and enhance the user experience (heh).

Much like the other operating systems that underpin our daily lives,
the core functions of the MoP don't change much. My chart from 2007
remains an instructive summary of MoP operations, with the only
changes being Mr. Buffett is now buying oil companies and social media
corporations are now major media players.

The core mission of the Ministry of Propaganda isn't just to push a
desirable narrative--it's to mystify the underlying dynamics of a
system that benefits the few at the expense of the many by promoting a
self-serving worldview (weltanschauung) that explains how the world
works in a way that protects the interests of those in power.

As science fiction author Philip K. Dick explains in the quote below,
the MoP narrative isn't just a cloak thrown over the underlying
dynamics, it's the creation of an entire universe / worldview,
including contexts for understanding what's going on, establishing
what's valuable and what isn't, and what behaviors enhance status and
which ones marginalize us.

The Ministry of Propaganda isn't monolithic: various factions compete
to push their self-serving narratives. As Dick noted, this includes
governments, corporations, religious and political groups, each of
which understands that once the populace accepts their worldview,
their power is cemented in realms far above mere force.

A key mechanism in establishing a dominant worldview is the think-tank
or equivalent self-serving body claiming authority over what's true /
false and important / unimportant. This can be authority over the
"correct" interpretation of spiritual texts, economic policies,
healthcare "standards of care," geopolitical goals, etc.

Since humans are innately social, status-striving beings, hierarchies
of authority and power are the air we breathe. Those who establish
themselves as authorities don't just gain power, they cement their
power on the basis of their authority rather than on loyalty or
competence.

The enormous powers of social media and traditional media to promote
claims of authority have generated a deranging snarl of conflicting
agendas and narratives. Various centers of power collaborate on
pushing worldviews that benefit their interests, but this isn't
entirely coherent. The one thing all participants in the Ministry of
Propaganda agree on is our power is deserved and must be defended
against all threats, which includes hostile entities inside and
outside the national borders.

This fragmented, constantly shifting cacophony of competing
authorities is destabilizing. As the tectonic plates of worldviews
collide, the edges crumble and people naturally seek the safety of
some core set of beliefs, in effect "circling the wagons" in an
attempt to restore some internal stability.

We see this in the intense political polarization of this era (see
chart below). To make sense of the competing claims of authority, we
reduce the perimeter of what's defendable, putting more of the world
into "outside enemies" (them) and reserving the "safe, trusted place"
for fewer of "us."

With so many competing factions in the Ministry of Propaganda, there's
a proliferation of propaganda such that there is literally nothing
left but PR. In a universe constructed of nothing but agit-prop and
PR, we all have our favorites examples. James Bond picks up his Nokia
phone. Even though nobody's seen a Nokia phone in ages, if you want to
be cool like Bond, go buy a Nokia phone.

Marketing is the MoP's entire universe. Everybody's selling something
to gain or maintain power, status, mindshare or the ultimate prize,
the dominant worldview.

To ease the confusion, please download the latest updates from the
Ministry. These updates replace all that misinformation, misdirection,
and blatant marketing with the, ahem, facts, or the correct
interpretation of the facts. (We had to destroy the village in order
to save it. OK, got it.)

While it's fun to sort all the propaganda into various boxes, we would
do well to look for what all the marketers / MoP players seek to
mystify. In my analysis, what must be mystified at all costs boils
down to the unsustainability of 1) the current consumption of
resources, 2) the current method of creating capital so the few can
buy up the planet's most valuable assets, 3) neocolonialism, the
modern replacement for the old model of occupation and exploitation by
force, and 4) neofeudalism, the economic / social /political
arrangement in which the majority of the populace are modern-day serfs
with extremely limited agency and power which they are told is
limitless.

"You can be anything you choose to be!" Or at least your digital
avatar can do so, and that's practically as good as actually having
agency and power in the real world. Or so we're told, mindlessly,
endlessly without pause or respite.

More on these topics in the coming weeks.

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