Propagating The Faith
400 years ago, in the response to the ideological challenge of the Protestant Reformation, Pope Gregory XV created the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide (Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith) a Papal arm responsible for fostering the spread of religious ideology in Europe and the new colonies. It is from this body that we draw the term propaganda- "that which ought to be spread". What exactly ought to be spread has differed across history as those welding power have changed- from our theocratic beginnings, rising nationalist sentiment, the political ideologies of the Cold War, and into the post 9-11 world of Terrorism, Sovereignty and the Clash of Civilizations. All are ideological battles perpetuated by various elites- seeking to shape the hearts, minds and actions of the public through any combination of emotion and intellect- fear and solidarity- salvation and security.
"Here may lie the most important effect of mass communication, its ability to mentally order and organize our world for us. In short, the mass media may not be successful in telling us what to think, but they are stunningly successful in telling us what to think about."
- Shaw & McCombs,
The Emergence of American Political IssuesThese People Want to scare U.S.Recently, I saw an incredible documentary (
The Power of Nightmares,
The Rise of the Politics of Fear, by
Adam Curtis
). It argues "that during the 20th Century politicians lost the power to inspire the masses, and that the optimistic visions and ideologies they had offered were perceived to have failed. The film asserts that politicians consequently sought a new role that would restore their power and authority, that "Instead of delivering dreams, politicians now promise to protect us: from nightmares". To illustrate this Curtis compares the rise of the American neoconservatives and radical Islamists- both movements who have benefited from exaggerating the scale of the terrorist threat". I found his perspective to be intensely interesting and worth experiencing in detail (free on
Google Video).
Most notably for me, was the exploration of the roots of the neoconservative philosophy- especially on the perpetuation of the Noble Lie. This Platonic concept was interpreted by
Leo Strauss- a reclusive academic political philosopher who mentored some key neoconservatives- as necessary myths perpetuated by political leaders seeking to maintain a cohesive society, giving people meaning, purpose and stability.
Therein lies a critical distinction which leads to a very dark place- in consciously divorcing the internal ideology of the political elites and the Noble Lies perpetuated to the populace. This is ultimately self-destructive as the elites inevitably begin to believe the propaganda they perpetuate- and this increasing division from reality will dangerously effect strategy and policy. As we are currently witnessing in the US administration, this gap requires further propaganda, ethical and legal violations to maintain control- and stop reality from crashing back in.
The War is Terror
This piece of propaganda is produced by
Progress for America- a organisation set up by the Bush Administration (read "
friends of the Party") to bypass regulation limiting political campaign funding and avoid accountabiliy for political advertising (
527 groups- also used by Democrats). Progress for America was the 4th biggest fundraiser for the 2004 election cycle (spending $35 million) - and the third biggest for 2006. Their propaganda is paid for by a number of
key contributors including a co-founder of Amway, an owner of Walmart and the US Ambassador to the Netherlands. This isn't grass roots racism or simple ignorance; this is right-wing elite sponsoring grass roots racism and misinformation. This is part of the strategy; they are perpetuating irrational fear to maintain control. I find this both frightening and dangerous.
With the propaganda piece in mind, here's a handy ranking of the various dangers confronting America, based on the number of mortalities in each category throughout the 11-year period spanning 1995 through 2005. Sources:
National Highway and Safety Agency and
Wired.
Yet, they consciously perpetuate a culture of fear around this unknown, unpredictable evil. Furthermore, this culture actually supports terrorist methods. It amplifies the terror of past acts by maintaining focus and the emotional hype around them and builds frightful anticipation for the future, heightening the terror of any myriad of possible acts.
Living with Murder?
Terrorism is inevitable- it will always exist (or at least until our Eden/Nirvana/Jetsons style world is eventually actualised). It was present in 1st century Roman Empire when Zealots struck down rich collaborators and others who were friendly to the Romans in a fierce and unrelenting terror campaign in the eastern Mediterranean. It was present in early 20th Century United States as the Ku Klux Klan tried to establish a culture of fear to promote their white supremist ideology. It has been a recurring theme in the latter 20th Century, and will continue well beyond our lives. Terrorism has always happened, and in a free society, will always happen. As demonstrated in the above graphic it has a very limited "real" impact and one that should not challenge the values and institutions of western civilisation. Yet our values and institutions are being changed- not because of terrorism but because of the culture of fear that has been perpetuated in it's name.
Terrorism exists - just as homicide exists. We need to understand it and address it rationally, without fear that we are going to be taken hostage or blown up in the sky. There seems to be two ways this can happen. Either through apathy- or through exploration. Apathy tries to cut off terrorism at its emotional root- we stop caring about the actions; turn inwards, become more parochial. I find this approach quite dehumanising and potentially dangerous, not only that it might result in terrorists seeking more and more shocking actions but that it would remove an important fail safe for an open society. If people are willing to kill themselves to bring attention to a cause- then history suggests that cause, and the conditions and motivation that lead to the actions, deserves enquiry at the very least.
Through exploration we would seek to understand the motives and rationale for terrorist actions and address the conditions that forge them. I do not believe these core conditions are ideological; I believe this "Clash of Civilisations" is itself part of the propaganda. This ideological conflict merely distracts us from the real conditions in which we live and attempts to convince us that our brothers are not our brothers. I believe that through education, economic development, responsible leadership and empowered individuals and institutions we will find real solutions to our social problems. Real solutions that do not hang only the air of ideology- but cut to very heart of our reality. This is no time for the Noble Lie, now we must call upon the simple truth.
Labels: Longer Posts, war
