The Spin Model

The model seeks to explain how populations are propagandized and how consent for various economic, social and political policies are "manufactured" in the public mind due to this propaganda. — Propaganda Model

Be afraid! Be very afraid of the evil that is "out there"! Our leaders will tell you who the terrorists are. We will be told of who and what to be fearful...just stay focused and avoid mirrors. There is no need for critical thought. It is already being done for you. No need to worry ourselves about all those complicated issues when we have representatives to do it for us! Choose your side - listen to the party leaders - know the evil of the other side and keep your chosen party strong! Above all else, just remember---be afraid!

I recently read a piece from Glenn Greenwald on the once again overstated damage done by WikiLeaks. The following is excerpted from Greenwald's piece entitled Orwell, 9/11, Emmanuel Goldstein and WikiLeaks

Directing all this passionate hatred toward the state's identified Enemy and their Evil Acts has an added benefit: the resulting mass contempt, by design, distracts all attention away from of the evil committed by those stirring that passion. Thus do we all stomp our feet in righteous fury over the potential, speculative harm caused by WikiLeaks while steadfastly ignoring the actual, massive death and destruction on the part of our own leaders which WikiLeaks reveals.

This is nothing more than a slightly less raucous rendition of Orwell's Emmanuel Goldstein/Two-Minute-Hate ritual. In Orwell's 1984, Goldstein is the shadowy, possibly-fictitious-but-possibly-real former Party official whose betrayals of the State, ongoing treason, and array of other incomprehensibly evil acts make him, in the lore of State propaganda, the Prime Villain, the Root of all Evil, whom Good Citizens blame for all societal evils and on whom they exclusively focus their rage.



The ultimate benefit of this ritual is it enables the citizenry to ignore their own plight and the violence and oppression of their own government (political parties use a similar process -- endless focus on marginal, hated figures in the other party -- to keep fear levels high and party loyalty strong).

We the people, with our emotions and conscience are easily duped by the concentrated efforts of those who are lacking in morality, values or conscience. These professional propagandists seek power regardless the cost to the masses. The people must recognize these power mongers and learn to recognize their Bernays style of public opinion manipulation. We either submit to be controlled by the few, and continue our stampede toward our very own Buffalo jump — or we can make a conscious decision to end the reign of this injust system and the destructive nature of the people who maintain it. At some point we must realize it is our responsibility to place the Earth's future in the hands of the people who must become its caretakers.