Rational vs. Non-Rational Propaganda Essay

in that respect argon twain kinds of propaganda rational propaganda in favor of playion that is harmonized with the tiro expediency of those who make it and those to whom it is addressed, and non-rational propaganda that is non consonant with anybodys enlightened self-interest, tho is hardened by, and appeals to, passion. Were the works of individuals are concerned there are motives more exhalted than enlightened self-interest, but where collective action has to be taken in the fields of politics and economics.Enlightened self-interest is probably the highest of effective motives. If politicians and their component ever acted to promote their own or their states long-range self-interest, this world would be an earthly paradise. As it is, they often act against their own interests, merely to gratify their least(prenominal) credible passions the world, in consequence, is a distinguish of misery.Propaganda in favor of action that is consonant with enlightened self-intere st appeals to reason by means of logical arguments based upon the better(p) available evidence fully and frankly set forth.Propaganda in favor of action dictated by the impulses that are downstairs self-interest offers false, distorted or unelaborated evidence, which avoids logical argument and seeks to influence its victims by the mere repetition of catchwords.In understand to propaganda and the early advocates of universal literacy and a unfreeze press visualize only two possibilities that propaganda efficacy be true, or it might be false. They did not forsee what in particular has happened.In Brave New solid ground non-stop distractions of the most fascinating nature (the feelies, orgy-porgy, centrifugal bumblepuppy) are deliberately used as instruments of policy, for the purpose of preventing people from paying in any case much attention to the realities of the social and semipolitical situations. The other world of religion is incompatible from the other world of e ntertainment but they resemble one another in being most decidedly not of this worldA society, most of whose members happen a great part of their time, not on the spot, not here and flat and in the calculable in store(predicate), but somewhere else, in the irrelevant other worlds of bluster and soap operas.In their propaganda todays dictators rely for the most part on repetition, supression and rationalization the repetition of catchwords which they wish to be accepted as true, the supression of facts which they wish to be ignored, the arousal and rationalization of passions which may be used in the interests of the Party or the State. As the art and science of treatment come to be better understood, the dictators of the future will doubtless learn to mingle these techniques with the non-stop distractions which, in the West, are now glowering to drown in a sea of irrelevance the rational propaganda essential to the precaution of individual liberty and the survival of part icipatory institutions.