- Joined
- Apr 22, 2019
- Messages
- 46,895
- Reaction score
- 22,868
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Progressive
This thread isn't to discuss any specific actual piece of propaganda related to Covid. It's not to quote something and say "HEY LOOK AT THAT".
Rather it's just to use the topic to make some basic points about propaganda.
And that point is largely to recognize how groups have an interest in using claims about Covid for their own purposes.
As usual with propaganda those purposes are hidden but the driving force.
For example, a main goal is to 'get votes'. So supporters of the administration would want to make claims it did well handling Covid (or what actually happened, that Covid was no big deal), while opponents want to make propaganda claims to get people to oppose the administration for its policies. Both with the same set of facts.
The topic of the origin of the virus or any wrongdoing by China can play the same role; or serve other interests. For example, the military industry might want to build support for armaments over issues with China.
Then there are countless topics related to Covid treatment, from creation of vaccines, to how well they're deployed, to mask policies, to vaccine requirements and mandates, and more. These can all be used to create a 'cause' to get people's support.
Even other basic facts from Covid infection and casualty rates, to hospital impact and preparedness, offer topics for more propaganda. Who catches Covid, such as political figures, can be as well.
So on the one hand, we have 'the public interest in information about Covid'. But how much money supports performing that service, versus how much money supports using the topic for propaganda?
This is how and why a seemingly neutral public policy issue becomes dominated by propaganda. Because there is so much to gain in manipulating people by doing so, drowning out the 'neutral information'.
How can this be improved? It's not clear. We're not going to have government directives on messaging, other than especially harmful messaging affecting safety possibly, and if we did it has the risk of being its own propaganda. We don't really have universally respected sources - top media and the CDC and experts are attacked. So mainly it seems to come down to consumer choices who to listen to, and the propaganda is designed to be attractive and to fool people.
The larger point is just to use Covid as an example of many of why propaganda is so dominant.
There aren't issues to inform about, there are opportunities to manipulate - and risks to 'enemies' taking advantage of them if you don't. Neutral sources become the enemy by watering down or contradicting the propaganda. And people who HAVE fallen for propaganda, tend to be very loyal to it, attacking anyone who says otherwise.
I don't see a lot of fixes other than convincing them a source is misleading them, which is not easy, especially when they probably don't listen to the source trying to tell them that.
Rather it's just to use the topic to make some basic points about propaganda.
And that point is largely to recognize how groups have an interest in using claims about Covid for their own purposes.
As usual with propaganda those purposes are hidden but the driving force.
For example, a main goal is to 'get votes'. So supporters of the administration would want to make claims it did well handling Covid (or what actually happened, that Covid was no big deal), while opponents want to make propaganda claims to get people to oppose the administration for its policies. Both with the same set of facts.
The topic of the origin of the virus or any wrongdoing by China can play the same role; or serve other interests. For example, the military industry might want to build support for armaments over issues with China.
Then there are countless topics related to Covid treatment, from creation of vaccines, to how well they're deployed, to mask policies, to vaccine requirements and mandates, and more. These can all be used to create a 'cause' to get people's support.
Even other basic facts from Covid infection and casualty rates, to hospital impact and preparedness, offer topics for more propaganda. Who catches Covid, such as political figures, can be as well.
So on the one hand, we have 'the public interest in information about Covid'. But how much money supports performing that service, versus how much money supports using the topic for propaganda?
This is how and why a seemingly neutral public policy issue becomes dominated by propaganda. Because there is so much to gain in manipulating people by doing so, drowning out the 'neutral information'.
How can this be improved? It's not clear. We're not going to have government directives on messaging, other than especially harmful messaging affecting safety possibly, and if we did it has the risk of being its own propaganda. We don't really have universally respected sources - top media and the CDC and experts are attacked. So mainly it seems to come down to consumer choices who to listen to, and the propaganda is designed to be attractive and to fool people.
The larger point is just to use Covid as an example of many of why propaganda is so dominant.
There aren't issues to inform about, there are opportunities to manipulate - and risks to 'enemies' taking advantage of them if you don't. Neutral sources become the enemy by watering down or contradicting the propaganda. And people who HAVE fallen for propaganda, tend to be very loyal to it, attacking anyone who says otherwise.
I don't see a lot of fixes other than convincing them a source is misleading them, which is not easy, especially when they probably don't listen to the source trying to tell them that.
