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The relationship between media and society
The relationship between media and society
Mass media shaping society
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Throughout the history of the human race the few have held in their hands the lives of the many. Regardless of what type of government or society you observe, it has always been the minority in charge of the majority. It is true that in most cases the majority will reach a breaking point and take down the minority. However, there are those who continue to rule despite public unrest, or those who have the love and admiration of the very people they are abusing. The few have always found a way to climb atop the many, and remain there, defying all logic and reason. These methods fall into a few generalized categories, such as the use of fear, propaganda, drugs, and early childhood conditioning.
Propaganda “is a mode of communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position”(Stokoe) It is ever present throughout human history, and it isn't always a bad thing. Governments and industries alike use propaganda to push an agenda. Most people equate the word 'propaganda' with lies and leaders such as Hitler and Kim Jun Il. It is undoubtedly true that when a government decides exactly what is said to the people there is room for corruption and general doubt about the motives behind the information released. Regardless of whether the motive is 'good' or 'bad', propaganda, the controlling of the output of information is used to control those who hear or view it. Political campaigns use propaganda to win elections. They exploit current issues, and past events to paint a picture that, while it may be slightly true, completely exaggerates the issue or situations. This is done in order to persuade the voter to change their mind about the opponent, or reenforce their opinion. In cults vulnerabilities ar...
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...vernment and the media. Tailoring opinions is what they do, making it difficult to make informed judgments. In the end, the few control the many because the many are content to live in a society contrived to keep them in place.
Works Cited
Ackerman, Seth. "The Most Biased Name in News." FAIR Fairness Accuracy In Reporting. FAIR, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Mumford, Lewis. "Social Control." Social Control through Popular Culture, Mass Media, Ideological Divisions, Religion, Fear and Anger, Drugs, Public Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
Stokoe, Claire. "100 Years Of Propaganda: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." Smashing Magazine. Smashing Magazine, 13 June 2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
"The Power of Fear." Revolution Now! Revolution Now!, 03 Mar. 2011. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
Layton, Julia. "How Cults Work." HowStuffWorks. Discovery, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
The Independent (2010). Power to the pictures: The evolution of propaganda. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/power-to-the-pictures-the-evolution-of-propaganda-2075321.html [Accessed: 11 Nov 2013].
It is not uncommon to hear people complaining about what they hear on the news. Everyone knows it and the media themselves knows it as well. Some of the most renowned journalists have even covered the the media’s issues in detail. Biased news outlets have flooded everyday news. We find that journalism’s greatest problems lie in the media’s inability for unbiased reporting, the tendency to use the ignorance of their audience to create a story, and their struggles to maintain relevance.
In the article, “Propaganda in a Democratic Society” by Aldous Huxley he mentions multiple reasons why we need propaganda to flourish as a country, and why it helps. He envisioned the future of propaganda, and knew how to influence emotions among the community in order to promote things we don’t necessarily need. Huxley knew the importance propaganda would be in the future lives of politicians, media, and business. People need to feel an emotional connection with an idea or thing to be in agreement with it. I feel like the propaganda is important in our society because of how it is used. Propaganda is brilliant in its own way; it opens doors from sellers to consumers, which increases the richness of our economy. Huxley mentions, “As it is
Propaganda is information that is biased to promote one point of view. Propaganda is mostly used during political campaigns. It is one of the most widely used and effective political tactics. It gives its user the opportunity to move people to action in both positive and negative ways, by either bringing fame or shame to a selected person or idea. Propaganda is used to sell a candidate or a belief to the public, by ruining the opponent’s chances of winning, or by falsely advertising an idea of their own as better than one of their opponents.
Fuller, J.F.C. "Propaganda and War. The New Technique of Mendacity as a Psychological Weapon." Ordnance, Dec
What does the word propaganda really mean? For most of us we assume that it is a word for negativity use. Just to assure those that think of propaganda as a negative word. Propaganda does have a positive objective if used correctly. The word propaganda is defined in a few different ways, But in the most general usage, it varies from bad to good persuasion of our minds. It is used during election time to our daily lives on television to our newspaper stands. According to Donna Cross’s essay, “Propaganda: How Not to Be Bamboozled,” there are thirteen different types of propaganda; this paper will discuss six varieties. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney used primarily every sort of propaganda to influence the citizens; therefore, our national society needs to develop awareness in the propaganda used by such politicians so that they can make wise decisions intelligently.
Hummel, William and Huntress, Keith. The Analysis of Propaganda. New York: William Sloane Associates, 1949
... towards the enemies of the government helps fear remain an effective governing force. An example today of a totalitarian regime that uses fear to control is Iraq. The leader Saddam Hussein gained his power and maintains his regime by performing brutal acts to his enemies to instill fear in his population. The fear and oppression he places on his people make thousands of them support religious ideals. During his presidential election Saddam received a hundred percent of the population votes in his favor. The majority of the Iraqis that voted for Saddam would vote against him if they did not fear Saddam's secret police. Lastly in Iraq people are paranoid to speak out against the government because of fear of punishment and death by the secret police. Since Iraq is a totalitarian government run by fear the people will only become more untrustworthy and isolated.
The way the media sways us about how to think or how we should feel about a given situation. Often covering the truth and hiding the facts. One of the goals in propaganda is to set the mindset of the people to align with the goal of a current power, such as a government or a ruling party. Also, propaganda has the effect of overwhelming pride or being subjected to fear.
This evolution has brought on a new problem known as the tyranny of the majority, which the democratic majority forces its will on the minority. According to Wikipedia the phrase tyranny of the majority is” used when in discussing systems of democracy and majority rule involves the scenario in which decisions made by a majority place its interests above those of an individual or minority group, constituting active oppression comparable to that of a tyrant or despot. In many cases a disliked ethnic, religious or racial group is deliberately penalized by the majority element acting through the democratic process”. The democratic majority can exercise a tyrannical power even outside the political realm, when the people state their opinions it causes rebellions. John Stuart Mill emphasizes the importance of individuality. The aim was to limit the amount of power the ruler should have to exercise over the community and this limitation was what John Stuart Mill meant by
I believe governmental power is maintained through oppression and tactic compliance of the majority of the governed struggle and conflict are often necessary to correct injustice.
Make America great again, President Donald Trump preached to the American citizens as he ran for president in 2016. All people have seen propaganda in some form trying to turn and manipulate minds to vote for jobs like a president, sheriff, or even just a high school student for homecoming queen. In politics propaganda is used more than ever trying to push thoughts on to citizens about a certain party or candidate. Politicians will even link their phrases, and advertisements to common interest of different groups to get a widespread variety hoping that it will bring more people to follow and believe in the work they plan to do. Propaganda never pleases everyone because the way they are presented and the way you interpret them, based on your
A society or a people cannot let a government lead them blindly. With misrepresentation comes a whole new form of unjustness. The strong are the ones who do not give into demands placed upon them if they do not agree; those who refuse to conform to society; those who stick to their beliefs, no matter the cost. In many cases, those people are the ones who practice civil disobedience. Martin Luther King, Henry Thoreau, Socrates… All advocated that they should not be denied their freedom, and all were considered disobedient.
Propaganda is influencing the attitude of countries and nation’s communities toward some cause or position. There are two different extreme types of systems of government that use propaganda, totalitarian and democracy. In a totalitarian government, this government has power over every aspect of personal and private life. It is an extremely controlling and dictatorial type of government. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the democracy government where the people get to vote for the party they want to rule. This type of government is open and extremely permissive and allows freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Sabato, Larry J. Feeding Frenzy: Attack Journalism and American Politics. Baltimore: Lanahan Publishers, Inc., 1991.