The Propaganda System That Has Helped Create a Permanent Overclass Is Over a Century in the Making

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/media/propaganda-system-has-helped-create-permanent-overclass-over-century-making

Where there is the possibility of democracy, there is the inevitability of elite insecurity. All through its history, democracy has been under a sustained attack by elite interests, political, economic, and cultural. There is a simple reason for this: democracy – as in true democracy – places power with people. In such circumstances, the few who hold power become threatened. With technological changes in modern history, with literacy and education, mass communication, organization and activism, elites have had to react to the changing nature of society – locally and globally.

From the late 19th century on, the “threats” to elite interests from the possibility of true democracy mobilized institutions, ideologies, and individuals in support of power. What began was a massive social engineering project with one objective: control. Through educational institutions, the social sciences, philanthropic foundations, public relations and advertising agencies, corporations, banks, and states, powerful interests sought to reform and protect their power from the potential of popular democracy.

Yet for all the efforts, organization, indoctrination and reformation of power interests, the threat of democracy has remained a constant, seemingly embedded in the human consciousness, persistent and pervasive.

In his highly influential work, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind , French social psychologist Gustav Le Bon suggested that middle class politics were transforming into popular democracy, where “the opinion of the masses” was the most important opinion in society. He wrote: “The destinies of nations are elaborated at present in the heart of the masses, and no longer in the councils of princes.” This was, of course, a deplorable change for elites, suggesting that, “[t]he divine right of the masses is about to replace the divine right of kings.” Le Bon suggested, however, that the “crowd” was not rational, but rather was driven by emotion and passion.

[Agony]

1. "the public" (is) "a “bewildered herd” of “ignorant and meddlesome outsiders” "

"Lippmann wrote that the public was a “bewildered herd” of “ignorant and meddlesome outsiders” who should be maintained as “interested spectators of action,” and distinct from the actors themselves, the powerful."

"Through the educational system, the social sciences, philanthropic foundations, public relations, advertising, marketing, and the media, America and the industrialized states of the world developed a unique and complex system of social control and propaganda for the 20th century and into the 21st. It is imperative to recognize and understand this complex system if we are to challenge and change it."

The documentary "A Century of Self" is also an important view on this subject.

[unrepentant progress]

3. +1000 Century of the Self is Adam Curtis' best series

I can't recommend it enough. All watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace is a great counterpart to Century of the Self. http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/all-watched-over-by-machines-of-loving-grace

[byeya]

2. This is an ongoing struggle. The key is to attain full employment to allow the workers the

confidence to take decisive action against the capitalist structure and those who control it. If full employment were to be "just around the corner" the caapitalists would again have a strike and allow stagflation to set in even at the expense of their short term profits.
Even Keynes said something along these lines. Incrementalism does not work if you want to change the system and workers need the ability to work from a position of relative strength, in my opinion.