The Horror! Propaganda and Emotional Manipulation

[cali]

Propaganda is a form of communication aimed towards influencing the attitude of the community toward some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument. Propaganda statements may be partly false and partly true. Propaganda is usually repeated and dispersed over a wide variety of media in order to create the chosen result in audience attitudes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda

John Kerry brings up the ghost of Hitler. He and the President invariably stress dead children. Key words and phrases are repeated over and over. The language employed is calibrated to elicit outrage and "righteous anger in order to garner support for military attack.

It's an age old tactic. It's classic propaganda. It's crude. It allows for no nuance; brooks no dissent, discourages any thought.

It's been proven effective over the centuries.


<snip>

Before she left her home in San Francisco, Pelosi said her grandson approached her with this question: “Are you ‘yes’ war with Syria, ‘no’ war with Syria?” First of all, she wanted everyone to know that “we’re not talking about war, we’re talking about an action” in Syria, but none-the-less she continued the anecdote.

When she asked her grandson what he thought, he said, “I think no war.” She proceeded to make her case to the young man, describing how Bashar al-Assad’s regime has “killed hundreds of children there.”

<snip>

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/watch-nancy-pelosi-consulted-5-year-old-grandson-on-war-with-syria/

[polichick]

1. He's at it again now during the Senate hearing.

[Catherina]

2. K&R!

Good morning Cali

Just when you think Pelosi can stoop no lower. What a coalition! Boehner, Cantor, McCain, Graham, Obama, Kerry, and Pelosi.

[leftstreet]

3. This country's leadership is full of incompetents

Maybe they could all interview their grandkids on tv, have them submit crayon drawings of Hitler or fingerpaint maps of dead children littering Syria

What a fucking embarrassment

[bunnies]

4. This Kerry speech is nauseating.

I cant believe Im hearing this.

[cali]

12. The entire hearing is sickening.

[bunnies]

13. Sure is.

Sounds like this is a done deal. Its the "moral" thing to do, after all.

[1-Old-Man]

5. So, Nancy browbeats her grandchildren.

I gave up on Nancy Pelosi the day she said investigating the Bush crimes was 'off the table'.

[DFab420]

6. My question is at what point does the fact of 100,000 people dying become emotional manipulation?

http://www.timesofoman.com/News/Article-20325.aspx

[stevenleser]

8. Is what we would do aimed stopping that? If not, it's emotional manipulation.

And considering what we have been told would be the action, it would not stop the killing at all and is not intended to try.

[JRLeft]

9. 120,000 people died before this bullshit and now we want to pretend like we care.

The real reason is green paperbacks.

[cali]

14. that has zbsolutely zip to do with my op

but let me point out that we didn't intervene at 40,000 or 80,000 and there is no reason to believe that the U.S. would have intervened at 150,000 had it not been for Ghouta.

[Initech]

7. The fact that this "war" is being framed around Syria's kids is what's truly disgusting.

I will shout it from the rooftops:

THE POWERS THAT BE IN THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX COULDN'T GIVE LESS OF A SHIT ABOUT SYRIA'S CHILDREN! IT'S ALL ABOUT POWER, GREED, AND SELLING WEAPONS! REPEAT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CHILDREN OF SYRIA!!!

[bvar22]

10. This guy explaines how EASY it all is:

"Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."

"...voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."--- Herman Goering, Spandau Prison, 1946

Same Shit
Different Bag

The MOST nauseating thing Kerry did Sunday was try to fabricate the case that Assad poses a threat to OUR National Security.
As Goering points out,"All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked",
so Kerry and Obama NEED to somehow make it look like Assad poses a threat to us in order to Get Their WAR On.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

11. A hearty K&R, Cali!

Disgusting that she would use an anecdote about a conversation with her 5 year-old grandson as if we aren't capable of complex thought.

[cali]

15. a mournful post Senate hearing kick.

[cali]

16. the cliche strewn rhetoric of pushing for bombing continues to be

amped up.

[jsr]

17. Well, I certainly don't want the Nazis to win

http://www.chron.com/news/politics/article/Obama-draws-parallels-between-Wallenberg-Syria-4785873.php
Obama draws parallels between Wallenberg, Syria