The Audacity of Propaganda
I am not saying that propaganda is bad. It is just a tool as any other similar thing. It can and will be used. Therefore it is important that people recognize its usage, or else they will find that they themselves are what is used. I do not despise propaganda. I despise the inability of some to see its application. It can be delivered as simply as a pretty face and soft voice to match.
It need not come from above, but can rise among the youth and sing all the credibility that a grass roots effort can offer. Such is the case, that everyone is susceptible to being drugged, and everyone is equally capable of handing out prescription. One candidate stands above all others in this realm. And while the polls may not always show it, the public embraces him in a manner that makes the competition salivate.
The campaign of Barack Obama is formed upon an image far more those of others running. This is not say that his merits are superficial. It is likely that Obama has substance. But who will see it when we are so filled with the wonderment of his coolness. A strong and successful image goes a long way and can be a great asset. It can also be a handicap. Pleased with the immediate impression, voters may feel less a need to dig deeper into what makes up the candidate.
A person faces no greater scrutiny than by running for the office of president. But then… what really would they have to hide if the public is not even looking. The current state of things bolsters my confidence that I could in fact build up a campaign around a cardboard cutout. Granted I would need to add a few celebrity endorsements and a sound byte or two.
Our system of democracy allows for us to be skeptics. The three branches of government are even arranged so as to be actively skeptical of one another. We do no justice to ourselves, our neighbors, our country by electing the most handsome grin. Let us ask of our candidates all the substance that they have to offer, and when there is no more, we can ask “why not more?” For we will only get as much as we ask, so why not ask everything?
Hijacked post!
see it here -> http://thesidestreet.blogspot.com
Davin,
So have you gone beyond the propaganda and researched Senator Obama? Because your post leads be to believe that there’s dirt to be found… Or that there’s something particularly unsavory about his character (him being the focus of your exposé on propaganda). Or are you merely responding to the propaganda as another one of the uneducated you claim to despise?
If one, what’s your verdict? You lay no claims, only skepticism, in this post. And although I agree with you that the ‘coolness’ factor definitely helps Obama, and that his campaign does all it can to support that image, another way to look at it, is how personable, passionate, and people-oriented Obama is - the way that some other great Presidents have been….
(If the other, I have Obama’s book if you want to borrow it, for a start.)
And as long as Obama continues to get the people back into politics like he has been doing (and like he has done for me!), I want him in the spotlight (making politics cool, sure). The more that people are active in politics, the more the gov’t has to bend to the public’s will - and maybe it won’t matter as much who’s in the top spot in terms of party, etc.
But Obama, I think, can help - is helping - us get there. His lack of experience, etc, will be trumped by his vision for a better America (which I believe HE believes in), and that vision will be carried out by the people he’s gathered together in his campaign, and BECAUSE he’s gotten us all so worked up about it.
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So propaganda… Yeah, it’s out there, and yes Obama uses it as effectively and as much as the next guy or gal - but Obama’s campaign isn’t as shallow as I feel you have casually implied it could be. As one who has looked at least a little behind that “cardboard cutout”, and has become a decided fan — I wanted to say that this campaign, and even the whole of Election ‘08, is worth getting caught up in/swept away by/what have you. And as a former full-time skeptic, part-time participant, I’ve found it’s much better to believe in something than not, and that it was mostly laziness that prevented me from doing so before, and not our “corrupted political system”.
Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to spout.
And Barack the Vote.
Bjorn
It was not my intention to suggest that there is “dirt” to be found, so much as the candidate remains mysterious. I wish to breed curiosity not slander.
I agree that Obama probably is bringing some folks into politics that would otherwise pay little attention. The image of Obama is making politics interesting. I truly hope that this will be a sustainable venture. Assuming for a moment that Obama is to win the executive office and do so again, that would be eight years. In between elections will he keep the public’s eye? Will he continue to make politics interesting? With roots in community organization, we can hope that he would continue to encourage engagement. Or would he assume the more typical stance of national office, and hope that his constituents are more of a quiet status quo nature. Sorry, that is a separate tangent. But after his eight years… is the public still interested in politics, or solely him?
What I mean to say is Obama able to build an interest in politics that transcends himself? I am worried that with his success we may be perpetuating a system of celebrity politics. And if that is the case then we can expect more headlines about stains on dresses, and who is dating who. Increased interest in politics is a good thing, but where does it truly sit? Is he really going to make politics cool, or is he just going to be a cool guy in politics?
To dawn my optimistic trousers for a moment: If he gets more people active in politics then the government will be more responsive to the people. I fully agree with you on such sentiment. And yes, maybe there parties will not matter so much.
Excuse me for not getting into specific political issues, but that is another post. Here, the focus is a nonpartisan look at an image campaign.
nice work, guy