THE USEFUL IDIOT BOX
I was born in 1951, my parents were by no means wealthy in fact they were lower middle class. We had a car, a tiny house my father built and the year I was born an RCA Victor black and white television.
My first memories were Captain Penny, Howdy Doody, Mighty Mouse and the guy in a suit that my parents watched. My parents would pay close attention to this man every night and would scold me for interrupting.
The television was on a schedule so if you wanted to see a program you had to be in front of the TV to see it. No VCRs or rewind if you didn't see it you missed it.
Soon people started rearranging their schedules around TV. Madison Avenue realized there was money to be made by selling products to these new TV viewers. There was a whole new industry born to market to and yes manipulate these new consumers.
Edward L Bernays called the "Father of Spin" came on the scene. He was instrumental in developing the techniques and psychology to manipulate the masses. This was first developed to sell products and services to consumers.
He then turned his tactics and schemes toward manipulating the darker side of human nature or what I call our lower natures. He originally develop these skills to enrich himself but he set into motion a tried and true set of tools for others to use.
Public relations departments, originally called propaganda departments became part of every large business. Many politicians, fascists like Hitler and Mussolini, Scientology, Jim Jones and the sellers of the "pet rock" successfully implemented his methods.
Soon that innocent box in the living room where I had watched the Browns vs Steelers rivalry games, Jim McKay on the Wide World of Sports, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Three Stooges soon became a powerful propaganda tool.
This new media had the additional power to stir the emotions of the viewer. Nightly news now had images and film clips to frame not only the thinking of Americans but their emotions.
Early on they seemed to have a desire to provide facts and an honest effort to hide their opinions and biases. As time went on profits and the popularity factor began to change this and manipulation seeped in.
Now it is difficult to find anything on television that is immune from some hidden agenda. Consumers of television became like hungry baby birds with open mouths waiting to be fed.
Decade after decade the techniques have been perfected, even the most independent and informed sceptic can occasionally be sucked in. This propaganda is not exclusive to the news it is movies, advertisement and now sports.
There is money to make, power to obtain and votes to get. The molding of the masses is big business and those that are good at it are well paid for the selling of their souls. However many of the best manipulators are deceived themselves. I call them the useful idiots.
Cool is like a drug because we want to be with the in crowd or hang out with the cool kids. The consumers of this media grow subject to group think. We have our self centeredness and emotional neediness justified.
Today our victim status is empowering. They provide an oppressor and justify our judgment and hatred for the group of people they tell us is responsible. Facts fade into the background and feelings begin to dominate our opinions and understanding.
The consumers of television have become accustomed to this justification. We buy things we can't afford or need, compromise our values and rationalize our bad behavior. It is simply easier and much more comfortable to go with the flow.
A Bible quote out of Second Timothy describes this dynamic......"to suit their own desires, they gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear".
I have severely limited my TV viewing in general and I never watch television news. The news programs offer a limited amount of actual information, the panels of "expert" guests feed a specific narrative. An emotional drumbeat is woven through every segment using specific words, phrases, opinion polls, expert endorsements and images, all designed to invoke a specific feeling.
I am by no means the most intelligent guy and I am subject to manipulation from time to time. However I stay away from card tricks, shell games, timeshare and Amway presentations.
To the best of my ability I try to find the truth. I now step back and periodically completely remove myself from the day to day soap opera. After the fog clears I return with a clear mind, fresh eyes and ears. I then can see clearly the methods and tactics working to manipulate us. Try this yourself you will be amazed, a week or a month don't worry the world will still be spinning when you tune back in.
Today we are subject to more media then ever in history. Social media, smart phones, tablets, laptops and smart everything. They have built on the work of Edward L Bernays beyond anything imaginable. I doubt we will even realize when AI takes over if it already hasn't .
There is a game being played and everyone of us is a "mark". The more people who realize this fact the more liberty we might keep. Turn off the media for a week or a month the world won't end and you will have a clearer mind and heart.
Again this is a bicycle blog so one thing I know, traveling by bicycle will keep me connected to what is real.
For a more in-depth look at this phenomena check out these videos.
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