James Hoggan at DeSmog has written a review of a new book by Yale professor Jason Stanley, How Propaganda Works. While we can see examples on a daily basis of propaganda in action, the book focuses more on the threat it poses to an informed democracy, as propaganda works by turning “a political ideal against itself.”
In effect, propaganda shuts down free speech even as it often claims to endorse it, by distorting the the meaning of words (e.g. “clean coal”) and confusing the public by “systematically concealing their interests from them.” When political speech is so heavily spun as to spin 1% as consensus-busting or name a proposal opposed by grassroots and solar groups “Consumers for Smart Solar,” it reframes the discussion in such a way that an honest debate is impossible.
Propaganda also disenfranchises the public. For example, when a group purporting to be representing small business is actually just another Koch front group, it leads the public to ignore all the discussion around an issue, since it’s so difficult to distinguish between honest free speech and self-serving propaganda.
In the end, Hoggan comes to a different conclusion than Stanley, who suggests that perhaps the only way to “adhere to the ideal deliberative norms” is to accept the “possibility that one has been unknowingly swayed by bias.” Though that is helpful in terms of personal discussions and empathizing with opponents, it isn't exactly going to help the big picture political fights.
Instead, Hoggan suggests that, “the best way to fight propaganda is to become savvier about how it manipulates, how it actually works, as Stanley does in his work.”
As Stanley would say, we may be biased because of our daily mission of shining a light on the denial machine—but as a result, it should be unsurprising that we agree with Hoggan.
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