Propaganda 101: Make 'Em Hate

Almost everyone has heard of the term divide and conquer but not all seem to understand just how powerful it is in alleviating public dissent and forging a society which is constant turmoil but in turn, in constant chains. Going on the principle that division is weakness and unity is strength, you don’t need to look too deep in order to understand the purpose of divide and conquer tactics. Propaganda of course, is key, but there is a broader spectrum of social engineering at play here which we sometimes overlook. It is the human psyche which has been conditioned to have an exterior target.

Now this target can be anyone or anything, but it is always there, there is a constant target which is ‘given’ to each individual. The sad reality is that all of us, no matter how ‘un-racist’ or ‘un-biased’ you think you are, have some external target which we don’t treat the same. This target makes up an element of the circus, bread has, for the most part, become a standard in today’s age, but the circus… the circus is what allows divide and conquer to work, and I’ll show you why. I’ll show you just how and why divide and conquer is so effective in the modern age and also just how easy it is to utilize.

Panem et circenses – Bread and Circuses

First ‘utilized’, if you will, by the Romans, the concept of bread and circuses relies upon the idea that as long as the masses are moderately pleased and pleasured with foods and games, they won’t care for the details of state actions and will be happy as long as they have their enjoyment and their bellies full. The bread is easy enough to understand, but it is the circus which has evolved and which has become key to the divide and conquer tactic. In the beginning the circus would involve watching a gladiator fight in the Colosseum or perhaps attending a rally, etc. The circus though, is not just a form of entertainment and appeasement but also a distraction. Over the centuries the circus has evolved, ever more so since the beginning of the twentieth century. The ‘target’ has attached itself to the circus, it is now the prime (in most cases) utility of the circus.

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What is the target?

The target is something to which anger, hate, rage, praise, affection, practically any emotion can be attached to. The target is not necessarily one individual; it can be something abstract such as an ideology or a belief. In earlier times, the state would rally the people up into the army and impose whichever target they wished upon the mass of the military. Things have changed as people have become more aware, sadly we are just as stupid. The target and the circus are now one in the same; with the advent of media technologies the spreading of the target is easy and quick. We must remember the role of propaganda in all this, it is propaganda which drives the circus/target and pushes it through the minds of the masses. Anger towards a target can be generated by depicting the target in negative connotations, setting the target up to seem dangerous, making the target seem threatening and ready to strike, and vice versa for positive emotions. Now the art of divide and conquer lies in knowing how to create TWO or more targets and effectively mobilize mass support/opposition for each. The target and the circus are one in the same, the target has infiltrated everything from the mainstream news media to the movies and magazines you watch and read.

The former POTUS, perhaps one of the more intellectually challenged ones, understood the fusion of the target and the circus and how it was the fire power of divide and conquer.

"Each crisis is ‘an opportunity’ to have develop out of this tragedy a new world order".
-- George W. Bush

Without drawing too much into the ‘new world order’ side of this statement, examine closely what he is actually saying here. Each crisis is an opportunity, in other words; any current affairs issues which involve large bases of one or more varied opinions can be morphed into a crisis. Each of these ‘tragedies’ can be utilized to further the goals of the administration. The crisis is the target while the tragedy is the circus. Entertainment and chaos all at once. This is how artificial extremes are created, it is the only form that target exists in, as an extreme, one which is artificially created.

The Catapult

To divide is to make smaller, is to make weaker, to allow for easier destruction. There is a reason why propaganda is not slow, weak and barely noticeable. It is always strong, fast and IN YOUR FACE. It is the catapult mechanism, whereby a constant barrage of propaganda is thrust towards the masses; there is no escape. Please excuse the mental torment, but I want to refer to our friend G. Dubya once more, because even though he was clearly challenged, I think he understood some of the finer aspects of his job very clearly.



“In my line of work you gotta keep repeating things over and over and over again, for the ‘truth’ to sink in. You gotta catapult the propaganda.”

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So how do you make the target the actual artillery being used and not the catapult itself? It is indeed the catapult which is pushing forth the damage, so why would the people be angry at the artillery? I’ve talked to a few people before writing this up and they all had varying answers. It has to do with two key points:

1.The catapult is the circus, even though it is one in the same with the target before launch, the propaganda creates the separation through sheer force. The people don’t go after the catapult because it is their entertainment.

2.There is more than one catapult: the target is not only coming from one direction, but from many. This draws in anger and rage at both the target and the circus (catapult), the provider of entertainment, but the target cops the thicker end of the stick for the reason given above.

...

All this hate and bigotry towards Muslims, towards Jews, towards Christians, towards 'illegals', towards whites, towards politicians, towards nations, towards religions, towards ideologies, towards beliefs, towards groups, towards institutions, towards everything and anything which has been despised on a mass level.

It comes from one place.

The catapult.

reply to post by serbsta


Excellent thread serbsta! S&F.

The only downfall here is that people tend to accept facts like this, with enthusiasm, while simultaneously excepting themselves from believing that they might be effected.

The cry of "Yeah, you're all brainwashed!" is far more palatable than the reality than the truth that we all fall prey.

Cool thread & definitely needed , I wouldn't know much about the topic at all if I hadn't watched a doco' on it, and there's no definitive thread on this that I know of so 'nice one brother!'

the doco's called 'the century of self' if you want to check it out...

-B.M

reply to post by B.Morrison


Yes, I've seen it, definitely a must watch and highly related!

Here's the first part, its on the tube free to watch:

reply to post by serbsta


An extremely interesting (if somewhat morbid) topic for reflection and discussion. I, to my shame, am a consummate consumer.

I despise this about myself, but luckily, I have very little control over it; I've been manipulated along with everyone else. Unless I wake up and start PRODUCING instead, I will remain a consumer for the rest of my life.

How do I produce? I become an entrepreneur, setting up an ever-expanding portfolio of money making, job-producing activities. But what does that achieve? I end up creating more consumers - and myself become a more avid consumer of ever more luxurious products. Is there any escape?

Yes - selflessness. Become an entrepreneur, and use newfound wealth and status to better affect society in whichever sphere of it you operate in. Become the head of a charity - promote social projects; get people out of dependence on failing systems and help them to forge their own reality.

But hang on - with increased self-reliance and capacity for production; isn't there a risk that those we help will in turn become consumers? If the third world issues of poverty were resolved overnight, they would become a new market for the corporations, and the cycle will begin again.

Why?

It's all down to the twisted economical structure of our global society. The rich get richer, and maintain the rest as consumers of tiered intensity. Is there an end in sight? Perhaps - but it will be a long time coming; unless we get help from a source which is above and beyond the fallacy of our pyramidal societal hierarchy. Who knows what form that will take? I can hazard guesses, and personal beliefs, but little more. I am no economist, and a layman at best in any other realm of study.

What will I do? Strive to be a producer, strive for self-control in consumption, and strive to educate by addressing (in some way) the problem of an inherently sick and twisted societal hierarchy. Will I succeed? Unlikely. But hey - it's either that, or give up on society all together, take up the life of an ascetic, and meditate in a cave until the day I expire. I dread becoming passive above all else. I feel now, that there is little else I can do - I must retain some awareness of the problem, and strive to overcome it in whatever way I can. And pray for a global solution.

Depressing stuff - but I count my blessings. Star and Flag - your thread has given me renewed confidence that there is a way forward out of the mire. Let's do our best to be producers after a fashion (no pun intended).

You lose credibility by taking partisan potshots. Bush was by most that know him, a wide and diverse reader. I don't care for the man but cheap shots don't help. He was astute enough to become POTUS. If you have ever flown anything you know full well that flying a jet as unforgiving as the F-102 requires some measure of intelligence beyond average. That does not mean he is a profound thinker but even a cursory read of obama shows him as less than an intellectual giant. Your PC fangs are showing.

Originally posted by serbsta
Now this target can be anyone or anything, but it is always there, there is a constant target which is ‘given’ to each individual. The sad reality is that all of us, no matter how ‘un-racist’ or ‘un-biased’ you think you are, have some external target which we don’t treat the same. This target makes up an element of the circus, bread has, for the most part, become a standard in today’s age, but the circus… the circus is what allows divide and conquer to work, and I’ll show you why. I’ll show you just how and why divide and conquer is so effective in the modern age and also just how easy it is to utilize.
The former POTUS, perhaps one of the more intellectually challenged ones, understood the fusion of the target and the circus and how it was the fire power of divide and conquer.

"Each crisis is ‘an opportunity’ to have develop out of this tragedy a new world order".
-- George W. Bush

By the way, Your thesis is quite correct up to a point. Obama is doing very nicely spreading dissension and hatred, thank you very much. All PTB use it to further their own interests. (It was Rahm Emmanuel who said don't waste a crisis.)

If you'll take the time to compare dubya's speeches with obama's he is actually much less divisive than obama. When he did go on the attack he just chose different targets. Remember it was dubya who first spouted the PC rubbish that islam means peace. Some ideologies, beliefs and institutions deserve, at the very least, scorn and ridicule, if not downright hatred, as do some politicians. Hitler fits the bill as does Pol Pot, Stalin, Mao, on a global scale, and numerous others, regionally and locally.

Originally posted by serbsta


All this hate and bigotry towards Muslims, towards Jews, towards Christians, towards 'illegals', towards whites, towards politicians, towards nations, towards religions, towards ideologies, towards beliefs, towards groups, towards institutions, towards everything and anything which has been despised on a mass level.

It comes from one place.

The catapult.

edit on 3/10/2010 by serbsta because: (no reason given)

An excellent little lesson, and well worth a read. Little snippets on information like this, if paid attention to properly, can make a HUGE difference in your and other people's lives. Written rather impressively aswell. Thanks for the thread.