“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of…in almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons…who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world.” (Propaganda, Edward Bernays)
“The systematic study of mass psychology revealed…the potentialities of invisible government of society by manipulation of the motives which actuate man in the group…[these studies] established that the group has mental characteristics distinct from those of the individual, and is motivated by impulses and emotions which cannot be explained on the basis of what we know of individual psychology. So the question naturally arose: If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, is it not possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without their knowing it?” (Propaganda, Edward Bernays)
In the modern day there appears to be forces operating through the mainstream media and popular culture, which are attempting to increase the individual’s proclivity to engage in certain types of group identification – namely identifications that divide the population into conflicting groups. This phenomenon has potentially dire consequences for both the stability and freedom of a society as it allow those in power to institute the age-old tactic of divide and conquer.
In his book Discourses on Livy, Machiavelli noted that those who have held power over a population have long realized that a population united is always stronger than those who rule over it, and thus stretching back into ancient times rulers have sought to “divide the many, and weaken the force which was strong while it was united” (Machiavelli) through the use of “those methods which promote division” (Machiavelli)
By dividing a population along lines such as race, class, religion, gender, or political preference, or in other words into groups naturally prone to clash, the effects of group psychology render rational discourse and debate between individuals in these separate groups extremely unlikely.
“Each group…considers its own standards ultimate and indisputable, and tends to dismiss all contrary or different standards as indefensible.” (Crystallizing Public Opinion, Edward Bernays)
Unable to settle differences in opinions via rational discourse, groups whose belief structures clash tend to revert to more destructive means in their attempt to defeat those they perceive as a threat. A society dominated by such groups is thus easily divided in increasingly hostile conflict, and as a result, not only does the population as a whole become weakened as Machiavelli pointed out, but its eyes are diverted away from the actions of those operating behind the scenes who constitute, in the words of Bernays, the “invisible government who controls the destinies of millions” (Propaganda, Edward Bernays).
Yes, indeed. Recall that both major parties voted in lock-step to bail out the banks, ignoring the virtually unanimous sentiment of the citizens who opposed it. Senators from both parties voted to affirm Hank Paulson, engineer of billion dollar fraud schemes at Goldman Sachs, as Treasury Secretary.
The Iraq War 2 received major affirmative votes from both parties. Hillary, knowing she would run as president, voted for it.
"I treat my men good, but not too good...Cause then if i give them too much then they dont need me...I give them just enough where they need me but they dont hate me." From A Bronx Tale.
The mafia, religious leaders, the banking and corporate elites. Who can be trusted?
That ideology explains why Bush2 and Obama (who were both total oligarch tools) made it a priority to invite millions of Muslims from the shittiest countries on the planet who would never assimilate and would be a constant source of division, and whose terroristic tendencies would mean that a much greater police state would be needed to keep them under law. And the whole diversity push makes sense if you’re trying to keep everyone divided.
Abortion Race Islamophobia Conservatives Liberal Right Left The War on Us("Drugs" in doublespeak) Democrat Republican Diversity Illegals Socialism Capitalism Guns Gay Marriage Copyright
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