Propaganda as Language Manipulation

Propaganda functions both at conscious and unconscious levels. And this in two senses. People seek to promote, to propagate their interests either deliberately or unwittingly. What they promote also either affects individuals, influences individuals at a conscious or at an unconscious level, that is, subliminally, and often at both levels simultaneously.

In politics a common method of propaganda is through neuro-linguistic programming. Swiss psychologist Judith Barben states NLP's working succinctly: "Two important basic assumptions of neuro-linguistic programming are firstly: reality is not important since every person has his or her own reality and secondly language is used as a means of influencing, not as a means of understanding." Any absolute or objective truth that is universally applicable is categorically rejected. Meaning and truth are relative and therefore the means used to obtain one's ends may accommodate deception and outright lies.

The meaning of language, of words is malleable in this relativistic mindset and definitions can be manipulated and altered to achieve one's ends. This is precisely what has been happening in our enormous world problem of marriage confusions to the point in which we now find millions of people claiming that non-marriage is marriage. Many rational people have wondered, "How have we come to this?"

Two things may be noted by this rather astounding development, a development that is not unique to the confusions related to marriage: 1. There has been a conscious, carefully planned strategy of neuro-linguistic programming and 2. Masses of people are highly susceptible to this form programming.

At the conscious level of programming to have masses of people imagine that the unmarriageable may marry, has been the highly successful campaign to capture the media, the primary means of propaganda. Through repetitive word distortions in simplistic slogans, the masses have almost been hypnotized into thinking, "Ah, yes, black is white, up is down, yes is no, bad is good" or "Who cares?" ["Neuro-linguistic programming was developed from hypnosis and aims at starting unconscious human reactions and processes by means of 'hypnotic empty clichés.'" (Barben)]

We find that in this language manipulation propaganda the first words to fall victim to complete distortion were "discrimination," and "equality." This was done because of the obvious success achieved by the proper use of these words in combating racial and gender discrimination.

Clearly the way to achieving acceptance of any behavior was to usurp these well-known and highly respected words. The only problem that needed to be concealed is that whereas with race and gender we were addressing clearly innate and immutable characteristics, sexual behaviors simply do not fit this condition. The way to conceal this was to fabricate the "gay gene" myth. Homosexual geneticist Dean Hamer went to work on this as did homosexual neurologist Simon LeVay among others. As time went by and their claims failed peer review the "gay gene" theory receded in importance. No matter, the propaganda succeeded, the public never heard the refutations. Homosexuals could continue to claim, "That's what I am." "That's who I am." Which implies an innate and immutable condition.

And so, on to the grand prize, the crown jewel of societal affirmation, Marriage! When discrimination, which refers to the ability to make distinctions and objective judgments, is defined simplistically as mere prejudice, then all attempts to differentiate between the sexual relationship of two men and the relationship of a man and a woman in marriage are denigrated as merely discriminatory prejudices. When the inherently unequal is classified as equal then those who recognize the difference are insulted as homophobes and bigots.

After all, the objective of mere propaganda is to achieve one's end. What does truth have to do with it? Why make fine and academic distinctions? Just continue repeating the slogans. Tell the lie often enough and the masses will be swayed.

"The function of propaganda is . . . not to weigh and ponder the rights of different people, but exclusively to emphasize the one right which it has set out to argue for. Its task is not to make an objective study of the truth, in so far as it favors the enemy, and then set it before the masses with academic fairness; its task is to serve our own right, always and unflinchingly." (Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler)

Yet, as if by some great miracle, truth has a way of resurfacing no matter how long it is oppressed through the propaganda of language manipulation.

[In this post I am not referring to the possible value of particular NLP self-development techniques but rather to the methodology as a means to influence masses to accept the otherwise unlikely, unacceptable or even the absurd.]