Don't Be A Sucker

This post is not an attempt to insult anyone, even if the word "sucker" is featured prominently in its title. "A gullible or easily deceived person," is the dictionary-description of the word, which sounds about right for what the propaganda I'd like to point your attention to tries to impress upon the public.

_{Image by Javier-Rodriguez - source: Pixabay}

Yes, we're going to indulge in some propaganda today. Some American post-World War II propaganda to be more precise; "Don't be a sucker" is the title of a twenty minute "educational film" created by the United States Department of Defensewhich was produced in 1945. Propaganda is of all times, and most of the times most people get suckered into blindly believing that which is considered to be "conventional wisdom"; the Overton window, the range of topics and ideas considered acceptable in public and political discourse, is largely framed by propaganda. Most of the time we don't recognize the propaganda; what's repeated over and over again, becomes the norm. And when enough people start repeating it themselves, it becomes conventional wisdom, outcasting anyone who doesn't conform to the norm as heretics or extremists.

What's important to understand about propaganda, to always keep brightly flashing in the back of your mind, is that propaganda is a tool for controlling we, the people; this is the very reason why propaganda has always been with us, it's because this tool is used by the winners of that one war that never ends, which is the one between the classes. You see, there's only one perpetual winner in this war, and these winners, be they Pharaohs, Kings or Oligarchs, are constantly attacking our psyche by spreading their propaganda via their copious platforms. Much of the contemporary paradigm is dictated by whatever ruling class is in power. It's good to have "common sense", but this perpetual reality should have us all question that common sense every chance we get.

While the propaganda really is non-stop, it's especially during wartime that the lies implanted in our minds need to be stepped up a notch; we're not naturally inclined to wage war with each other, especially in far away lands against people we know nothing about. That's why virtually every war in human history was the product of our rulers lying to us about their targets. One of the "best" examples of the power of this relentless top-down propaganda is the fact that even today still many people believe that Saddam Hussein was involved somehow in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, or that he had weapons of mass destruction, both of which are not true. It's in times of war that the propaganda is at its "best" because the general population will not sacrifice their sons' and daughters' lifes in far way lands, without first garnering enough hate against far away people. The mere fact that we can be made to hate people we know absolutely nothing about, should make alarm-bells go off.

Once again we find ourselves in an era of xenophobia and hate, and once again we've got populist demagogues inciting hate against and between minorities. Once again it seems that large portions of the community are suckered into believing that people from far away are an existential threat to the patriots and their way of life. The last World War was fueled by that kind of hate, that kind of instilled fear. That's why I ask twenty minutes of your time, dear reader, to marvel at the below linked propaganda film by the American Department of Defense. Conservatives and liberals alike will be able to get something from it I believe; if you have a strong opinion on identity politics, nationalism, patriotism, racism, open or closed borders, whether you're a Republican, a Democrat or an Independent, watch this to remind yourself who your real enemies are. There's only one perpetual war: the populous against the establishment. Trump's election proves it: he won by passing Hillary Clinton on her LEFT. He proposed as a Republican, that which should have been proposed by the Democrats; ending the wars, bringing back blue-collar jobs, "draining the swamp", in short everything regular folks wish for. Of course, it was all a lie, clever propaganda, often delivered in portions of max. 280 words. But Trump winning on a suspiciously leftist agenda should make clear that left and right don't differ that much when it comes to the real issues; there's a majority on both sides in favor of legalizing marijuana, medicare for all, ending the overseas wars, reducing income inequality, affordable or free education for all and so on. So, don't let the powers that be sucker us into hating each other again, because that's how they'll win again; to that end, please consume this little piece of black and white propaganda that should become conventional wisdom again:

_{Don't Be a Sucker}

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