Seems odd to me that the military in a supposedly "free country" produces propaganda that directly targets its own citizens.
Discuss.
Also, I'm getting out the :spray-bottle: and having :volcel-police: on standby for this thread, just in case.
Seems odd to me that the military in a supposedly "free country" produces propaganda that directly targets its own citizens.
Discuss.
Also, I'm getting out the :spray-bottle: and having :volcel-police: on standby for this thread, just in case.
Eh. I would say the contradiction lies not in the existence of propaganda in a free society (the very assertion of liberal "freedom" as a virtue is, itself, state propaganda). Propaganda will exist in every society, as the ruling class (be it bourgeoisie or proletariat) asserts its logical and moral positions.
I think the contradiction is in the disparity between what American state media espouses, what Americans claim they believe, and how those same Americans behave.
The insistence that we live in a free society coupled with the assertion that we are constantly under siege - both from without and within - and the constant call for the sacrifice of liberty in the name of security... it screams a lack of either.
This, combined with a public that assets the existence of a democracy, while constantly questioning the results of every election, every appointment, every law passed, every judicial decision reached... Again, it suggests a deep lack of conviction.