Lying is often considered to be bad behaviour and yet the structure of our our society is based on lies. Or as it is known in more acceptable terms.."Manufacture of Consent." This is about creating systems and structures, which on the surface, look democratic but are really just irrelevant because choices and attitudes will be influenced towards the manufactured created opinion so that the individuals actions reflect this.
To link back to my last entry, smoking is a good example. When cigarettes were first introduced, women very rarely smoked. There was a huge campaign for a brand of cigarettes in the 1920's, which was very successful, which showed women who smoked as free, liberated modern women. The man responsible for this campaign and many others for the U.S government was Edward Bernays, who wrote a book called "Propaganda", based on the success of propaganda in the First World War. He wrote: "it is possible to regiment the public mind every bit as much as an army regulates their bodies"
Propaganda is a form of lying, and forms the basis of our society. Being selective with or withholding information is what the government and the media do every day. It is only possible to make a decision based on the information they have chosen to share. That information is chosen for it's effect and it's control or influence over individuals. Therefore, selective lies control behaviour and manufacture consent.
Trust no-one! Read this book!
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