Propaganda is covert yet pervasive. People are propagandized from the moment of birth. From my own experience it took decades of observing the hypocrisy and inconsistencies of not just the government but the media, religion, education, social organizations, lawmakers, law enforcement, and the government policies to question the entire system - the very culture. That is how pervasive the propaganda is. The power interests, what Ray McGovern labeled MICCIMATT (Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank complex), plus what Michael Hudson refers to as the FIRE (Finance, Insurance, Real Estate) sector, have worked tirelessly 24 hours/day/365 days/year for generations to achieve their goals of power and financial reward. Every one of us civilians is fed a daily script by the media, educational, religious and social institutions, and our parents friends and relatives (who have been propagandized all their lives). "Country X is evil, Country Y is good". "This way of thinking is acceptable; this other is not". If one counters the status quo, one is attacked, minimized or just made invisible.
I agree with your assessment, Femi. I only highlight that its existence in Africa is not an outlier. It is the norm. Colonial thinking is integral to capitalism. It has been embedded into the culture - your culture and mine (a lifelong US citizen). Colonial thinking requires simultaneously placating and subjugating the masses. The US government sells itself as a guardian of freedom and democracy. In reality the US is currently the largest colonizer state. Dissent is rarely tolerated, and if tolerated, it is tolerated only to a point as the recent attacks on free-speech demonstrate. Acquiescence/compliance/submission is not an option for those powerful interests that guide the society. The sooner people come to recognize it, the sooner we can crash this monster.
You do good work in educating people. I do mine engaging with friends and family - most often to no avail because of the cultural conditioning. I keep trying...
Jules Henry wrote one very excellent essay I read during my school days. It was titled: “Social and Psychological Preparation for War,” which was originally published in The Dialectics of Liberation (Penguin, 1968).
Mr. Henry informed us of the reason why it is very easy for the United States to wage wars at the drop of a hat, so to speak. He wrote:
“It is clear, therefore, that in preparation for modern war, an interdependent world political economy has within it sufficient conflicts of interest to make all nations potential enemies to all others. One of the “evolutionary achievements” of modern culture has been to make the idea that “anybody can be my enemy at any time” acceptable. A consequence of the definition of the enemy as part of one’s own social system is a psychological predisposition to accept
almost any nation at all as inimical when the government chooses to so
define it.”
You are appreciated. Let’s keep on doing our bits to enlighten our people🙏
Dietrich Bonhoeffer REVEALED How Ignorance ‘Manipulates’ Society
The Mindful Gaze delves into Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s chilling insights into how ignorance is not just a lack of knowledge, but a powerful tool of manipulation within society. Bonhoeffer, a theologian and anti-Nazi dissident, witnessed firsthand how blind obedience and unquestioned ignorance allowed dangerous ideologies to flourish. His writings reveal that willful ignorance is not merely a passive state, but an active force that can be harnessed to control the masses.
In this video, we explore Bonhoeffer’s concept of “stupidity as moral failure,” where ignorance becomes a shield against truth, reason, and critical thinking. Manipulative leaders and institutions understand this—they exploit ignorance by feeding narratives that discourage questioning and promote conformity. When people stop thinking critically, they become pawns in a larger game, often defending their oppressors without even realizing it. But Bonhoeffer's message is not just a warning – it is a call to action. By developing self-awareness, seeking truth, and challenging popular narratives, we can free ourselves from the invisible chains of ignorance and regain our intellectual and moral autonomy.
"Why do we think our politicians descended from the cosmos and were not part of the society?"
Rose from the depths of hell seems more likely. (Sorry ..couldn't resist!)
I can't help but view this from my own country. Since before I was born, our politicians inevitably have emerged from a society in which I have no part, and view mostly from tv screens & magazine images. On the sole occasion that I came face to face with a family of that society, I was instantly made to feel like a fart that everybody pretended not to hear or smell. Sideways glances, very slightly wrinkled noses.
I saw one standing outside his Rolls once, in our supermarket parking lot of all places. Apparently stretching his legs while waiting for his chauffeur to make an ad hoc purchase. I could see from a distance of a hundred yards, give or take, that both he & his business suit were "cut from a different cloth."
He looked like he had just descended from Mars, so out of place. So I take it back. I guess you could say descended from the cosmos!
But my point is, of course, that they come from a different society, selected by birth & we are presented with a couple choices from the pre-chosen funded by that very alien society.
Propaganda is covert yet pervasive. People are propagandized from the moment of birth. From my own experience it took decades of observing the hypocrisy and inconsistencies of not just the government but the media, religion, education, social organizations, lawmakers, law enforcement, and the government policies to question the entire system - the very culture. That is how pervasive the propaganda is. The power interests, what Ray McGovern labeled MICCIMATT (Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank complex), plus what Michael Hudson refers to as the FIRE (Finance, Insurance, Real Estate) sector, have worked tirelessly 24 hours/day/365 days/year for generations to achieve their goals of power and financial reward. Every one of us civilians is fed a daily script by the media, educational, religious and social institutions, and our parents friends and relatives (who have been propagandized all their lives). "Country X is evil, Country Y is good". "This way of thinking is acceptable; this other is not". If one counters the status quo, one is attacked, minimized or just made invisible.
I agree with your assessment, Femi. I only highlight that its existence in Africa is not an outlier. It is the norm. Colonial thinking is integral to capitalism. It has been embedded into the culture - your culture and mine (a lifelong US citizen). Colonial thinking requires simultaneously placating and subjugating the masses. The US government sells itself as a guardian of freedom and democracy. In reality the US is currently the largest colonizer state. Dissent is rarely tolerated, and if tolerated, it is tolerated only to a point as the recent attacks on free-speech demonstrate. Acquiescence/compliance/submission is not an option for those powerful interests that guide the society. The sooner people come to recognize it, the sooner we can crash this monster.
You do good work in educating people. I do mine engaging with friends and family - most often to no avail because of the cultural conditioning. I keep trying...
Thank you, brother.
Greetings to you.
I know of what you talked about.
Jules Henry wrote one very excellent essay I read during my school days. It was titled: “Social and Psychological Preparation for War,” which was originally published in The Dialectics of Liberation (Penguin, 1968).
Mr. Henry informed us of the reason why it is very easy for the United States to wage wars at the drop of a hat, so to speak. He wrote:
“It is clear, therefore, that in preparation for modern war, an interdependent world political economy has within it sufficient conflicts of interest to make all nations potential enemies to all others. One of the “evolutionary achievements” of modern culture has been to make the idea that “anybody can be my enemy at any time” acceptable. A consequence of the definition of the enemy as part of one’s own social system is a psychological predisposition to accept
almost any nation at all as inimical when the government chooses to so
define it.”
You are appreciated. Let’s keep on doing our bits to enlighten our people🙏
Greetings, again.
Please, are you familiar with this:
https://youtu.be/53ZaXpIn2fg?si=YMbc8gNEOvZ72FyS
The Theory of SOCIAL STUPIDITY
Dietrich Bonhoeffer REVEALED How Ignorance ‘Manipulates’ Society
The Mindful Gaze delves into Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s chilling insights into how ignorance is not just a lack of knowledge, but a powerful tool of manipulation within society. Bonhoeffer, a theologian and anti-Nazi dissident, witnessed firsthand how blind obedience and unquestioned ignorance allowed dangerous ideologies to flourish. His writings reveal that willful ignorance is not merely a passive state, but an active force that can be harnessed to control the masses.
In this video, we explore Bonhoeffer’s concept of “stupidity as moral failure,” where ignorance becomes a shield against truth, reason, and critical thinking. Manipulative leaders and institutions understand this—they exploit ignorance by feeding narratives that discourage questioning and promote conformity. When people stop thinking critically, they become pawns in a larger game, often defending their oppressors without even realizing it. But Bonhoeffer's message is not just a warning – it is a call to action. By developing self-awareness, seeking truth, and challenging popular narratives, we can free ourselves from the invisible chains of ignorance and regain our intellectual and moral autonomy.
"Why do we think our politicians descended from the cosmos and were not part of the society?"
Rose from the depths of hell seems more likely. (Sorry ..couldn't resist!)
I can't help but view this from my own country. Since before I was born, our politicians inevitably have emerged from a society in which I have no part, and view mostly from tv screens & magazine images. On the sole occasion that I came face to face with a family of that society, I was instantly made to feel like a fart that everybody pretended not to hear or smell. Sideways glances, very slightly wrinkled noses.
I saw one standing outside his Rolls once, in our supermarket parking lot of all places. Apparently stretching his legs while waiting for his chauffeur to make an ad hoc purchase. I could see from a distance of a hundred yards, give or take, that both he & his business suit were "cut from a different cloth."
He looked like he had just descended from Mars, so out of place. So I take it back. I guess you could say descended from the cosmos!
But my point is, of course, that they come from a different society, selected by birth & we are presented with a couple choices from the pre-chosen funded by that very alien society.
I thank you for your feedback.
The difference between my society and yours is that until recently your politicians brought the bacon home, so to speak.
They raided the world, killed, raped, maimed etc but they brought the loot back home to guarantee good lives for their citizens.
We have never been that lucky in Africa.
Our misrulers have always governed us on behalf of their sponsors and curators in the West!
That, IMO, is a Biggo-biggo difference.
Enjoy your day
Thats true bro, we need real socialist movements to cause revolutionary culture movements that cause these things