Off Topic — HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to Eating Media Pablum

Nonplussing over Goebbels appeal to the left.
SDAI-Tech1 — (archived)

I'm always amazed at how the Germans and the Nazi party have grown into a sort of legendary stature. Being half German and having many relatives who fought, died, and worked in both America and Germany it has always amazed me how much mystique and credibility the Nazi leadership is credited with.

Goebbels was a rank amateur in propaganda. He admired the American PR machine endlessly. He was in awe of how America, with less than 180 years of history behind it could turn out movies, films, cartoons and books that made it seem that America was 1000 years old and the oldest nation on Earth!

He modeled all his actions after US propaganda techniques. He was fascinated by the way the US romanticized the revolution, the settlers and how kids in US schools were indoctrinated into believing the US had a sort of national divinity.

The stuff Goebbels churned out was amateurish. He tried to create a "divine history" for Germany just as US corporations had done for America. The "1000 year reign" was trying to one-up the US propaganda about the industrial revolution and the "US Century" which had received heavy press in the 1930s. Even today, the twentieth century has been declared the "US Century" - mainly by Americans. Germany was older, had a richer history - and yet somehow the US had managed to corral both global public opinion and a strong belief by its citizens about its superior national status. The US media, Hollywood and image manipulation was the wonder of the world.

Disney was more prolific and churned out more effective propaganda in 3 months than Goebbels did in 5 years.

But we don't see the left quoting Walt Disney or his creative (& often left-leaning!)employees. The left is fascinated by Goebbels. Here is a man whose diaries provided a bunch of quotes that can be used to try and vilify folks and groups. That half the quotes on the web attributed to him are fabrications is of little importance. All that is important is somehow linking NAZISM to Republicans or the Bush administration - or the group that you wish to vilify.

You see Lindy, by posting that quote and trying to create a link with the Bush administration YOU become Goebbels. YOU try to exploit emotion, fear and hate! You become the linker and manipulator of HATE and WORD ASSOCIATION. The very LIES you claim to decry are the very lies your actions undermine.

The left has a love/hate relationship with Nazism. The spectre of Nazis are dredged up by amateur leftist propagandists every time they wish to beat some folks into submission and rally HATE.

Yes, anyone quoting Goebbels, as the left here and elsewhere are wont to do, is merely acting AS a wanna-be Goebbels and exploiting FEAR and HATE. They may not recognize it - but thats why they are so attracted to Goebbels in the first place. The mirror principle applies here.

If the left want to see propagandists they need only look in the mirror.

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