Masopher's Mind

No matter how it is spread, propaganda comes in four basic varieties, said Arthur Siegel, social science professor at York University in Toronto, whose 1996 book Radio Canada International examines World War II and Cold War propaganda.
“The first level is the Big Lie, adapted by Hitler and Stalin. The state-controlled Egyptian press has been spreading a Big Lie, saying the World Trade Center was attacked by Israel to embarrass Arabs,” said Siegel.
“The second layer says, ‘It doesn’t have to be the truth, so long as it’s plausible.’
“The third strategy is to tell the truth but withhold the other side’s point of view.
“The fourth and most productive is to tell the truth, the good and the bad, the losses and the gains.
“Governments in Western society take the last three steps. They avoid the Big Lie, which nobody here will swallow,” Siegel said.
— Beth Gillin, U.S. intensifies the war of words, The Philadelphia Inequirer, October 21, 2001
With this in Masopher’s mind we watch events ongoing in the Middle East, Africa, South America and the Far East. Propaganda has grown up a lot and evolved over time. In the more experienced countries propaganda is selective truth telling and distractions, parroting press releases, word association and deliberate ignorance. In other places it’s just saying what the people want you to say or think or outright falsehoods. Here in Masophers mind we watch numbers, cross reference sources on both sides of the real events and not the interpretation of events. Cynicism is not allowed to overtake Masopher’s mind. Propoganda in its most benign is a tool of winning support of getting people to see your point of view the point of view that ensures that co-operation and progress happens in a particular direction. When Obama says that he was “the only” voice against the Iraq war, when Hamas plunges Palestine into darkness and claims that Israel is harassing is oil supplies, and Israel in turn complains about the regular rocket attacks. When the western powers fail to acknowledge the immense pressure both factions face as they try to integrate millennia old enemies on a single piece of land; when two black tribes go to war and start using refined but ignoble words like genocide; when the British Government begins “losing” millions of citizens information; or attacks foreign governments in its media for harassing their spies. When scandals of blonde women with names reminiscent of European cities or countries attract more media focus than the actual scandals of the European cities and countries.
It is all propaganda; it’s not a bad thing, it marketing, spin, and impression management, telling a story in a world where people look for right in matters of two wrongs.