The Impact of Mass Mind Manipulation

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The Impact of Mass Mind

Manipulation

William GriffinHistorical Methods & Writing

HIST 301

13-Dec-013

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In this paper! I "ill e#amine the histor$ of propaganda to pro%ide a asis of fundamental

understanding of our contemporar$ pulic relations industr$' The de%elopment of modern propaganda

can e traced ac( to the earl$ 0

th

centur$! mainl$ the 1)10s and 1)0s' I "ill argue that the priorit$ of

the pulic relations industr$ "as not to inform the pulic properl$ ut instead pro%ide limited or false

information! and ho" this process has come to undermine democrac$' * democratic societ$ relies on an

informed pulic to ma(e rational choices "hen participating in the decision-ma(ing processes of

societ$' We must e#amine the core principles of democrac$ and our econom$ as an instrument in

defining "here "e stand in the 1stcentur$ as a societ$! democratic or not'

Go%ernments had not reali+ed the true potential of propaganda until World War I' In 1)1,!

resident Woodro" Wilson "on the election under the slogan .He (ept us out of "ar/! pla$ing a

neutral role in foreign affairs'1Within si# months! The ommittee on ulic Information I2! or

reel ommittee! "as formed as a go%ernment propaganda commission "hose main goal "as to

persuade *mericans to in%ol%e themsel%es in the "ar efforts aroad'Woodro" Wilson appealed to

George reel! a muc(ra(ing ournalist! for help "ith the goal of selling the 4nited States on "ar'

5ther than using the usual and o%ious rhetorical media methods such as pamphlets! posters and

ad%ertisements! reel used the 6our Minute Men' The name deri%ed from the four minutes allocated to

these spea(ers ust efore a film "ould pla$ at the local theaters' Information "as sent through a

hierarchical chain of command' 5%er se%ent$-fi%e thousand ci%il leaders "ere assemled to deli%er

pro-"ar messages to people at theaters! "hich graduall$ e#panded to churches! laor unions! and other

pulic meeting places'3The 6our Minute Men e#emplif$ the top-do"n approach and the agenda-setting

model used in the pulic relations industr$'7

1 Stuart 8"en!PR! A Social History of Spin9e" :or(; World War I! ulic Intellectuals! and the 6our Minute Men; on%ergent Ideals of ulic Spea(ing

and i%ic articipation!/Rhetoric & Public Affairs 1! no' 7 00)2; ,0?-,0)'

7 @r$stina

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The I sent out information "ith the goal of shifting pulic opinion aout the "ar utili+ing

potential spea(ers that "ere chosen primaril$ for their positions as respected citi+ens "ithin their

communities'

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ps$cholog$ of scarcit$ has een carried into e%er$ aspect of the *merican social faric' Humans ha%e

surpassed asic sur%i%ailit$ through technological ad%ances! "hich should e creating a homeostatic

en%ironment' :et! po"erful organi+ations continue to t"ist the truth and forces humanit$ to elie%e

the$ are li%ing in a "orld of scarcit$! thus perpetuating primiti%e aggression to"ards one another'

5ne e#ample to e#plain the effects of the ps$cholog$ of scarcit$ is the *gricultural *dustment

*ct' The stipulations of this act "ere created around the the 9e" Deal era! and promulgated the

intentional destruction of domestic crops and li%estoc( to reduce crop surplus and increase the %alue of

$ields')In the ps$cholog$ of scarcit$! less of an$thing is %alued more' It is completel$ irrational to

destro$ crops in "hich humans are dependent on! certainl$ during a time of depression "hen the

maorit$ is in shamles' 6rom this e#ample! it outlines ho" the econom$ ta(es precedence in our

societ$ and forces people to ma(e irrational decisions for economical gains'

Fust li(e crops! our information is eing intentionall$ reduced and limited for the sa(e of the

econom$' This is artificial scarcit$ of information' The artificial scarcit$ of information has caused

*mericans to separate themsel%es from one another and into isolated and self-interested groups!

sociall$! politicall$ and e%en economicall$'10Most people might argue that toda$ the earth cannot

produce enough food to accommodate an entire planet of se%en illion people' Ho"e%er! the World

Hunger 8ducation Ser%ice has alread$ stated that "e currentl$ produce enough food to feed e%er$one

on 8arth o%er !?00 calories! more than enough to sustain a health$ lifest$le' 11Despite the increase in

population! our current methods of food production can suppl$ enough calories e%er$one on the planet'

In e#amining the prolems associated "ith media and democrac$! "e must loo( into its histor$

to grasp a fundamental structure of ho" the pulic relations industr$ "as de%eloped! or pioneered'

) Theodore Saloutos! .9e" Deal *gricultural olic$; *n 8%aluation!/+ournal of American History,1 1)?72; 3'

10 Ste%en Smith! .ersonalities in the ro"d; The Idea of the .Masses/ in *merican opular ulture!/Prospects1)1))72; A3'

11 .013 World Hunger and o%ert$ 6acts and Statistics!/ World Hunger 8ducation and Ser%ice! accessed 9o%emer 7!

013! http;"""'"orldhunger'orgarticles=earn"orld0hunger0facts000'htm '

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8d"ard

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communication field allo"ed for the people to acCuire more po"er than e%er! through impro%ements in

information dissemination! people had more control o%er their o"n en%ironments'

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controlled "ith propaganda'1)

*s 8d"ard

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"ith the radical changes in societ$! discussion of cro"d eha%ior and mass persuasion s"ept the

countr$'7Social theorists such as Gusta%e =e

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With this change that s"ept the countr$! the idea of indi%idual personalit$ ecame an enduring

force in *merican popular culture' The idea that one! in the modern "orld! can alter their o"n

en%ironment to shape themsel%es' The de%elopments in ps$cholog$ and philosoph$ seemed to

undermine free "ill! "hich "as replaced "ith en%ironmental determinism' 8n%ironmental determinism

is the %ie" that an areaBs ph$sical characteristics ha%e a strong impact on the ps$chological outloo( of

its inhaitants' The media en%ironment dictated man$ of the perspecti%es that people held at the time'

The primar$ thought "as to Cuestion "here the indi%idual "ould fit into this ne" idea of the mass

mind',

ItBs interesting to note that propaganda de%eloped in some of the most freest nations at the time!

such as

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"hat influenced *mericans and their diet' He found that most *mericans "ere ta(ing the ad%ice of

their ph$sicians'

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approach in utili+ing modern propaganda techniCues'

The genius ehind the nation"ide celeration of =ightBs Golden Fuilee in 1)) "as

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to participate! their onl$ function "as to e .interested spectators of action/'3,This popular thought

sho"ed man$ resemlances to other ideas at the time! such as Ta$lorism'

6redric( Winslo" Ta$lor pulished a oo( in 1)11 titled! .The rinciples of Scientific

Management/'3?This oo( "ent on to influence the entire "orld' It introduced ne" methods that

replaced con%entional factor$ operation designs' Ta$lor de%eloped a s$stem of scientific management

that anal$+ed and s$nthesi+ed "or(flo"s' articularl$ "ith the asseml$ line and factor$ "or(ers!

Ta$lorism "as o%er"helmingl$ adopted $ the industrial econom$ that propelled the 4S into the gloal

mar(et as the "orldBs leading e#porter'3ETa$lor de%ised plans for "or(ers that dictated precise rate of

sho%eling per hour and ho" man$ minutes a "or(er should rest' These ideas "ere %ague prior to

Ta$lor' Ta$lorism in%ol%ed a top-do"n approach to production in%ol%ing human laor' The people "ho

conducted the most important usiness decisions and the people "ho engineered the products operated

at the top of the s$stem "ith more autonom$! and self-direction! than the con%entional "or(er' *ll

others in%ol%ed in the asseml$-line tas(s had a %er$ detailed process of laor alread$ organi+ed $ the

people at the top! ostructing their freedoms' The "or(ers "ere onl$ responsile for "hat the$ "ere

instructed to do! and nothing ne" could e added to that process' Ta$lor "ould often tell "or(ers that

the$ "ere .not supposed to thin(! there are other people paid for thin(ing around here'/3)

The arri%ing flo" of lo"-s(illed immigrants "as gro"ing! alongside people from rural farm

areas! and pushing into cities due to technological ad%ances and for higher "ages' In order to deal "ith

the plentiful resource of lo"-s(illed "or(ers! Ta$lor de%ised his plan to create ma#imum output

efficienc$ in production factories "hile simultaneousl$ engaging the lo"-s(illed pulic into the

econom$' 5ne (e$ factor of profitailit$ "as the ailit$ to la$ off as man$ "or(ers "hen needed!

3, .6orce and 5pinion!/ The 9oam homs($ Wesite! accessed on 9o%emer )! 013!http;"""'choms($'infoarticles1))10?--'htm '

3? 6rederic( Winslo" Ta$lor! he Principles of Scientific Management' 1)112 D6 e-oo('3E a$ Marshall and Marc Tuc(er! hin,ing for a -iving: (ducation and the .ealth of /ations 9e" :or(;

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"hich helps demonstrate that the interests of this s$stem "as not of the "or(ers ut to ma(e profit'70

Fust as Ta$lor "as interested in the profitailit$ of the factor$!

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%alue of pulic-anal$sis gre" aggressi%el$' ulic-opinion measurement da"ned out of this period'

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pulic to ma(e rational decisions' ather! the ad%ertisements are intended to persuade the pulic to

ecome consumers and ma(ing irrational decisions' In addition! this also undermines our economic

s$stem ecause the consumers are dependent on media-supplied information to ma(e rational choices

in the mar(et'

In 4S economics! scarcit$ is the foundation' So! the opposite of scarcit$ "ould eliminate the

mar(et s$stem' Mass-production radicall$ changed much of the econom$! ut po"erful people used

propaganda to (eep the radicali+ation do"n to a minimum' Instead of producing enough products! or

resources! to pro%ide for an entire continent of people! the enefits of mass-production techniCues

disco%ered in the earl$ 0thcentur$ "ere ta(en a"a$ from the pulic' 8lites in po"erful positions used

propaganda to help persuade the pulic of other non-sense! resulting in our current o%er-consuming

societ$' In a nutshell!

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thought that the maorit$ of the population should not participate in the decision-ma(ing process of

democrac$! Ta$lor elie%ed that the maorit$ of "or(ers in an$ factor$ should not participate in the

decision-ma(ing process of the firm' =ippmann de%ised the ailit$ to .manufacture consent!/ to

emplo$ techniCues that could assemle mass support ehind e#ecuti%e action'

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Historians seem to ha%e the same general consensus aout the histor$ of pulic relations' The

methods that ha%e een de%eloped nearl$ a centur$ ago are still in effect throughout all of societ$' 9ot

onl$ did the 4S pioneer the modern pulic relations industr$! ut "as hea%il$ influenced $ a multiple

of factors and ideas' The idea of the mass mind coupled "ith the ne" mass production methods

assemled the perfect en%ironment for the ps$cholog$ of consumerism and scientific management to

materiali+e' These thoughts ha%e onl$ unfolded into more mediums throughout our "orld of

gloali+ation'

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6rederic( Winslo" Ta$lor! he Principles of Scientific Management' 1)11' *ccessed on 9o%emer 07!013' http;nationalhumanitiescenter'orgpdsgildedprogresste#t3ta$lor'pdf'

World Hunger 8ducation and Ser%ice' .013 World Hunger and o%ert$ 6acts and Statistics'/ *ccessed

9o%emer 7! 013' http;"""'"orldhunger'orgarticles=earn"orld0hunger0facts000'htm'