morality and propaganda ...

  .. don't go too well together ...

    .. in a properly functioning democracy

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A properly functioning democracy is usually understood as "government of the people, by the people, for the people."

By 'morality[1]' we need to add the qualifier 'good;' a good morality can be based on the necessary and sufficient "Do unto others" construct, with an added 'extra' for slow thinkers: "Do no harm."

To implement 'of the people, by the people, for the people' one needs an educated and involved electorate, a reasonable choice of honest, alternative candidates (Haw!) and comprehensive, accurate information flows (Haw again!)

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OK, so how are we doing? As my "Haws" above indicate, our choice of candidates is extremely poor; as a 'prime' example (of what to deplore!) consider 'modern' Israel; no matter who is elected there, whatever regime that results will continue murdering Israel's hapless neighbours in the both *illegal and immoral* push to enlarge Israel at any cost (to those same hapless neighbours.) This on-going process, mass-murder for land and water theft, is perhaps the most egregious example of bad morality in the modern world (with just a single possible exception, namely the continued depredations of the US. Example: 1mio+ dead Iraqis.)

Then, as to 'comprehensive, accurate information flows,' we can see from the performance of the mainstream media (MSM) in the case of the illegal invasion of Iraq, and the 60+ year outrage that is the state of Israel's murdering aggression against the dispossessed former legal owners of Palestine and Israel's neighbours in general, that the MSM honours its responsibilities far too often in the breach.

Finally as is 'awesomely' evident, the voters have been deliberately dumbed-down, both by totally inadequate education and by corrupted, MSM provided 'news' (modern word: infotainment, in actuality some real news permeated (polluted!) by lying propaganda[2]) - but before even those two, inadequate parenting. While the preceding sentence may sound outrageous - and it is for its truth, the causes lie not with the people themselves but the society as constructed by our so-called 'leadership.'

(Anyone seeking proof of inadequate parenting could consider that these days, most babies are set down in front of a TV as 'cheap babysitter,' almost from the first moment the babies can sit up. And for the adults "No, it's not just a movie!" - the human 'video-in' system has as good as no filtering capacity, which one can well understand when one considers how that video-in system evolved: "Is that a real sabre-toothed tiger threatening to devour me - or is it just a movie of one?" (Haw!))

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The fact that we are being propagandised will not be contested by aware observers; neither the US nor Israel could operate 'on the dark side' as they do without deceiving the general populace. The game is totally given away here:

  «The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ...We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.»
[wiki/Propaganda_(book)]

Read that and weep. Any such manipulated society is the utter antithesis of a properly functioning democracy; any so-called 'leaders' and/or others who practice such manipulation (and many obviously do) belong in gaol - the truth may someday set us free. It behoves us, we who can clearly see, to work towards that day: expose the lies whenever/wherever detected!

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PS Over at dangerouscreation, David G asks Q: "Who Is Running Our World?"

A: In addition to the 'usual suspects' of multinational but largely US-inspired corporations, our mostly dreadful politicians, the corrupt and venal MSM (including some publicly financed broadcasters!) and the various Churches (the M/I-plex that Ike warned about, as extended), there are the 'hidden manipulators' referred to above who manage the propaganda, both in content and recruitment of the MSM 'fifth columnist' quisling/collaborators. The 'amateur' apologists - well may one say 'lying trolls' - are usually deluded, immoral self-recruits.

This item was partially inspired by an article on Damian Lataan's "History of the Twenty-First Century, " SICK AUSTRALIAN MURDOCH JOURNO EXPLOITS BUSHFIRE TRAGEDY TO PUSH ISLAMOPHOBIC PROPAGANDA.

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Ref(s):

[1] morality n. (pl. -ies) 1 degree of conformity to moral principles. 2 right moral conduct. 3 science of morals. 4 particular system of morals (commercial morality). [POD]

[2] propaganda n. 1 organized propagation of a doctrine by use of publicity, selected information, etc. 2 usu. derog. ideas etc. so propagated.  propagandist n. & adj. propagandize v. (also -ise) (-zing or -sing). [Latin: related to *propagate] [ibid.]