De Propaganda

A libel

Propaganda is not only the worst form of argument - it is opium and gas. It is poison. It spreads around in great, impressive sounds, insidiously magnificent with its bright shapes and colors which force their way into our heads, imprinting their power there forever. It takes hold of our minds, seduces, hypnotizes them like tin soldiers vowed to the struggle for ideals. And then, heroically self-confident, we rush upon our innocent fellow citizens to enact the noble mission of spreading the epidemic. For the virus of propaganda has always been incurably contagious.

The notion itself amounts to the very definition of the absolute. It accepts no reasoning and admits no objection. Therefore, it cannot possibly be considered as an argument, as it practically forbids any form of discussion. A brain-washed human tape-recorder reproducing pre-fabricated fixed ideas is the least likely to present a well-constructed and persuasive argumentation. It would just ruminate its slogans, the sheer indisputability of which is supposed to be irresistible, and wait for the venom to settle in its listeners' brain. As for the listeners themselves, they would most probably realize that their own mental, intellectual edifice is of little value and importance compared to such omnipotent incontestability. Convinced or not, they can do nothing but embrace it, and perhaps, later, fully adopt it. Those who manage to hold their own ground and remain intact are relatively few.

Governments, politicians in general, have developed the matter of propaganda into veritable science. To them it is essential, vital even, to be able to control vast populations without having to use much questionable arguing procedure. So they produce pompous word complexes, not necessarily intelligible, flattering the oppressed middle-class ego of their audience, followers or not, thus forming an entire local, or even national, psychology. Individuals may discuss, but crowds never do. One needs no arguments to manipulate a mob. That is exactly what propaganda has been invented for.

So propaganda appears to be such a distorted form of argument, that one cannot consider it as an argument at all. It should rather be defined as the worst, and most dangerous, manifestation of human cunning and intolerance. Strangely enough, it generally proves to be more popular than sane, balanced argumentation. Who can tell? It seems that people prefer to be brainwashed rather than to be convinced.