We have all been lied to since birth. Consequently, we have been conditioned to like the lies. Cradle-to-grave propaganda begins with songs and stories read or sung by a parent at bedtime. Children are mesmerized when the gallant prince rescues the beautiful princess, or when the power of sisterly love saves the day. But it’s more than memorization—it’s hypnotization. Storytelling has programming power that teaches us “proper” action. At a core level, we realize this—hence the public outcry when cartoons embrace controversial cultural trends. Similarly, when authority figures tell adults made-up stories— just like our parents used to—behavioral blueprints are downloaded into the subconscious mind. Hypnotic spells though—can—be broken. America, like Snow White, has become poisoned by deception, but the kiss of truth can wake us from our slumber.
Today, propaganda has infiltrated news outlets, and biases are embraced instead of eliminated. Narratives emerge to serve bias not truth. Truth, therefore, becomes important only in terms of perception. When one narrative is proven false a new self-serving narrative takes its place, without pause. In this way, the propagandist consumer never has to challenge his or her world-view. A tailor is ever ready to alter the suit of virtue in accordance with the facts of the day, and the consumer can rest easy knowing that his/her truth remains the indisputable law of the land.
We have all been comforted with propaganda our entire lives. Understanding origins may be key to waking from our slumber. How many of us remember being rocked to sleep by “Hush, Little Baby”? It is a great example of how propaganda soothes the soul:
Hush, little baby, don’t say a word,
Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.
If that mockingbird don’t sing,
Momma’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.
and if that diamond ring turns brass,
Momma’s gonna buy you a looking glass. …
As evidenced by these lyrics, the brilliance of propaganda lies, in part, with the constant rhythmic shift to a new lie. It happens so fast that you never spend much time (or any time) thinking about the preceding lie. You never question why a diamond ring would turn brass or why a mockingbird won’t sing. Instead, this nursery rhyme creates a belief that momma will always take care of you, and the newly created fabrication will be fabulous.
As with so many nursery rhymes and fairytales, false narratives have a dark side. Again, the good propagandist follows this formula and incorporates heroes and villains into storyline construction: The Big Bad Wolf constantly threatening to eat Grandma. But your grandma was never in danger because the wolf has different dinner plans—you. Your fear is what’s for dinner and the propagandist feasts on it, skillfully turning fear into hate. Hate then becomes a drug, and consumers become addicts.
Propaganda is everywhere today and its poison afflicts those on both sides of the aisle. We have grown to like the taste of the delicious red apple, despite the bitter poison, but there is much tastier fruit. The antidote requires us to first recognize that we are being fed a steady diet of poison. After that, we must reject the poison and seek out what is good and true. For example, if it is proven that a diamond ring turns brass then we must question who gave us that diamond ring, and if that person should be trusted to give us a looking glass.
Furthermore, symbolism of the tale is important. The mockingbird is embraced by religious and spiritual teachers as a symbol of innocence, purity, and protection. In this rhyme, it fails to sing—why? The silence of a symbolic protector speaks volumes. After the bird fails to sing, the singing parent promises one dysfunctional amulet after another in hopes of soothing the child. This begs the question, how are symbols of protection being used today as false promises?
Truth demands rigorous examination and it demands integration and meaningful change. We cannot simply turn over and go back to sleep when confronted with the truth—we must act on it. We must be willing to change our view should new facts present themselves—welcoming the change.
Should we choose to embark on debunking propaganda, it is important to remember that some truth is often woven into a well-crafted falsehood. As any good storyteller knows, a believable lie often contains distorted truth. Leaning in again on “Hush, Little Baby”: Mockingbirds do sing, looking glasses do shine, and the parent can be trusted to provide another promise-filled solution. Truly, the web of propaganda that surrounds us offers little cocoons of truth wrapped in lies and presented as dinner. Just remember the spider that feasts on the fly and never forget to ask why.
A Thoughtful Voice 