[SPIN]=These early mass persuaders postured themselves as performing a moral service for humanity in general. Democracy was too good for people; they needed to be told what to think, because they were incapable of rational thought by themselves. Here's a paragraph from Bernays' Propaganda:
"Those who manipulate the unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. In almost every act of our lives whether in the sphere of politics or business in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind."
thedoctorwithin.com
ex This headline is another example of spin - from Wall Street groupie Bloomberg News:
U.S. Economy: Consumers' Outlook in June Rises for Third Month
The New York-based Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell to 83.5 in June from 83.6 in May. The reading was forecast to fall to 82, the median of 62 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. The index measuring consumers' attitudes about conditions in six months rose to 95.9, the highest since September, from 94.5…….
Over the past six months the economy has lost 342,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate has risen to 6.1 percent, the highest in more than eight years. The number of people who said jobs are plentiful now fell to 14.9 percent from 16.1 percent in May.
That may explain the decline in the index measuring attitudes about the current economy, which fell to 64.9 from 67.3 for the second monthly drop. – END-
The real news is that even after a supposedly successful end to the war in Iraq and a monster stock market rally, the consumer is a more pessimistic this month about the current economy than last. That’s not good at all. But, not only that, the headline is WRONG. The entire consumer confidence number fell a tenth. Only the expectation hope trade rose, which is meaningless. |
