Ray,
Welcome back.
I think the idea that people are "stupid", unable to think, etc. is overly simplistic. In many languages, the word for stranger and enemy is the same. I'd have a hard time guessing if this approach is instinctive, or so ingrained in human cultures that it may as well be, but either way it's an easily observed fact.
It doesn't really matter if it's a war against godless heathens, savage red skins, evil communists, or terrorist radicals. Fear and anger are close to being the same emotion. As long as the propaganda machine is able to tap into that inexhaustible well of human hatred, by creating fear, there will always be war, and there will always be those who get rich on the spoils of human suffering.
It's not that people are naturally stupid, but if you are able to get someone angry enough, by first making them afraid, they will automatically become stupid. When the blood is hot, rational thought gets tossed out the window. Why did Rumsfeld and the boys say they needed a "New Pearl Harbor" to advance their agenda? It's not because people are stupid, it's because it's necessary to make them stupid with anger and fear before it's possible to control their thoughts. |
