then again..

How's it going my inter-buddies. Time for your daily (ahem) dose of Toby.

Went out to 'the shopping' yesterday. In Brommers. Bought me some shoes, a shirt, a belt and some rings. All at 'knock-down' prices. Caloo Calay.

Tonite it's back to the foop-ball. Let's see how 2 weeks of inactivity will go down. I'm guessing bitter. All the way down.

What is it in human nature that is attracted to the bitter-sweet? Dostoyevsky said "Man is sometimes extraordinarily, passionately, in love with suffering..." I'm taking it that he meant wo-man too. Ho ho. Anyway. It is a strange thing when you think about it. I'd be interested to hear religious people explain it. They can be good at that..

That aside, I wonder whether and how the human tendency to find definition and/or character through suffering has an affect?

I couldn't tell you. I'm all about the questions. Hee.

Anyways. Gotta eat to live, gotta stop blogging to eat. Otherwise this would go on.

Wrong!

Buh. You can't have it all.

Propaganda

"Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist."
- Garth S. Jowett and Victoria O'Donnell, Propoganda and Persuasion, 4th edition, 2006

I sometimes think the word propaganda is only ever applied to materials, methods or views that the person using the word disagrees.

Is it ever possible to tell a full objective truth that the other person receives objectively in its entirety?

Do we ever write something public without wishing or hoping to shape perceptions? Perhaps not to further our intent, but probably to propagate our views.

I think we react more to perceived propaganda when we see the manipulation. For instance, in a program I watched recently, images were used that were not directly related to the commentary but had been (I assume carefully) chosen to create a certain mood that would help convey the overall message. I think, "propaganda", but perhaps those that agreed with every word being said wouldn't. Or perhaps those that had not spotted the conceit.

But does it matter? I guess people don't like to be manipulated so on principle yes. But then everything we see, hear, touch etc. will be manipulating us in some way. It then comes down to whether we know we're being manipulated and whether we like it. Or it becomes about whether you think it is right that other people should be manipulated in that way. But if you cry foul you're still deciding what is right and wrong for someone else. Who ultimately decides what is good propaganda and what is bad propaganda? Surely training people to choose for themselves is in itself a form of propaganda?

My final question may seem a little trivial but I don't mind. Do you think that a rare bearlike mammal of the mountains of China and Tibet, having woolly fur with distinctive black and white markings would think this rant to be propapanda?

Didn't think so.

overandout

calm before the storm..

Hello there..

I don't have much to say to you. People are coming over I think and I need to do another round of washing up before that happens. I did see this in the Word magazine and it made me chuckle. The basic context is about the difference between the world of the TV series, West Wing, where the president is played by Martin Sheen, and the real world, where the president is played by George W. Bush. To the top right of the article there are two pictures very similar to these with the following captions:

"President Bartlet: well-read, civilised, passionate, quick-witted and capable of fielding the most difficult question."

"President Bush"

Hopefully I've actually conveyed the funniness of this, but if not, just pretend I have and laugh at your computer screen like I am the god of all that is uproarious and humorific.

Overandout