A Beginners Guide to Propaganda

Propaganda, once the love- child of career politicians and media, is now the go-to weapon for any voter with internet access. With the luxury of social media and blogosphere's (like this one) at their disposal, political rhetoric has been amped up to unprecedented levels.  We are now plagued by the incessant chatter of millions of "Monday morning quarterbacks," more than willing to add to the piss pot of American politics.

By rallying the troops into a frenzy of half-truths, politicians effectively persuade ill-informed voters to focus on the folly of the absurd. We end up with stories about Mitt Romney's dog, and President Obama's birth certificate, both worthy distractions that lower the bar when trying to make important decisions that will get America back where it belongs, which is in the hands of the people. An idealistic premise, that seems unlikely at the moment.

You wonder how undecided voters make choices when the political landscape is littered with so much propaganda and factoids. Technology now makes it possible for every man, woman, and child to disseminate information without being held accountable for the accuracy of the content. Of course, that can be said about the internet in broader terms, where all information is, and should be suspect.

The minority of concerned voters willing to go the extra mile, are forced to sort through an insurmountable pile of bullshit to somehow stay informed.  Others, content with distancing themselves, remain hypnotized by the allure of political and moral ideologies that match their own pedigree, regardless of where their moral compass might point to.

Ignorance is bliss I suppose.

Stay informed. Vote!