This reminds me of Jean Baudrillard's concept of hyperreality. Political manipulations do not just result in ‘invisible wars’ in our minds, but in real wars: La guerre du Golfe n'a pas eu lieu.
I read Chomsky’s book when it was first published. He uses data to show how newspapers of the time suppressed and distorted the facts of the 1980 rape and murder of four US nuns in El Salvador. It made me wake up to how poorly informed we can be, given the systems that frame our reality.
Sometimes I feel that this "us" versus "them" is the sign of our times. Even something as simple as empathizing with a movie character becomes a thing of #teamthischaracter versus #teamtheothercharacter. There's no middle point anymore.
Noam Chomsky is one of the most important commentators of our time. A true pedagog: I always feel when I read his works that he is trying to teach me something. That he is preparing me to navigate the vagaries of the world of the elite. He is my exemplar of a man with integrity. I admire you, thank you and appreciate you more than you can imagine Mr Chomsky.
Manufacturing Consent really could use an update for the modern world and MAGA media. Especially how extremist right wing content from podcasts and social media plays into it. Looking at Elon's control of X, the filters are no longer so subtle and are more authoritarian. And while many are appalled by this, I think the mass of people still see the media as "liberal" and seem totally unbothered by the various forms of increasingly right-wing propaganda that's defining the narrative.
Love you Noam. You’ve been an important part of our lives in raising collective consciousness and providing the light of truth in a world where it is encouraged to use too my Id and not enough Superego. Peace to you and your loved ones.
Chomsky’s analysis reminds us that the battles for truth and freedom are often invisible, fought not with weapons but with words, images, and narratives. The subtle shaping of perception, the narrowing of what is “thinkable,” and the cultivation of emotional conformity all serve to protect entrenched power.
In such a landscape, critical thinking is not optional ~ it is a moral imperative. To question, to seek alternative perspectives, and to resist the seductive comfort of pre-packaged narratives is to reclaim agency, integrity, and the possibility of genuine democracy.
The invisible war for our minds calls for vigilance, courage, and the persistent work of awareness ~ in ourselves, in our communities, and in the societies we shape.
Once again we need to remember that we are more than what our society declares/limits us to be. We need to be aware of the overarching stories that are the default of our world. It is time to see through those stories to discover where trust and truth reside. We need to realize that the “dementors” do not have the last word and can never take a joke!
Is this war of mind's created by the projective & receptive nature of our human mind? Is why we read: Don't think, but look! — Wittgenstein. Don’t judge, but perceive! — Jung? Are we self-hypnotically confused by the subconsciously 'reflexive' habit of neuro-linguistic projections onto the reality we 'think' we are seeing? Those surface impressions of reality our eyes see & our minds project reality-labelling words onto? And is it possible that there exists in this world, a well-educated 'banality-of-evil' to paraphrase Hannah Arendt?
As much as I respect Professor Chomsky, these "discoveries" have been staring Americans in the eyes and ears since the Camel Cigarette Challenge was announced on American radio programs that aired during the 1930's.
This reminds me of Jean Baudrillard's concept of hyperreality. Political manipulations do not just result in ‘invisible wars’ in our minds, but in real wars: La guerre du Golfe n'a pas eu lieu.
Great summary
I read Chomsky’s book when it was first published. He uses data to show how newspapers of the time suppressed and distorted the facts of the 1980 rape and murder of four US nuns in El Salvador. It made me wake up to how poorly informed we can be, given the systems that frame our reality.
BTW: An update on their murder: https://newrepublic.com/article/193598/el-salvador-nuns-murder-maryknoll-sisters-truth
Sometimes I feel that this "us" versus "them" is the sign of our times. Even something as simple as empathizing with a movie character becomes a thing of #teamthischaracter versus #teamtheothercharacter. There's no middle point anymore.
Indeed. This isn't new, but it has intensified quite heavily.
Noam Chomsky is one of the most important commentators of our time. A true pedagog: I always feel when I read his works that he is trying to teach me something. That he is preparing me to navigate the vagaries of the world of the elite. He is my exemplar of a man with integrity. I admire you, thank you and appreciate you more than you can imagine Mr Chomsky.
I have always found him interesting on this - and he has always been open and clear about his convictions in the work I have read.
Manufacturing Consent really could use an update for the modern world and MAGA media. Especially how extremist right wing content from podcasts and social media plays into it. Looking at Elon's control of X, the filters are no longer so subtle and are more authoritarian. And while many are appalled by this, I think the mass of people still see the media as "liberal" and seem totally unbothered by the various forms of increasingly right-wing propaganda that's defining the narrative.
Love you Noam. You’ve been an important part of our lives in raising collective consciousness and providing the light of truth in a world where it is encouraged to use too my Id and not enough Superego. Peace to you and your loved ones.
A profoundly important read.
Chomsky’s analysis reminds us that the battles for truth and freedom are often invisible, fought not with weapons but with words, images, and narratives. The subtle shaping of perception, the narrowing of what is “thinkable,” and the cultivation of emotional conformity all serve to protect entrenched power.
In such a landscape, critical thinking is not optional ~ it is a moral imperative. To question, to seek alternative perspectives, and to resist the seductive comfort of pre-packaged narratives is to reclaim agency, integrity, and the possibility of genuine democracy.
The invisible war for our minds calls for vigilance, courage, and the persistent work of awareness ~ in ourselves, in our communities, and in the societies we shape.
All good, but I could have done without the breathlessly dramatic narration.
https://open.substack.com/pub/scholarstudy
Once again we need to remember that we are more than what our society declares/limits us to be. We need to be aware of the overarching stories that are the default of our world. It is time to see through those stories to discover where trust and truth reside. We need to realize that the “dementors” do not have the last word and can never take a joke!
AJD
"Manufacturing Consent" is one of the most influential books of my life.
Is this war of mind's created by the projective & receptive nature of our human mind? Is why we read: Don't think, but look! — Wittgenstein. Don’t judge, but perceive! — Jung? Are we self-hypnotically confused by the subconsciously 'reflexive' habit of neuro-linguistic projections onto the reality we 'think' we are seeing? Those surface impressions of reality our eyes see & our minds project reality-labelling words onto? And is it possible that there exists in this world, a well-educated 'banality-of-evil' to paraphrase Hannah Arendt?
As much as I respect Professor Chomsky, these "discoveries" have been staring Americans in the eyes and ears since the Camel Cigarette Challenge was announced on American radio programs that aired during the 1930's.
Indeed, this is how it works