In just a couple of days, Americans will be rushing to the polls under a very misguided belief that they are punishing the party in power or standing up for their own values. They will either vote for Democrats because they are sick of what Republicans are doing, or they will vote Republican because they are afraid of what Democrats will do. On the surface, it seems these two political entities stand opposed to one another on very important issues. For example, the Democrat version of America is a social welfare state where everyone is equal, and the American dream becomes a government guarantee. The Republicans, on the other hand, stand for the equality of opportunity and individual liberty. Unfortunately, what we end up with every time is a rapidly expanding national debt, a devalued dollar, war, policies that put the interests of Americans last, and an ever-increasing loss of personal freedom. Between elections, the news media fills its role by keeping the public sitting on the edge of their seats with scandals, trauma-inducing events, and stories that keep people attached to their preferred narrative, while actively participating in a system that desperately needs their participation, and one in which the public desperately needs to belong. The government needs an understanding of public sentiment towards these issues so they can develop their propaganda, and the public needs the propaganda, so they feel justified in their positions. Propaganda, after all, always works best when it reflects the attitudes and beliefs of the targeted audience.
“Propaganda is needed in the exercise of power for the simple reason that the masses have come to participate in political affairs.” (Ellul, 1952, p. 121)
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