...people are poor and blank. ...
On a blank sheet of paper free
from any mark, the freshest
and most beautiful pictures
can be painted." (Mao Zedong)
One of the primary tasks for leaders and ruling classes is to upkeep their regime so that it lasted for as long as possible. This, in the first place, requires stability and calm in the country, better – docility of the people. In distant past, when all countries lived under autocratic regimes (various kinds of monarchy), and in more recent historical epochs, when clergy or party leaders where at the helm, the main instrument for maintaining order were special military formations, police and appropriate legal, judicial and penitentiary systems.
In most countries the system of government changed over the recent few centuries. Of approximately 200 states in the world some 30 have official hereditary monarchies (though actual powers of the monarchs differ) plus there are several countries under dictatorial regimes. With the transition to democratic, liberal systems of government the necessity emerged to mange millions of people using minimum of coercion. Behavior programming to forge new attitudes, ideology, and most importantly – drives and motivations – emerged at the foreground. In other words – propaganda and manipulation of consciousness. Media gained importance, specifically the newest approaches to massive indoctrination where masterfully done films, television programs, talk shows, popular shows and demonstrations are used to inculcate the ideas promoted by the authorities. Also of great importance are educational systems practiced at schools and other institutions to forge a certain beliefs and values in the younger generation.
Such systems utilize the laws of crowd psychology, such as the inclination to act like the others do and to feel less responsible when acting collectively. Examples of collective action are parades, where people move in one rhythm arranged in rows and columns, torchlight processions, collective prayers, etc. Sometimes, methods of indoctrination appeal to base instincts which, being unacceptable on the conscious level, are normally ousted into the subconscious. Suggestion or inculcation of ideas which are foreign to one's mind is principally different from persuasion where arguments, ideas or concepts are taken critically and can be either accepted or declined. It has to be noted that manipulation of consciousness is also used as a method for achieving practical goals, such as advertisement, dissemination of misinformation, etc.
Being fed the very same information together with biased interpretations, people are becoming manageable and controllable regardless of their cultural and class differences – from responding to calls for religious sacrifices to participation in wars with nebulous and questionable reasons and goals. It is well known that people in a brainwashed crowd will shout "hurrah" to their oppressive dictator and, on the contrary, show contempt for the fighters for their freedom.
The technology of indoctrination is often referred to as "public relations" or PR. PR was originally understood as a system designed to reconcile interests of different parties and groups, such as society and power, individuals and government, companies and corporations. Also, PR was meant to be a vehicle for promulgating truthful information. Now it is difficult to say how many PR specialists really observe these rules. As things stand today, PR is public manipulation rather than public relations. We obviously must conclude that the original definition of the term PR is deceitful just like the main aspects of this technology are.
The fundamental distinguishing feature of a true democracy shall be people's self-government understood as the rule by a system comprised of an elected body, such as parliament, senate, state duma, etc., a president, prime minister and politically active part of the population. A government is a hired body paid for by society through the taxation system and supposed to serve this society. A democracy may involve some coercion, though it should be governed by law, and this governance shall be guaranteed by the existence of three independent branches of government, namely legislative, executive and judiciary, plus the fourth power which is media.
What do we usually see in reality? To a considerable extent, public consciousness and behavior are determined by the media-inculcated paradigms, upbringing and pre-established mentality. As it can easily be seen, it often happens in the modern-day democratic countries that media is owned by certain groups, while civil society or public consciousness is not always able to effectively counteract the "puppeteers."
