PROPAGANDA

grim reaper The following quote has been kicking around the blogosphere for a week or so, now, but I still think it’s chilling:

We got around to the subject of war again and I said that, contrary to his attitude, I did not think that the common people are very thankful for leaders who bring them war and destruction.

“Why, of course, the people don’t want war,” he shrugged. “Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship.”

“There is one difference,” I pointed out. “In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars.”

“Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”

This excerpt, if you haven’t seen it before on Caterina’s or Alas’ blog, is from Gustave Gilbert’s 1946 Nuremberg Diary and the person being interviewed was Hermann Goering.

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1 Response to PROPAGANDA

  1. calin says:

    The interview cut is magnificently chosen; I wonder who was the person who found it.Still, there is a chance that a certain people may want to go to war even if their country is not under attack.A possible scenario (that can be applied to Eastern-European countries) is: the country is waiting for welfare for 60 years. The American leadership promises a huge economical and political support, in a manner that will shorten with 20 years the way to a normal life. People is working hard, struggling every day, working abroad and far from the families, just to have money to live. A country where you have to be rich to buy a new car and very rich to build a house. And imagine that the prime-minister of this country says: if we are going to war with US against the terror (even if terrorists never pointed guns against this country), your children will be rich. You may die, but your wife will make out of your death the money you can offer in ten lifes. Fight with us and the damnation thrown on our country will vanish!

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