Fantastic. For me, failure to recognise the existence of the unconscious is the number one contributor (of a long list, including the state of the education system and other topics you have touched on) to the dire state we find ourselves in. I love that you can take on such heavy and serious matters and still inject some wit into the writing!
Could not agree more. Reducing the earth -- and the human being -- to a dreamless, soulless, sterile machine is the crime of the century. Literally and figuratively. Thanks, Michael! (P.S. Finding shreds of humor is the only way I stay sane... :-)
Yes, humour is essential to sanity and to dealing with the situation we are in! It makes me recall how the Eastern traditions hold laughter to be close to enlightenment. Long time ago (1990's) I visited Tibetan communities in Indian and Chinese towns on the periphery of Tibet - and those radiant, spiritually developed faces of the Lamas are all very well creased with laughter lines!
I'm noticing the word propaganda quite a lot recently—much more than I recall since my early childhood days.
I remember hearing 'that word' plenty concerning whatever the US media aired about North Vietnam...or perhaps something the Soviet Union...or even East Germany may have revealed. I can still hear my father saying something like, "everything they say is propaganda." Then a milk commercial would come on the TV, and we all laughed at how cool and healthy it seemed to wear one of those white mustaches...as the Marlboro man appeared next and gallantly rode his horse through the wild America we all thought existed. And I just watched as my mother and father reached for their next cigarette.
As always, Mary, I appreciate your courage in exposing complex topics...things far too many people want to bury inside their subconscious minds. And thanks for bringing the world, "pro-panga-danga"...
Yes!! It's so insidious. I address in Part 2 of this essay much of what you share about your own personal experience. There's been SUCH a disconnect between propaganda and advertising -- when they are one and the same!
Thanks for this comment, Jack -- it's a great addition to the conversation. And you're welcome, for "pro-panga-danga"... :-)
Thank for you sharing these insights on subliminal messaging and propaganda. When I was in 9th grade, one of my teachers led us through an exercise of looking through magazine ads to see how sexual innuendo was subtly used to sell products. It was a valuable lesson, and I am glad to have learned it at that age. Many current substack writers are pointing out the world-wide propaganda campaigns to which we have been subjected over the past 3 years. Mark Crispin Miller, Naomi Wolf, C.J. Hopkins, Celia Farber, and el gato malo are among them. I appreciate your contribution to this topic, Mary.
What a gift from your 9th grade teacher! Now THAT'S the kind of core curriculum I could get behind...
I am a huge fan of all those wonderful thinkers and writers. In fact, during the writing of this essay I wondered whether to add one more voice... but then I decided that every stick makes the fire hotter. Thanks for your comment!!
This was a very clever presentation of the subject of propaganda, with a number of twists and turns along the way only to reach the "end" of your post to find out I have to wait until next week to see how it really ends! I did, however, enjoy the family story of "pro-panga-danga". You and Peter taught your kids an invaluable lesson.
That quote from Bernays's book about "the managerial aristocracy" and how it determines for us how "we live, and move, and have our being" in the world really spoke to what we've been experiencing these last 3 years. It's makes it very hard to be authentic anymore and not be judged for it. If "they" had their way, they'd turn us all into automatons. Oh wait a minute, isn't that what trans-humanism is all about?
PS- I got your message, and I understand. No worries. Thank you.
Thanks, Rocket! I can tell you now, I have no clue how it all REALLY ends... :-) But I hope the second part will deepen our understanding of propaganda, how to spot it, and how to avoid getting sucked into it.
Managerial aristocracy -- yes! The last few years have been a MASTER CLASS in propaganda, and the acceptance of trans-humanism is one of its primary goals.
Cliffhangers from you and Eisenstein in the same 24 hours.. I dunno if I can take the suspense!
Also.. are you familiar with the spiritual associations said to align with certain ailments? You Can Heal Your Life is a book about this and you can do internet searches for spiritual meanings of health issues large and small. Do I buy it all? No. Is it sometimes eerily insightful? Yes. Check it out and see what you think!
Being mentioned with Eisenstein in the same sentence makes my heart go pitty-pat! 😉
And yes, I'm a firm believer in the spiritual nature of illness (actually, the spiritual nature of EVERYTHING) and I've found books like that to be a helpful starting point in one's understanding. Here's another one I use, that's like an encyclopedia: "Messages From the Body," by Michael J. Lincoln, PhD. Thanks for the comment! 🙏
Fantastic. For me, failure to recognise the existence of the unconscious is the number one contributor (of a long list, including the state of the education system and other topics you have touched on) to the dire state we find ourselves in. I love that you can take on such heavy and serious matters and still inject some wit into the writing!
Could not agree more. Reducing the earth -- and the human being -- to a dreamless, soulless, sterile machine is the crime of the century. Literally and figuratively. Thanks, Michael! (P.S. Finding shreds of humor is the only way I stay sane... :-)
Yes, humour is essential to sanity and to dealing with the situation we are in! It makes me recall how the Eastern traditions hold laughter to be close to enlightenment. Long time ago (1990's) I visited Tibetan communities in Indian and Chinese towns on the periphery of Tibet - and those radiant, spiritually developed faces of the Lamas are all very well creased with laughter lines!
Okay, Michael, you've just given me the very best possibly reframe for my burgeoning wrinkles! I'm going to call them divinity dents from now on...:-)
I'm noticing the word propaganda quite a lot recently—much more than I recall since my early childhood days.
I remember hearing 'that word' plenty concerning whatever the US media aired about North Vietnam...or perhaps something the Soviet Union...or even East Germany may have revealed. I can still hear my father saying something like, "everything they say is propaganda." Then a milk commercial would come on the TV, and we all laughed at how cool and healthy it seemed to wear one of those white mustaches...as the Marlboro man appeared next and gallantly rode his horse through the wild America we all thought existed. And I just watched as my mother and father reached for their next cigarette.
As always, Mary, I appreciate your courage in exposing complex topics...things far too many people want to bury inside their subconscious minds. And thanks for bringing the world, "pro-panga-danga"...
Yes!! It's so insidious. I address in Part 2 of this essay much of what you share about your own personal experience. There's been SUCH a disconnect between propaganda and advertising -- when they are one and the same!
Thanks for this comment, Jack -- it's a great addition to the conversation. And you're welcome, for "pro-panga-danga"... :-)
Thank for you sharing these insights on subliminal messaging and propaganda. When I was in 9th grade, one of my teachers led us through an exercise of looking through magazine ads to see how sexual innuendo was subtly used to sell products. It was a valuable lesson, and I am glad to have learned it at that age. Many current substack writers are pointing out the world-wide propaganda campaigns to which we have been subjected over the past 3 years. Mark Crispin Miller, Naomi Wolf, C.J. Hopkins, Celia Farber, and el gato malo are among them. I appreciate your contribution to this topic, Mary.
What a gift from your 9th grade teacher! Now THAT'S the kind of core curriculum I could get behind...
I am a huge fan of all those wonderful thinkers and writers. In fact, during the writing of this essay I wondered whether to add one more voice... but then I decided that every stick makes the fire hotter. Thanks for your comment!!
This was a very clever presentation of the subject of propaganda, with a number of twists and turns along the way only to reach the "end" of your post to find out I have to wait until next week to see how it really ends! I did, however, enjoy the family story of "pro-panga-danga". You and Peter taught your kids an invaluable lesson.
That quote from Bernays's book about "the managerial aristocracy" and how it determines for us how "we live, and move, and have our being" in the world really spoke to what we've been experiencing these last 3 years. It's makes it very hard to be authentic anymore and not be judged for it. If "they" had their way, they'd turn us all into automatons. Oh wait a minute, isn't that what trans-humanism is all about?
PS- I got your message, and I understand. No worries. Thank you.
Thanks, Rocket! I can tell you now, I have no clue how it all REALLY ends... :-) But I hope the second part will deepen our understanding of propaganda, how to spot it, and how to avoid getting sucked into it.
Managerial aristocracy -- yes! The last few years have been a MASTER CLASS in propaganda, and the acceptance of trans-humanism is one of its primary goals.
Cliffhangers from you and Eisenstein in the same 24 hours.. I dunno if I can take the suspense!
Also.. are you familiar with the spiritual associations said to align with certain ailments? You Can Heal Your Life is a book about this and you can do internet searches for spiritual meanings of health issues large and small. Do I buy it all? No. Is it sometimes eerily insightful? Yes. Check it out and see what you think!
Being mentioned with Eisenstein in the same sentence makes my heart go pitty-pat! 😉
And yes, I'm a firm believer in the spiritual nature of illness (actually, the spiritual nature of EVERYTHING) and I've found books like that to be a helpful starting point in one's understanding. Here's another one I use, that's like an encyclopedia: "Messages From the Body," by Michael J. Lincoln, PhD. Thanks for the comment! 🙏