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Assumption of Reason
Wednesday, October 10th, 2007 by Admiral_Coeyman Any good statement of propaganda should be simple enough for anybody to memorize and recite, rhythmic enough to chant and ambiguous enough to appeal to people who hold wildly opposing viewpoints. Never underestimate the power of ambiguity in manipulating the public. It is a powerful logical fallacy. Our intellect is designed in such a way that it fills in details when they are missing. The power of ambiguity comes from the fact that we fail to recognize that it is there.
Ambiguity is a statement that has conflicting meanings. Try to get a dozen people to tie down a single meaning for a simple sound bite. What does it mean to be a populist? Does it mean that you stand for the best interest of the general public or the desires of the majority of the general public? Even the concept of a ‘best interest’ is ambiguous.
Aside from my stand up philosophy, I write a decent amount of fiction. I have a character who has two advisors. One advisor answers any question that he asks. The other advisor tells him what he needs to know. He, understandably, considers the former to be the better teacher.
I never settle for a sound bite. It is the most deceitful way of telling me what I want to hear and I respect honesty. You use a statement that I have to write my own desires on because it allows my ideological opponents to feel that you are agreeing with them as well. Can a good leader sidestep conflict? There is no way of speaking your mind and remaining ambiguous.
There is room for a study in ambiguity. Get a dozen protesters, in isolation, to write out their reasoning in depth. Some thoughts will repeat in the accounts and I believe that these things will mostly repeat down to the wording used. It is where the accounts differ that will be of the most interest. There can be more conflict within the group than there is between the opposing groups.
