Reality versus Propaganda and Propaganda is Winning

An Article by
John Cox, M.A. C/M

“We live in a period, of communication, when “Branding”, or the concept of a “Commercialized Identity”, is used dishonestly. But how does it affect us, since we are within the categorical framework of “The General Public.” We are manipulated daily by the media.  It is then, we are referenced as “The General Public”, or becoming nothing more than a statistic – a demographic (i.e. a continued assault upon personal identity, and they are winning — We have to obtain the “Truth” ourselves, yet we accept their version only — $$$$ over humanity). 

Evidence?  How many times have we seen the politician, or the corporate Administrator, or hunting, trapping, and ranching people state, (as they continue the obvious destruction by them, of our environment and wildlife, Wolves & Wild Horses among others, daily and unnecessarily), or make believe, I should say, it is beneficial and tell us, “It is humane, because it makes the State $-Billions’ of dollars a year, and we feed the World.” Yup, they want us to believe their less than 1% of Public Lands Beef Sales, compared to the overall Commercialized beef industry percentage of 98.7%, yearly in sales, is feeding the World.

Which, their statement is a lie, and after years of feeding the General Public disinformation from all-out propaganda campaigns, laughingly obvious.  More troubling is their embellished, statistical pie-charts here, and there, and ultimately the bigger pie-chart; as if the smaller pie-charts less truthful, and the largest pie-chart supposed to be more truthful than all those small, troublesome pie-charts —  and their comments, or pie-charts and statistics, never supported with credible evidence.

Communication today has evolved into an agenda of powerful-propaganda-campaigns, disguised as advertising (yet another systematic approach to the individuals identity theft) is all attributes, to sell to the public, not products, directly anyway, but the people or company involved in manufacturing products or services.  Obviously, the communication conflict arises when the people, the producer or manufacturer of a product, or, the sport we discuss, are in conflict with Truth. 

How does this “truth” become so wayward.  How is it we accept toxic chemicals as beneficial, and yet, many more people make fun of those who demand healthier products, and make threats, hatefully, toward those who are asking honest questions about obvious toxic and poison products; or, pointing out skinning an animal, like a Mink while still alive, to be abusive and inhumane?

Or baiting wildlife only to shoot them?  Yet, the sport of hunting & trapping is accepted by many, and of course accepted by the family & friends, or else!  As those who do not accept it, trouble right around the corner (especially when living in small towns, and social politics in play) they will be disdained, lose friends, and even face brutality, or worse, death?  Where does such a gap become reality, and why & how did the truth simply disappear?  Should we be concerned about this . . .  Much more information available, with evidence, which this above is only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

“The identity of the individual was long ago subsumed by the Spectre of the public.” — Soren Kierkegaard, M.A. Philosophy

We can explore this phenomenon that describes the erosion of selfhood through mass attention.  As the boundary between private individual, and the public gaze, dissolves.  People become, essentially what they are not, but images of what the public accepts (i.e. often from the latest motion picture, or the current musician or . . .); whereas, some folks take the movie or television program as reality. . .

The same with groups, well, they become the images of a past, whether it be heritage, or myth, or formal disinformation centered around themselves, changing history entirely – Academically, we refer to it as “historical revisionism or historical negationism”.  Others simply refer to it as a “deliberate distortion or falsification” of history.  

Heavy-Adventure programs, especially westerns, are evidence of how history is changed, in today’s “Escapist Environment.”  And nobody the wiser, or even curious, as the dramatic elements of the storyline, soothing at times, or an adventure we would never, in reality, come close to, and yet, there we were taking part, mentally, within it all.

We then become the “Targets” (yup, The General Public), so to speak, of “industrial-commercialization” as well as “Identity-Theft” and “Identity Politics” (as one does not function without the other) for fear of being disliked, or hated, by our group of peers; whereas, the “Product” of the Disinformation (i.e. am altered history of disinformation, or, both assimilated into what they want us to believe, and ultimately the statistics show us — becomes the ultimate truth).

Yes, Advertising, then, becomes a reality. Implications toward several levels of psychology apply here.  The fact is, a “truthful” individual has no chance of survival.  The General Public is taught, via Propaganda (i.e. Advertising), that what was, in truth, a miscommunicated-rendition of life, yet given to the public to exploit a false rendition of heritage or history, turns into a ‘Truth”.  This is where, for some, the “mythologized public images” first seen, often  manipulated to sell a product, yes, but subliminally (a vast history of this situation exists) to develop hatred toward those who would disagree.  The basis, or premise established, simply for sales-origination, ultimately for high-level incomes. 

We can intermix the commercialized versions, and place them into the false-reality category, as well, within a group format – i.e. hunting, trapping, ranching, et al. This is the process where the formation of groups to maintain their dishonest appeal, making what they are doing (skinning animals alive, killing wildlife unnecessarily, slaughtering predators, shooting wild horses, et al.) and making it all appear acceptable, or at times, even needed (e.g. the false statements of Population Controls, or the outright ; to become an acceptable “Truth” becomes the opposition and the mis-use of terminology takes place –

1. Harvesting Wildlife rather than use of the term Kill, Murder, or Slaughter;
2. Fallacies when debating or arguing or twisting meanings;
3. Equivocation is using the same word with different meanings;
4. False Equivalency used often today, in politics and hate-speech, draws incorrect parallels between two vastly different situations;
5. False Dilemma is framing an issue with only two extreme options, when indeed, many other possibilities exist;
6. Ignoring Facts and Credible Science & Statistics.

Today we see Destructive Commercialization taking place, forced upon our Public Lands.  Those involved wrap themselves in what they refer to as Heritage, or Historical Value (until we research the myth, the lies, and used only to subordinate of the public, or to spread fear). 

We no longer even bother ourselves to Evolve with, or alongside Nature. i.e. Ranching, Hunting, Trapping, Corporate Greed, Mining, and other elements of Special Interests, and how they evolved into a status of non-compliance, many seem to avoid, or do not care enough to be concerned – as the detruction out of site, because the commercialized news only generates news of a dramatic forms – to sell products, in accord with the Demographics from the General Public. Neglect of Regulatory Measures to safeguard the General Public, simply does not exist. Perhaps there is simply not enough drama for the average person, The General Public, to care enough.

This statement, “The identity of the individual was long ago subsumed by the Spectre of the public.” — Soren Kierkegaard, M.A. Philosophy, captures how the privatization of experience and the policing of digital or institutional conformity often eclipse personal heritage. It reflects modern struggles with hyper-visibility, where unique, lived realities are swallowed by broad, performative public personas or a “cancel” culture.

This concept touches on how a person’s authentic inner self is often eclipsed by the expectations and scrutiny of society. When an individual becomes a public figure or spectacle, or a Group becomes extremely large (monetarily wholesome, and pays vast advertising dollars), their private life gets replaced by a societal “Spectre”—a constructed identity that is consumed and defined by the masses rather than the person themselves.

This dynamic is widely explored across literature, history, and psychoanalysis.  We indulge ourselves into the realms of escape, but do not provide room for Our Endeavors beyond personal satisfaction, comfort, of what we can do comfortably, and without much thought or effort, at times.  To many, Nature and wildlife exist only within a zoo, or the local park, and when wanting to feel really wild, perhaps walk the dog near the dog park. 

Many assume keeping the squirrels out of their hot dogs, or the Raccoons out of the Vienna Sausage can, they just opened and set near the picnic table, to be enough inter-action with wildlife for the next few months.  And killing Deer, or Bear, or Cougar, when they see it on a television program, and advertised as a Manly Adventure, becomes their reality of Nature, and Man’s quest to Survive the Elements – after all, it is presented within a dramatic outline!

Now we are looking at AI!  It is devastating out landscapes, and only a few exists.  Soon, if allowed to build more, our landscape will be denuded of water, forests, and wildlife in total.  This is not a story in the movies or on television.  It is Reality.  Are we really prepared for a future of more and more lies, faked-heritage as well as faked-history, as a tool for Wilderness and Wildlife Management? “  — John Cox, M.A. C/M