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Communication: Sloganism
The online dictionary defines a slogan as, “a phrase expressing the aims or nature of an enterprise, organization, or candidate; a motto” as well as “a phrase used repeatedly, as in advertising or promotion.” (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/slogan). Sloganism is a powerful tool. People and groups use this tool to convey a message in a simple form that is easy for those of all intellect levels to understand. The use of sloganism predates history.
The danger of using sloganism as a means to promote an agenda is that people can simply repeat an idea without thinking it out for themselves. If people actually went through the process of reasoning, they might come to a completely seperate or more precise conclusion. Perhaps, each time they go through the reasoning process they come to a different conclusion. You would almost hope that people have ‘open’ enough minds to be able to adapt and calibrate to any situation as it presents itself. Perhaps the negative connotation of hypocrisy should change in order for people to feel free to completely change their views on a particular subject. It is this type of citizen, because they do not blindly pledge their allegiance to any cause or group, that is less likely to be manipulated.
The fact is, that if we allow ourselves to repeat slogans or rhetoric we become susceptible to manipulation. Most people will repeat things they hear from those they respect, whether it is their father at the dinner table or the guy that looks like their father on the ten o’clock news. This inborn instinct in us to conform to the ‘alpha’ members of the group or tribe is actually basic survival. Without the instinct to conform to the ‘alpha’ members, you would risk being ostracized from the group. Almost certain death would follow, either through violence from the group or banishment into the wild where you could not survive on your own.
One example of the dangers of sloganism is well known in American culture. Everyone I know is aware of the nazi party using ‘sloganism’ to spread propaganda to the masses, keeping the population from forming ideas for themselves. To quote Hitler, “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.” Sometimes, as a society, we fail to make the connection between sloganism and propaganda. However, anytime we repeat something we’ve heard without coming to our own conclusions through independent, reliable sources of information we are being manipulated.
The power of sloganism and rhetoric can be seen more clearly when a topic is offered for debate in which they do not exist. It is interesting to see how most individuals won’t have an opinion at all and others will try to form an opinion by classifying the topic into a pre-existing argument. For example, if I post something online about popular topics, like healthcare or immigration, everyone will have an opinion. However, if I post something about land reform you can hear the crickets chirping through your flat screen monitor. Notice the difference between truly being ‘open-minded’ and having ‘open-minded’ ideas?
We would ultimately like to see the people of our society become independent thinkers. Independent thinkers who don’t merely repeat prefabricated talking points. Rather, they actually sit down with an open mind to discuss and share information with one another until a proper conclusion based on the merits of each situation is reached. This is what makes democracy such a strong form of government. The people have the power to calibrate and to make any change neccessary for the society to succeed at any given point. In a mere few months, technology, the economy, or society itself could force such changes. The people have to be ‘open’ enough to ideas from all over the political spectrum to keep our democracy healthy and strong.
100th Monkey
The 100th Monkey
A story about social change.
By Ken Keyes Jr.
The Japanese monkey, Macaca Fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years.
… … In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkey liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant.
An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too.
This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists. Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.
Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes — the exact number is not known. Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes. Let’s further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.
THEN IT HAPPENED!
By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!
But notice: A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea…Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes.
Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind.
Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people.
But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!
From the book “The Hundredth Monkey” by Ken Keyes, Jr.
The book is not copyrighted and the material may be reproduced in whole or in part.
Societal Perspectives: Guy
This seriers of short films gives viewers the opportunity to take a candid look into American culture some four decades ago and allow us to reflect on our current societal perspective
