Waging Peace: Combatting War Propaganda and Propagandists (Part Two)
Calvin Mulligan November 27, rev Nov 29 2023 (c) All rights reserved
The Devil’s Craft
“The public needs to understand how they were manipulated, why they were manipulated and who is manipulating them. ” – film producer, Mike Smith
At a time when war-mongers are intent on setting the world on fire, the need for members of the public to understand the tactics of war propagandists couldn’t be greater. The mind-manipulators are intent on manufacturing public consent for WWIII. But as my grandmother used to say, forewarned is fore-armed. Alvin and Heidi Toffler’s book, “War and Anti-War” (1995) provided peace warriors and truth seekers with important insights into how we might arm ourselves against the illusions of war propagandists. The book describes six techniques or tactics regularly applied by practitioners of the dark art of perception management. The six are: atrocity accusations, hyperbolic inflations, dehumanization and demonization, polarization, divine sanction and meta propaganda.
Atrocity accusations
The Kuwaiti baby incubator tale described in Part One is typical and by no means the first time an atrocity accusation was used to incite war. War propagandists routinely wrap incendiary accusations of enemy abuses in emotive, gut-wrenching narratives. They know how to rattle our brains with gruesome accounts of enemy assaults against babies, children, women (particularly pregnant women) and even livestock and pets. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not suggesting that vile war crimes aren’t committed in the course of wars. They are… routinely. The alleged crimes that have already been reported and will continue to surface regarding the Ukraine and Israel conflicts will sicken us. My point is simply that war propagandists don’t require or await the discovery of actual atrocities; they fabricate them in order to ignite public outrage.
In the case of the Iraq-Kuwait conflict, the fabrication was babies tossed from incubators; in the Ukraine conflict it was Viagra-boosted Russian soldiers raping Ukrainian woman; and in the Israel-Hamas story, it was Hamas-beheaded babies and raped women being dragged through the streets. Atrocity stories are frequently constructed using doctored photos, fake video footage, heaps of rubble, sobbing crisis actors posing as grieving mothers, pools of fake blood, children’s toys and other props. The Hollywood movie, Wag the Dog, (1997) provided viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at how to fabricate an attack and ignite a war — a case of art imitating life.
Promoting a false atrocity accusation is the equivalent of tossing a lighted match on a pile of gasoline-soaked dry kindling in situations were political tensions are already running high. Once fear and public outrage take hold, the population is primed to demand that its government act in its defence. Wary peace seekers caution against rushing to judgement and seek independent investigation of atrocity claims. War mongers, in contrast, argue that such niceties must wait until later, because right now there’s a war to be fought. In the Israel-Hamas scenario, Senator Lindsay Graham, ever the eager Zionist-controlled war-maker shouts “Kill ‘em all” and Israeli lawmaker Moshe Feign urges Annihilate them.”
While the beheaded Israeli babies claim was refuted within a couple days, the story was quickly repeated and to some extent had already achieved the desired effect in terms of igniting public outrage.
Hyperbolic inflations:
This is exaggeration typically based on a kernel of truth. The war propagandist seeks to magnify the perceived threat or the potential impact of an enemy’s assault in order to amplify public fear and anger. The hyperbole bolsters the claim of victimhood and provides (false) justification for proportionate vengeance. A single isolated incident can be stretched to mammoth proportions — from a dangerous threat to one’s family, or a community to an“existential threat” to the nation (Heard that scare term lately?)
Portraying an attack event as a threat to national security can be very effective. Those with reservations about going to war can now more be more readily persuaded to sign up in defence of their family and their nation. And those determined to resist the marketing campaign can be cynically smeared and shamed as “unpatriotic” and “terrorist sympathizers”.
Observers will have noticed that the number of Israeli citizens reportedly killed by Hamas in the October 7 attack, has now been reduced from 1,400 to 1,200. One can further reduce that number to reflect two additional factors. One is that a percentage of that total were likely Israeli combatants. A second is that a significant number of the reported civilian deaths have now been attributed to crossfire by IDF ground forces and Israeli helicopter pilots acting on a Hannibal Directive ordering them to shoot anything that moved. Yes, such orders include fellow Israelis.
One shouldn’t assume that war propagandists lose any sleep over their falsified reports and their deadly consequences. The unspoken guiding principle is the-end-justifies-the-means. And while military combatants may understand the deceptive nature of the war propaganda bombarding them, credulous members of the public don’t. I doubt the average citizen knows the role that the false flag dubbed The Gulf of Tonkin Incident played in fully engaging the US in the Viet Nam War. Similarly, how many observers considered the possibility that the lack of an explanation for the October 7 stand down of Israeli defences suggests that it too is a false flag?
It’s a different war, but the world has yet to come to terms with what may one day recognized as the greatest example of hyperbolic inflation in human history — the aforementioned Great Scamdemic. Mark Crispin Miller, an NYU professor of media studies, describes the operation as a propaganda masterpiece. In this case, a criminal cabal successfully inverted the perceived reality of the masses. Billions worldwide embraced the safe and effective lie and now millions have discovered the truth is the exact opposite — dangerous and ineffective.
De-humanization and demonization
The systematic dehumanization and demonization of an adversary is often a telling indicator that the global Powers that Be (PTB) are attempting to drum up a war. The objective of dehumanization is to reduce the designated enemy to the status of a soulless subhuman in the public mind. So war propagandists paint their adversary “black”, the epitome of evil and beyond redemption. It’s essential to characterize the enemy in these terms from the perspective of the propagandist. Once characterized in these terms, efforts to engage in dialogue appear pointless, and war the necessary response. And a bestial enemy warrants one response — complete annihilation.
This is the art of war and it’s a war of weaponized language. Terrorists, animals, rapists, butchers, savages, barbarians, cockroaches and rabid dogs are standard pejoratives in the propagandist’s lexicon. Another favourite is “Nazis”, a label applied to the Iraqis in the Iraq-Kuwait conflict, and for something more exotic, there’s Orcs, a term Ukrainians apply to Russian soldiers.
Israel is an old hand at dehumanizing its enemies in peace and in war. Its propagandists have been dehumanizing Palestinians long before the recent conflict. Writing in Haaretz in 2010, Israeli journalist, Gideon Levy observed, “Considering Israel’s absolute self-righteousness, dehumanization of the Palestinians, and its extraordinary capacity to lie and manipulate, we are dealing with a psychopath.” Israel’s media allies like the BBC routinely edit Palestinian humanity from public view. UK political analyst, Craig Murray, notes: “The BBC simply does not treat the Palestinians as human, whereas the emphasis on Israeli personal victimhood is incessant and unrelenting.”
The practical military purpose of dehumanization is in itself anti-human. In an article entitled, “The Dehumanization of War: A meditation for Veterans Day“, the authors contend that “Human beings won’t kill other humans if they truly believe their lives are as worthy as their own.” So opposing forces must be sufficiently dehumanized in the mind of the soldier to overcome a natural resistance to killing. Dehumanization cuts both ways however. Doesn’t a percentage of war vets silently agonize that they too have been dehumanized by their killing of other humans? Wouldn’t such inner anguish contribute to their high rates of depression, PTSD and suicide?
The civilian casualties of war are the victims of a more subtle form of dehumanization. War reporter, John Pilger claims that 70% of all casualties in the Viet Nam war were civilians. War-makers casually dismiss such devastating civilian impacts as an unfortunate but unavoidable, unintended consequences of war with the euphemism, “collateral damage.” Just two words is all it takes to devalue and dismiss the lives and losses of ultimately millions of forgotten victims of war. Such is the devious effect of word warfare.
Polarization
Polarization, is the process of creating a “them-versus-us” divide consistent with the age-old divide and conquer strategy. A classic example comes from President George (“Strategery”) Bush 2001: “You’re either with us, or with the terrorists”. Bush demanded Americans and their allies decide if they wished to be cast as patriotic US citizen or allies of terrorists. Polarization adds a moral colouration. One side is presented as the white hat-wearing good guys and supposed victims, and on the other as black hat-wearing villains. It’s paint-by-number simplicity for those with no appetite for inconvenient truths.
Polarization misdirects our attention and energy and distorts reality in two ways. First, it narrows the observer’s field of vision, editing out a larger, more complex political reality. The so-called Russia versus Ukraine war would be more accurately described as a proxy US-NATO-CIA-MI6-Mossad war against Russia. Acknowledging that of course would require an uncomfortable look at military and geopolitical interests and objectives underlying the conflict. And that in turn may reveal our own self-interests and complicity.
The second distortion is that polarization glosses over more granular, albeit vital detail within each of the seemingly opposing camps. Consider how the hard Israel vs Hamas framing of the story pushed the recent protests by 100s of thousands of Israelis against their PM into the background. So who exactly are the Stand with Israel supporters standing with…”Jewish” Israel or Zionist Israel pursuing a Greater Israel fantasy?
It’s remarkable how quickly unwitting citizens can be herded into one camp or the other constructed by the establishment. Carried by an emotional tide, many people overlook the fact that both sides are managed by invisible globalists powers higher on the pyramid of power (Deep State, Illuminati, Cabal, Khazarian Powers-that-Be). And remaining “invisible” beyond our line of sight enables the PTB to continue their string pulling puppetry.
Divine sanction
War propagandists are eager to claim divine sanction and signal to skeptics that they have heavenly approval for their ventures. The subtle or not-so-subtle message is: “God is on our side supporting our righteous cause“. Such messages are all the more potent among believers if coupled with references to biblical prophecy and delivered from the pulpit by a trusted religious authority.
Netanyahu, described as a Satanist by some, cites scripture to justify his military assault on Gaza consistent with Israel’s policy of collective punishment (of the citizenry). “You must remember what Amalek has done to you as per our holy bible.” He is speaking to more than fellow Israelis. His pitch also reached millions of “Christian Zionists”. The members of this audience (some may say cult) are convinced that as good Christians they are bound to support Israel come hell or high water as an article of their faith. It may be the most effective use of the divine sanction tactic of them all. For others in both religious and secular communities, silence and inaction in the face of genocide is, figuratively speaking, “a bridge too far”.
Meta Propaganda
Meta propaganda is propaganda used to counter or discredit the enemy’s messaging, or alternatively to amplify the propagandist’s claims. If the propagandists can destroy the credibility of an adversary, it’s a big win as most of the adversary’s subsequent claim’s are more likely to be dismissed as disinformation. Note how quickly the strike on the hospital in Gaza was followed by Israel’s assertion that it was the result of a failed Hamas attempt to launch one of its rockets. Had Israel’s claim stood, imagine how dispiriting it would have been for Hamas supporters. In effect the message would have been: See…incompetent Palestinian terrorists are even pose a deadly threat to fellow Palestinians? The Israeli claim however, was subsequently refuted by an American armaments specialist who identified the bomb as American made.
The mainstream media echo chamber is a reliable meta propaganda system capable of amplifying a lie many times over through circular reporting and self-referencing. The propagandist’s account might cite a CIA-planted story in the New York Times or Washington Post or an unnamed source in order to give his or her claim an element of credibility. As other media pick up the fake news story, it gains momentum and audience reach. But clearly, these are no measure of the original stories accuracy but such meta propaganda concerning perpetual “baddies” — Russian, Iran and China — has often taken credulous Western audiences captive.
Another generator of meta propaganda are the so-called “Fact Checkers” established to reinforce false claims and deflect counter claims while giving their verdicts the appearance of independence. Again, it was a different information war, but how many of the Great Scamdemic’s lies were prefaced with “Fact checkers say……”? Such efforts to put the stamp of approval on their sponsors’ lies can’t be taken seriously. I have yet to find a truly independent fact checker capable of honestly and objectively adjudicating truth claims.
The fact that small armies of people are engaged on a daily basis in manufacturing and amplifying corporate narratives with little respect for objective truth is disconcerting at best. A headline concerning Big Pharma player, Moderna is telling. It reads: Moderna’s ‘disinformation department’ monitors 150 million websites for ‘anti vaccine’ narratives. One wonders when it was that wariness concerning the many documented side effects of vaccines became religious heresy.
Whether it’s an information war intended to convince you to accept a risky medical treatment or to secure public consent for war, the modus operandi is the same. It’s tidily summed up in Mossad’s “old” motto: “By way of deception thou shall make war”.
Continuing challenges and some positive signs amid the darkness
This brief review of six common war propaganda tactics confirms a couple things. First, it confirms that peace-makers must inherently do battle with war-makers and their propagandists. Candidly, it’s not a stretch to describe the latter as shameless professional liars, truth-twisters and reality-fabricators. As illustrated above, they wield an array of sophisticated tools and tactics (Far more than this space allows). In fact, the foregoing vastly understates their capabilities in an era of deep fakes and AI-driven propaganda. More sobering, the PTB war-mongers and their partisans in the military-security industrial complex lack the moral constraints anchoring the majority of our society.
Second, it seems clear that many ordinary citizens, captive of the mainstream media echo chamber and subjected to a daily barrage of war propaganda, are ill-equipped to discern the truth. They have become unwitting casualties of war. And it would be foolish to underestimate the challenge their entrancement presents to the cause of peace.
That said, if the Israel-Hamas story is in any way indicative, there are signs that the once unassailable war machine is no longer “bullet-proof”. As devastating as events paying out in that theatre are, I see reasons for optimism. Specifically, the Neocon-Zionist Propaganda-Manufacturing machine appears to be losing ground to the challenge of an awaking world-wide population. Consider the following:
- Analysts are investigating Middle Eastern war propagandist’s claims and refuting them in the alternative media;
- Whistle-blowers, witnesses, military insiders and honest journalists are revealing the truth about what’s really going on in the Israel-Hamas conflict (to the chagrin of the military propagandists);
- Alleged Gaza war crimes are being reported and prompting some national leaders and watch-dog agencies to call for their investigation;
- Protests against the war are bringing peace-seeking people together across national, political, social and racial lines;
- At least two high profile officials (individuals in the UN and US State department) have resigned in protest regarding their employer’s complicity;
- In the wake of what may be an October 7 false flag attack, ordinary Israeli citizens are demanding accountability from their Liar-in-Chief;
- Some UK war vets have returned their medals to #10 Downing Street; and
- Thousands of young Americans are signalling they have no intention of risking their lives fighting for Israel.
Call me crazy, but I believe the above bode well for our long running struggle against the demons of darkness. I say that knowing things are likely to get darker before the dawn. Nonetheless, with God’s help, let’s continue to stumble bravely toward the flickering possibility of peace. Our goal is peace as John F. Kennedy called for it 60 years ago, “…for all men and women — not merely peace in our time, but peace for all time.”
— Calvin
End Notes (for Parts One and Two):
Peace war and 9/11: a cinematic portrait of Graeme MacQueen, a warrior for peace: https://edwardcurtin.com/peacewar-and-9-11-a-cinematic-portrait-of-graeme-macqueen-a-warrior-for-peace/
The Nayirah testimony (atrocity propaganda) Wikipedia
Nayirah Testimony Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nayirah_testimony
Citizens for a free Kuwait
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_for_a_Free_Kuwait
Gulf War, Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War
Nayirah, Kuwaiti girl testimony (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmfVs3WaE9Y&t=1s
Beware of stories about babies in incubators: https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/beware-of-stories-about-babies-in-incubators/
No, Hamas did not behead 40 babies in an Israel kibbutz last Saturday
Christian Zionism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Zionism
New poll shows most Americans support Israel after Hamas attacks
Credulous or dishonest journalists regurgitate pro-war propaganda
Out of Shadows
Into the Light https://twitter.com/IntoTheLightFLM?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
War and Antiwar (1995): https://www.amazon.ca/War-Anti-War-Making-Todays-Gloabal/dp/0446602590
Perception management
Six tools for managing perception
http://changingminds.org/techniques/propaganda/six_tools_perception_management.htm
‘The Holocaust’: — the biggest and most destructive lie of the 20th century
Moderna’s ‘disinformation department’ monitors 150 million websites for ‘anti vaccine’ narratives: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/moderna-artificial-intelligence-anti-vaccine-narratives/
US weapons expert debunks Israel’s denial of Gaza hospital strike: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231018-us-weapons-expert-debunks-israels-denial-of-gaza-hospital-strike/
Before they launch missiles they launch propaganda campaigns
Netanyahu quotes scripture to justify Gaza genocide
Israel implemented ‘mass Hannibal directive’ October 7, 2023: Israeli pilot
No ceasefire in the propaganda war
https://www.theburningplatform.com/2023/11/25/no-ceasefire-in-the-propaganda-war/
Meta-propaganda in the digital age — China media project: https://chinamediaproject.org/2022/01/27/meta-propaganda-converges/
The dehumanization of war: A meditation for Veterans Day
Nothing screams Christian values like massacres and mass weapons sales: https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2023/11/04/nothing-screams-christian-values-like-massacres-and-mass-weapons-sales/
What really happened on Oct 7? Is speaker Mike Johnson really a tru pro-liberty speaker?
Christian Zionism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Zionism
Wag the Dog
US weapons expert debunks Israel’s denial of Gaza hospital strike
Hocus Pocus; The 300 year usurpation of Judaism by Zionism: https://thecovidblog.com/2023/10/31/hocus-pocus-the-300-year-usurpation-of-judaism-by-zionism-the-fiat-currency-blood-sacrament-and-the-vaccine-pogrom-pre-genocide-of-world-war-iii/
Weaponizing your enemy’s children: Dehumanizing of Palestinians has goes mainstream
I’m a Jew and not a genocidal racist — Why do Israel “supporters” keep telling the world that I am?: https://off-guardian.org/2023/11/10/im-a-jew-im-not-a-genocidal-racist-why-do-israel-supporters-keep-telling-the-world-that-i-am/
CNN reporter who “confirmed” fake beheaded Israeli babies promoted Libya intervention propaganda in 2011 https://www.sott.net/article/485234-CNN-reporter-who-confirmed-fake-beheaded-Israeli-babies-story-promoted-Libya-intervention-propaganda-in-2011
“No such thing as innocent civilians” https://celiafarber.substack.com/p/no-such-thing-as-innocent-civilians?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=257742&post_id=137983311&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=4v87x&utm_medium=email
Atrocity propaganda in WW1 (video): https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/atrocity-propaganda-in-world-war-one/
Atrocity propaganda on super steroids
https://www.theburningplatform.com/2023/10/17/atrocity-propaganda/
Manufacturing consent
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_Consent
Top UN official in New York steps down citing ‘genocide’ of Palestinian civilians
“Justified vengeance” and the history of Israeli “false flags” (2001-2023). Palestine portrayed as “the aggressor”: https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-invasion-of-gaza-operation-cast-lead-part-of-a-broader-israeli-military-intelligence-agenda/11606\
Israel admits it killed its own at Nova music festival
https://new.thecradle.co/articles/israel-admits-it-killed-its-own-at-nova-music-festival
UK Veterans return war medals to Downing street: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/dec/08/forces-veterans-protest-downing-street-against-british-airstrikes-syria
Israeli army vets admit role in massacres of Palestinians in 1948: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20140217-israeli-army-veterans-admit-role-in-massacres-of-palestinians-in-1948/
“Wiping Gaza off the map”: Big money agenda. Confiscating Palestine’s natural gas reserves: https://www.globalresearch.ca/israel-gas-oil-and-trouble-in-the-levant/5362955
Israel’s comically bad disinfo proves they are losing the PR war
https://www.sott.net/article/486046-Israels-comically-bad-disinfo-proves-they-re-losing-the-PR-war
All lost, total failure achieved (Scott Ritter)
Israel has permanently lost the argument
https://www.sott.net/article/485512-Israel-has-permanently-lost-the-argument
Is the Gaza genocide being used to promote (a) fake “multipolar world” as a “solution”: https://off-guardian.org/2023/11/21/is-gaza-genocide-being-used-to-promote-the-gr-multipolarity-as-a-solution/
The coming age of AI- powered propaganda
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/coming-age-ai-powered-propaganda
Peace speech by President John F. Kennedy June 10, 1963