You don't need propaganda for things everyone already feels good about.
That is so true. It's why abusers can be so effective at giving their victims such a giant boost of euphoria in the so-called honeymoon phase. Propagandists are similarly skilled at finding out what makes people tick and manipulating their psyches.
I feel like Cabaret does a good job showing this conflict with Tomorrow Belongs to Me.
Oh, man, I watched that video half a dozen times! I'd seen it once before, but was unaware of the context before. You are right, it is scary effective. My face was frozen in horror watching all these ordinary citizens pledging themselves to unimaginable evil and horror, even while I thrilled at the sense of oneness and purpose the song stirred up. I think that's exactly what the composers wanted to show--that the audience can be moved with the same levers that moved the citizens of the Third Reich, that no one is immune to evil.
it's so effective that actual white supremacists have taken and performed the song at rallies!
In yet another demonstration of the axiom "don't read the comments," there was this awful neo-Nazi in the comment threads shouting "Heil Hitler!" and ranting about how this song showed Nazism was awesome or whatever. When people told her that no, the song was written by two gay Jewish men who wanted to show how evil Nazism was, she kept calling them "Liars" and "Jude" until she couldn't ignore the evidence anymore retreated to saying, well, that showed that even Jews could stumble on the truth of Hitler's greatness. What a piece of work. I flagged most of her comments for hateful content.
no subject
That is so true. It's why abusers can be so effective at giving their victims such a giant boost of euphoria in the so-called honeymoon phase. Propagandists are similarly skilled at finding out what makes people tick and manipulating their psyches.
Oh, man, I watched that video half a dozen times! I'd seen it once before, but was unaware of the context before. You are right, it is scary effective. My face was frozen in horror watching all these ordinary citizens pledging themselves to unimaginable evil and horror, even while I thrilled at the sense of oneness and purpose the song stirred up. I think that's exactly what the composers wanted to show--that the audience can be moved with the same levers that moved the citizens of the Third Reich, that no one is immune to evil.
In yet another demonstration of the axiom "don't read the comments," there was this awful neo-Nazi in the comment threads shouting "Heil Hitler!" and ranting about how this song showed Nazism was awesome or whatever. When people told her that no, the song was written by two gay Jewish men who wanted to show how evil Nazism was, she kept calling them "Liars" and "Jude" until she couldn't ignore the evidence anymore retreated to saying, well, that showed that even Jews could stumble on the truth of Hitler's greatness. What a piece of work. I flagged most of her comments for hateful content.