Listen to a reading of this article: The president and first lady of Ukraine have posed for a romantic photoshoot with Vogue magazine, wherein President Volodymyr Zelensky waxes poetical about his love for his darling wife. Now, I know what you're thinking: how is Zelensky making time for a Vogue photoshoot amidst his busy schedule of PR appearances for other major western institutions?
The war is so PR intensive, the propaganda so over the top, precisely because the average frustrated citizen of the West has so little to gain from the war and therefore has to be constantly goaded to stay on-side. At the same time, the managers of the American Empire very much see this as a matter of existential concern for themselves and the furtherance of their Empire.
The history of WWI is most instructive, and the propaganda then was nearly as hysterical and all-pervasive (not to mention, much of it entirely false). After that war, Lord Ponsonby wrote down The Ten Commandments of War Propaganda.
Read carefully, for the propagandists and their cheerleaders illustrate every last one of them:
1. We don't want war, we are only defending ourselves!
2. Our adversary is solely responsible for this war!
3. Our adversary's leader is inherently evil and resembles the devil
4. We are defending a noble cause, not our particular interests!
5. The enemy is purposefully committing atrocities; if we are making mistakes this happens without intention
6. The enemy makes use of illegal weapons
7. We suffer few losses, the enemy's losses are considerable
8. Recognized intellectuals and artists support our cause
9. Our cause is sacred
10. Whoever casts doubt on our propaganda helps the enemy and is a traitor
The algorithms monitoring my access to information on the Internet keep restricting what I see more and more all the time. It's difficult to find any followup on news stories. What I wouldn't give to have the kind of access that we had back in the nineties to all kinds of information. When it started out, it was magical. Now the totalitarians are clamping down on access to real news, and it's difficult to get by what passes as news that is spun from lies and deception. You are right about the PR spin. The Russians are not deceived, though, about who their real enemy is, and it's not Zelensky, the actor who is basking in the attention being given him in this war.
I'm a recent reader of your work. For the last hour, I chased the links in the paragraph beginning "Since Russia invaded". And then the links in them.
That's an incredible body of work! Thank you! I particularly liked the piece on experts' prior warnings on NATO expansion. One of the imperial spinmeisters whose tweet you included, Mr. McFaul, is a disgusting liar. Based on the obvious falsehood of his tweet, I just assumed he was just a right wing rube. But he was Obama's Ambassador to Russia and he's now at Stanford! What a scumbag!
Zelensky always capitalized on his acting career - that's what it takes these days. He just thought he was better at it, and smarter. So good at his trade and so smart that he could pass cowardice off as bravery, the impossible as viable, and gross injustice as fair and acceptable. He had a chance to implement Minsk I and II, and was elected to do just that. But he went for personal safety and big bucks - which usually brings safety. But looming starvation, severe austerity, economic disaster as the menu for the peripheral, shadow actors is unacceptable, and can't be pretended away as easily as war, death and destruction usually are. He acted himself into a corner. He's no longer safe, so, like a coward, he's pushing the family man/values button. But that movie is passe, it's downright boring these days, even if you don't remember the guy's a brutal killer.
What's next? Zelenskyy shirtless and bareback riding a horse? I wouldn't be surprised. That would really stick in Putin's craw and probably give him a boner too.
Any time humans make a gratuitously emotional pitch, they are trying to distract you or put one over on you.
I am waiting for that little twerp to adopt a puppy, and in a very public manner.
The war is so PR intensive, the propaganda so over the top, precisely because the average frustrated citizen of the West has so little to gain from the war and therefore has to be constantly goaded to stay on-side. At the same time, the managers of the American Empire very much see this as a matter of existential concern for themselves and the furtherance of their Empire.
The history of WWI is most instructive, and the propaganda then was nearly as hysterical and all-pervasive (not to mention, much of it entirely false). After that war, Lord Ponsonby wrote down The Ten Commandments of War Propaganda.
Read carefully, for the propagandists and their cheerleaders illustrate every last one of them:
1. We don't want war, we are only defending ourselves!
2. Our adversary is solely responsible for this war!
3. Our adversary's leader is inherently evil and resembles the devil
4. We are defending a noble cause, not our particular interests!
5. The enemy is purposefully committing atrocities; if we are making mistakes this happens without intention
6. The enemy makes use of illegal weapons
7. We suffer few losses, the enemy's losses are considerable
8. Recognized intellectuals and artists support our cause
9. Our cause is sacred
10. Whoever casts doubt on our propaganda helps the enemy and is a traitor
The algorithms monitoring my access to information on the Internet keep restricting what I see more and more all the time. It's difficult to find any followup on news stories. What I wouldn't give to have the kind of access that we had back in the nineties to all kinds of information. When it started out, it was magical. Now the totalitarians are clamping down on access to real news, and it's difficult to get by what passes as news that is spun from lies and deception. You are right about the PR spin. The Russians are not deceived, though, about who their real enemy is, and it's not Zelensky, the actor who is basking in the attention being given him in this war.
I'm a recent reader of your work. For the last hour, I chased the links in the paragraph beginning "Since Russia invaded". And then the links in them.
That's an incredible body of work! Thank you! I particularly liked the piece on experts' prior warnings on NATO expansion. One of the imperial spinmeisters whose tweet you included, Mr. McFaul, is a disgusting liar. Based on the obvious falsehood of his tweet, I just assumed he was just a right wing rube. But he was Obama's Ambassador to Russia and he's now at Stanford! What a scumbag!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_McFaul
Yep, of course we want Zoolander’s take on this! And the ever present Pro, Bonobo. What a farce.
Zelensky always capitalized on his acting career - that's what it takes these days. He just thought he was better at it, and smarter. So good at his trade and so smart that he could pass cowardice off as bravery, the impossible as viable, and gross injustice as fair and acceptable. He had a chance to implement Minsk I and II, and was elected to do just that. But he went for personal safety and big bucks - which usually brings safety. But looming starvation, severe austerity, economic disaster as the menu for the peripheral, shadow actors is unacceptable, and can't be pretended away as easily as war, death and destruction usually are. He acted himself into a corner. He's no longer safe, so, like a coward, he's pushing the family man/values button. But that movie is passe, it's downright boring these days, even if you don't remember the guy's a brutal killer.
Caitlin, no one can state the obvious like you. And the obvious is the most notoriously difficult thing to see.
Nailed it again, Caitlin.
Vogue??? WTF??? Vogue??? Is this conflict now a fashion issue???
These people have quite clearly gone MAD???
Shouldn't they at least be wearing Hugo Boss fashions since Hugo Boss did design the Nazi's uniforms in WWII??
But IDK Maybe they are wearing Boss.
I'm looking forward to the Robert Kagan Victoria Nuland edition of Hello!
p.s. The exclamation point is in Hello! magazine's name, not my tone.
Young soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are dying in droves, and a Nazi criminal with his prostitute is taking pictures for a magazine
Great article & commentary.
Agree with you 100%.
Have never seen such a one way Propoganda War,being won,by what will be the eventual loser...
American voters have their heads packed so far up their collective ass it's depressing. Just keep supporting the Uniparty.
The Onion will out of a job if they keep up this self-parody.... and the brainwashed sheep lap this shit up while bleating: "FREEDOM!!!"
soulless maggots do what soulless maggots are.
What's next? Zelenskyy shirtless and bareback riding a horse? I wouldn't be surprised. That would really stick in Putin's craw and probably give him a boner too.