How Propaganda Works

De: Jason Stanley

Narrado por: Tom Parks

Our democracy today is fraught with political campaigns, lobbyists, liberal media, and Fox News commentators, all using language to influence the way we think and reason about public issues. Even so, many of us believe that propaganda and manipulation aren't problems for us - not in the way they were for the totalitarian societies of the mid-20th century. In How Propaganda Works, Jason Stanley demonstrates that more attention needs to be paid. He examines how propaganda operates subtly, how it undermines democracy - particularly the ideals of democratic deliberation and equality - and how it has damaged democracies of the past.

Focusing on the shortcomings of liberal democratic states, Stanley provides a historically grounded introduction to democratic political theory as a window into the misuse of democratic vocabulary for propaganda's selfish purposes. He lays out historical examples, such as the restructuring of the US public school system at the turn of the 20th century, to explore how the language of democracy is sometimes used to mask an undemocratic reality. Drawing from a range of sources, he explains how the manipulative and hypocritical declaration of flawed beliefs and ideologies arises from and perpetuates inequalities in society, such as the racial injustices that commonly occur in the United States.

©2015 Princeton University Press (P)2020 Tantor

The story

The language was out of my reach and hard to understand at times. I had to read it twice

A great project that gets lost in it's own delivery.

While I consider myself a fan of Stanley's work, this title has been a rough listen. Many interesting ideas are overexplained with advanced vocabulary in a near circular merry go round of philosophical exposition.

I loved the whole thing

I wish the reader would at a little more space into the sentences. Great reading and I think while the book is available it should be read by everyone

Timely reminder of what is happening now in the Republican Party and Fox Mews

The difficult academic style makes this important information hard to understand. Still worth the effort.

A Timeless Classic

This book is a must read for critical thinkers. In order to cut through the thick walls of societal norms you must be able to look at the walls around you, accept that you may have painted them, but realize they are not infallible. This book takes you past the walls any reader may have put up for themselves.

The writer does a great job with simple historical examples that shine a light on the fallacy of living in any society, then applies a modern context. As noble as the writer is, they provide the lense that even this book could be perceived as a flawed opinion allowing the reader to even question the words they are listening to. Great book that promotes liberty and democracy.