Then there’s the other 80% or so of the population. These are
Lippmann’s “spectators of action,” whom he referred to as the
“bewildered herd.” They are supposed to follow orders and keep out
of the way of the important people. They’re the target of the real
mass media: the tabloids, the sitcoms, the Super Bowl and so on.
These sectors of the doctrinal system serve to divert the
unwashed masses and reinforce the basic social values: passivity,
submissiveness to authority, the overriding virtue of greed and
personal gain, lack of concern for others, fear of real or imagined
enemies, etc. The goal is to keep the bewildered herd bewildered.
It’s unnecessary for them to trouble themselves with what’s
happening in the world. In fact, it’s undesirable—if they see too
much of reality they may set themselves to change it.
That’s not to say that the media can’t be influenced by the
general population. The dominant institutions—whether political,
economic or doctrinal—are not immune to public pressures.
Independent (alternative) media can also play an important role.
Though they lack resources, almost by definition, they gain
significance in the same way that popular organizations do: by
bringing together people with limited resources who can multiply
their effectiveness, and their own understanding, through their
interactions—precisely the democratic threat that’s so feared by
dominant elites.
ann
(Ann)
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