Mass Media and Mental Games Shaping Our Political and Perceived Realities

By Lance Winslow
What do you know? If what you know is what you read in the newspapers and see on TV, then perhaps you do not know much at all. Indeed, there are propaganda spin-meisters at every turn shaping your created realities. In fact, let me recommend a very good book to you about how political games are played at the highest levels of American Politics;

"Spin Cycle; Inside the Clinton Propaganda Machine" by Howard Kurtz (also author of: 'Hot Air and Media Circus'); The Free Press [division of Simon and Schuster Inc.], New York, NY; 1998.

This is an incredibly interesting book on how the media and politicians change our reality and how nothing is exactly as it seems. Indeed, the heart of the message after reading this book is back to that old quote; "you can't fool all the people, all of the time." Perhaps, that is what I took away from the book and maybe you will see something else, as the book is packed with the little details and reality behind the scenes.

The puppets are introduced along with all the players; it's a tribute to the reality of US Politics at the highest levels. The author notes that President Bill Clinton was the most investigated president in history next to Richard Nixon. There was Whitewater, campaign fundraising abuses, Chinese donations, Monica Lewinsky, and the author of Spin Cycle calls the Teflon man resilient and untouchable thanks to his well-oiled propaganda machine.

The book tells of secret meetings with columnists to reap the benefits of favorable publicity is all that saved the Clintons, and he admits it was masterful indeed. One of the chapters discusses Al Gore and his loss and feelings of betrayal that cost him the White House. Today we see a similar story brewing with Senator Barrack Obama's PR machine with 8:1 positive to negative articles in the media, it's no wonder his popularity, but how long can it hold out?

In my opinion, it really does not matter if you like the Clintons or not, what matters is you understand the created realities of the mass media. All informed voters ought to realize what is really going on in Washington DC and on the road to get to the White House.