Does Using The Word 'Propaganda' Help Corporations?

Many people see propaganda as marketing. Many Americans are waking up from a propaganda-induced coma yelling things like, "They lied! They packaged a lie and they sold it to me." Great. Many of these same folks then rant about the evils of propaganda. Their anger is long overdue. But, bashing propaganda strengthens the control of the world's greatest oppressor, our present form of world government, Corporatocracy. The division between government and corporations is blurry at best and illusory at worst. Evidence of corporate influence on government continues to mount. Corporate contributions to politicians is regularly reported. The payouts appear to extend beyond campaign contributions: in the '05 Halloween issue of The New Yorker James Surowiecki reported that the average portfolio of a Senator grew twelve percent annually, four-times the growth of money managers described as genius for their performance during the same period. The deepest division between government and corporations is in the minds of consumers holding a distinction between propaganda and marketing. Statements defining marketing as propaganda are regularly dismissed as "merely semantics." This perspective either ignores the meaning of the word semantics or how marketing works. Semantic adj: of or relating to the study of meaning and changes of meaning; "semantic analysis" (WordNet (r) 2.0, (c) 2003 Princeton University) Influencing meaning and changes in meaning is the goal of marketing. Behaviors are changed by altering perceptions. When we see things differently we act differently. Beliefs, attitudes and constructions of categories are the primary levers of shifting perception. Marketing manipulates the meaning of symbols, images and associations. Marketing affects changes in meaning or it's not good marketing. Marketing is applied semantics, either actively changing perceptions or staving-off potential changes. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11035.htm

Note: http://www.informationc...