Myth Over Mind: How Logic and Rationale Are the First Casualties When Emotions Are Persuaded
- Shruti Keshan
- Apr 7
- 5 min read
The year 1929 is primarily recalled for the crash of the stock market and the onset of the Great Depression — its graphs, charts, and headlines carved into economic history. But beyond the financial turmoil, 1929 also witnessed one of the most revolutionary propaganda strategies of modern times. In an era where women were still fighting for equal opportunities and equal pay, being impudent and unconventional was seen as equivalent to being free. It was perceived as being independent - something that was considered a rare privilege at the time.
Women in elegantly fashioned attire marched to 5th Avenue with cigarettes, tightly held within their fingers, declared to be “torches of freedom.” In the blink of an eye, an acutely detrimental substance, such as nicotine, became the pleading cry of feminism, liberation, and the creation of an egalitarian society. However, during the whole time, each step that was taken towards the spread of this “rebellious” event was a part of an even bigger plan, a meticulously manoeuvred strategy designed by Edward Bernays to simply boost the sales of tobacco and reach out to an untapped market — this is exactly what propaganda does. It entices and lives off of the masses’ emotions like a parasite, pattering onto one’s deepest fears and desires, and eventually uses them to fatten one's agendas.
But here comes the most intriguing aspect: why is it that even after recognizing such patterns and being capable of solving convoluted issues such as the worldwide economic crisis, we are still rendered feeble and impotent against simple acts of repetition and engagement? The origins of these complications lie in refined cognitive sciences, which prove the rationale behind the culture of spreading propaganda and the application of radical slogans. These were infamously propagated by the Nazi leaders and then adopted by Stalin for other sinister activities — genocide, consolidating control by rewriting history, reinforcing biased ideologies by effective control of the narrative — and the other executions of a proper totalitarian regime. It is imperative to understand that such undertakings were not random social experiments but rather a method of sophisticated and deliberate science.
This process relies adversely on bombarding individuals with selective content — pictures, pieces of history, or even volumes of facts — all infested with half-truths, exaggerations, and emotionally charged information. It directly relates to the phenomenon of availability heuristic—a condition in which people are repeatedly exposed to information, so much so that they become vulnerable and are compelled to accept the distorted information served (https://www.behavioraleconomics.com/resources/mini-encyclopedia-of-be/availability-heuristic). An illusion—so vivid—is created that even individuals who are educated and consider themselves to be “ aware” are effortlessly encapsulated as a prominent part of this mechanism. Sooner or enough, without realizing it, instead of combating it, they become the means of its spread. Similarly, in contemporary times, the constant exposure to social media has become the database for some organizations and companies to use members of such platforms as scapegoats. Using them to escalate and present news on crimes, immigration crises, or healthcare problems in a much more dramatized manner than the reality. This not only creates an atmosphere of panic and sabotage but also steers us away from factual information and the real threat of not being able to think precisely anymore, leading us in a quite precarious direction.
Similarly, the bandwagon effect flaunts its essence in the very origin of the psyche of humans and manipulates the delicate but fundamental requisite, almost like a “sine qua non,” that is of social conformity and the ability to move and live in tribes, in other words, have similar ideologies, political and economic views, and social conditionings. (https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-bandwagon-effect-2795895 ) The propagandists took extensive advantage of this to manipulate the crowds and then leave them questioning their beliefs, faith, and perceptions. In economics, this effect contributes to the sale of popular products. However, in society, it leads to the spread of misinformation, blindness to current affairs in the name of mass consensus or unity, and eventually the distortion of democracy and opinions. Rallies, public appearances, and rapid campaigning are carefully fabricated instruments manufactured as a display to those who dare to question and think otherwise. In the modern age, it may have taken the form of viral hashtags and trends, but its effect remains as profound. Today, one feels trapped and “out-of-place” if they cannot fit into the so-called conventional aesthetics of social media or are unaware of social movements that solely take place on these platforms. It is crucial to understand that vital activities, like the exchange of preferences about a certain candidate who is participating in the upcoming elections or public websites and other platforms, are potentially deceitful. Being openly promoted and often unregulated or under-supervised, they pose imminent threats owing to their accessibility. This, in turn, creates echo chambers and a false majority for the upcoming generations to follow and, thereby, risks fresh insights, perspectives, and solutions to such algorithmic problems.
Additionally, the implication of the anchoring bias takes precedence over recent or advanced facts, evidence, or knowledge. One’s mind is hardwired to believe more instinctively the first piece of information that we receive, and instead of contradicting or questioning it, one seeks to find more proof that reinforces its existing counsel (https://iari.site/2023/10/24/anchoring-bias-and-the-primary-responsibility-of-people-on-disinformation/. ) This further plays with our cerebral system when we are confronted with contrasting corroborations, and yet it feels rather “unnatural” to choose something that we first weren’t aware of. Almost as if the order in which something is presented is correlated to its authenticity and potential for making a “safe” and “correct” choice. Frequently, when news articles are written or shown on television, the most captivating or shocking part of the data is introduced first. This is done not only to gain attention but also to ensure that the specific clip or phrase that the agency wants us to be “clear” about persists in the audience’s mind longer, and eventually it becomes more difficult to digest anything that’s said otherwise.
Thus, in the process of delving deeper into the intricacies of such carefully handled strategies and statistics, our brain serves as a raw medium. Making our minds respond involuntarily to the stimulus that it interacts with in an extremely vulnerable and exposed manner, such that our decisions are also not completely ours to make, and our voices no longer remain a personal choice. It is an extremely poignant issue, but a lie can camouflage and customize itself to the civilization's topical wants, outlooks, and judgements without itself taking any notice, behaving almost like a catalyst. Media houses, political parties, and businesses thrive on the cultivation and propagation of such activities at the cost of people’s education, rights, and more importantly, choices; thus raising an alarming cause for each one to take responsibility for the part that we continue to play in the deliberate expansion of this rhetoric before it becomes an immutable norm of society.
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