Resonating Anchors & Narratives: Propaganda That Reflects the Beliefs of The Audience, Makes Them Willing to Follow Along

“Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.” (Jowett & O’Donnel, 2012, p. 7)

Donald Trump once said that he could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue, and he would not lose any supporters. I am not sure if that is true, but it stands to reason that it is a possibility after the Epstein fiasco. It could be argued that Trump’s electoral victories in both the 2016 and 2024 elections were due to the expectations the voters had, based on promises that were made, that he would bring justice to a corrupted system. Shortly after assuming office in January, the administration publicly stated that the Epstein files were going to be released. They were sitting on Pam Bondi’s desk and contained tens of thousands of hours of videos depicting child sexual abuse and blackmail. Ghislane Maxwell is serving a prison sentence for her involvement in what was described as a child sex trafficking ring. Voters, rightfully expecting justice to be served, were sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation of revelations that would finally see it through. Then, as suddenly as it all had begun, there were no files, and officials like Kash Patel and Dan Bongino had flipped their positions and insisted that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide and was not murdered. For a brief moment, there was justified outrage among Trump voters. Feelings of betrayal gripped their collective psyche, as Trump publicly declared he no longer wanted the support of people who believed in the Epstein files, as he was now calling them a left-wing hoax. It was almost as if the people were going to see Trump for what he is, then suddenly, with a simple flick of the switch, the issue became Obama and Russia Gate. Fantastical claims of Trump playing a brilliant game of “5D chess” once again became the talking points among Trump’s voters as they are proving beyond any reasonable doubt that they are easily distracted, and can be made to follow along with any narrative our propaganda-saturated media can come up with.

At this point, I can’t help but think we are being mocked. These people are safe in their understanding that most of us are not able to think outside of the box they are trapping us in. We are constantly being bombarded with incessant, shameless propaganda meant to keep us in a state of paralysis, and unsure of what to think about anything. Joost Meerloo, in Rape of the Mind, refers to this as a “totalitarian strategy of no political rest,” (p. 93) and it is a fitting description as high levels of cognitive overload tend to make us easier to manipulate. The public’s reaction to Trump saying he didn’t want the support of his voters surely caused high levels of dissonance, and many of them worked fervently to find some kind of justification to keep supporting him. The quick shift in focus to Obama provided that justification. Trump’s voters are now – despite what just happened with the Epstein files –chomping at the bit, waiting for Obama to be arrested. Is this going to happen? According to Trump himself, the 2024 Supreme Court case granting the office of president immunity may end up protecting Obama as well. This is one of those situations where Trump’s biggest supporters were cheering it on without giving much thought to what the consequences would be. But because it was Trump, it was great and there would be no consequence. It isn’t as if Obama is really going to be arrested. I am sure before this is all over, Trump will be thanking him for his wonderful service to the country.

Americans need to understand the nature of what we are dealing with. The more we allow ourselves to be captivated by these media narratives, the more we are seen as gullible and naive. It was no surprise to them that the public was so easily led from the Epstein issue to Obama because they have been studying our behavior and reactions to propaganda for a long time. According to the book, Psychology and Modern Warfare: Idea Management in Conflict and Competition, the public is viewed by propagandists as being devoid of sound logic and easily led from one issue to another. Does that apply to everyone? No, however, they come to these beliefs simply by watching how we act. When Trump supporters willingly allow themselves to be enthralled by the Obama story, after being outraged about Epstein, they are providing the data researchers use to come to these conclusions. When Trump says he could shoot someone in broad daylight and not lose any supporters, he knows people aren’t paying attention to anything other than narratives that reflect their beliefs. That is how propaganda works. The belief that Trump is our only hope is constantly being reinforced by propaganda that shows liberals losing their minds over everything he does. This resonates with voters as they believe that Trump’s initial 2016 victory saved our country from the destruction that Obama brought, and more of the same if Clinton had won. This belief is what the book, Propaganda and Persuasion, refers to as an anchor. Nearly every story coming out of conservative media is framed from the perspective that Trump is the greatest thing to happen to America. There are very few outlets that question anything he does, and those that do, are generally ignored or attacked.

I have argued for a long time that certain ideas keep presenting themselves in the literature on propaganda, persuasion and psychological warfare. An anchor, for example, is described as a root belief that is discovered by a careful analysis of the audience’s pre-existing values and attitudes. Once these attitudes and beliefs are discovered and understood, they can be used “to motivate the audience to accept the purpose of the persuader” (p. 38). In other words, all propaganda is meant to get the audience to accept what they would otherwise oppose. Narratives are created that resonate with an audience because they are perceived as being their own beliefs, and not something that is being forced on them (p.38). The Obama issue surely resonates with voters because he is viewed as a malicious liar that endlessly worked to destroy the values of our country. Millions of Americans would love to see him in handcuffs, which is why it was the perfect issue to use as a distraction. It reinforces the pre-existing cognitive bias held by Trump voters, that he will bring justice, despite the fact that there has thus far been none. In fact, the only thing that Trump has brought is more of the same. The country is going deeper into debt, bombs are still dropping, and the surveillance state is steadily advancing. The Big Beautiful Bill, which was hyped up beyond belief, increases the debt by three trillion, and prohibits states from enforcing laws that protect the biometric data of their citizens. No one is paying attention to this. Instead, it is the same old narrative of Trump playing five-dimensional chess, and liberals breaking down in tears over every move he makes. Because he is brilliant. I am going to tell you, the only game of chess being played is against the public, and they are willingly putting themselves in checkmate.

“Someone giving expression to the recipient’s own concerns, tensions, aspirations, and hopes. Thus, propaganda denies all distance between the
source and the audience: the propaganda voices the propagandee’s own feelings.” (Jowett & O’Donnel, 2012, p. 38)

Objective journalism, for all practical purposes, is dead. We have given up our rights to hold government accountable for the false promises of a hero swooping in to save us. The public is showing its gullibility, as well as its willingness to follow a dangling carrot, reinforcing the prevailing belief held by those crafty message manipulators that we are stupid and easily swayed in any direction they wish to take us. The information is readily available. They are telling us what they do.  All you have to do is read it for yourself. The Epstein issue is slowly but surely disappearing from the public mind. They are even suggesting that Maxwell may receive a presidential pardon from Trump. Is that what you voted for?

Article posted with permission from David Risselada

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