Page 186 - Dragon Flood

A Policy of Propaganda

Gustave Le Bon

One of the pioneers of the modern use of propaganda to manipulate the masses was
Gustave Le Bon, a French social psychologist. Le Bon lived between the years 1841 and 1931
and wrote a number of books on the subject of the psychology of the group mind. His
writings influenced many of those who became key players in institutionalizing the use of
propaganda in America. Le Bon saw the necessity of controlling “the crowd,” for he believed
that true democracy would lead to chaos and ruin. Le Bon contended that an aristocracy of
advanced thinkers was needed to guide society and preserve civilization.

Throughout history, Le Bon professed, civilization had always been “created and directed
by a small intellectual aristocracy, never by crowds.” Now in an era in which the “voice
of the masses” was “preponderant,” this aristocracy (social scientists) must explore the
crowd mind to develop techniques by which mass hypnosis might be employed.
[Source: PR! A History of Spin, Stuart Ewen]

Le Bon wrote:

Crowds have always undergone the influence of illusions. Whoever can supply them with
illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their
victim.
[Source: The Crowd, Gustave Le Bon]

Another way to express this concept is that people can be controlled through deception, and
they have always been susceptible to control through deception. Such a statement finds
support in the Bible. Satan from the very beginning employed deception to direct the
actions of mankind. He deceived Eve, and she ate of the fruit that Yahweh had forbidden
mankind to eat.

It is interesting to note that Satan did not use threat of violence, or some other influence,
to coerce Eve to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan has
found mankind to be highly susceptible to deception. Lies and deceit are always his chief
instruments for controlling the thoughts and actions of mankind. Satan’s disciples have
adopted the same practices. Le Bon further stated: