Since the Nazis believe that the immediate sensory experience that participation provides exerts a more powerful influence on man's attitudes than arguments do, they use every verbal propaganda technique that fosters the illusion of immediacy and concreteness. Hence their preference for the spoken rather than the written word, for eye-witness reports rather than summary accounts, for a personalized presentation of the news rather than sober, impersonalized discussion, for illustration rather than explanation. Since the Nazis are also convinced of the suggestive power of the individual, they encourage group listening rather than individual listening. Since they are convinced that the human mind can be manipulated into habits, they prefer repetition to amplification. And frequently they use 'magic' words, the meaning of which is impervious to reason but which evoke a state of emotional gratification.
This text can be read and interpreted in different ways, but when I read it what came to mind especially for the underlined parts, was the the t.v. show The Office. I felt that the pranks Jim played on Dwight were something very similar to this concept.
The Office - The Jim Trains Dwight
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I am not sure how Nazi propaganda, which indoctrinated millions of people to fear, hate and ultimately destroy an entire population of people relates to the office. The mind tricks (one of which was purely a trick) Jim uses on Dwight seems petty. I question how the Nazi propaganda machine parallels the American 24-hour news cycle of today. How many networks strive to be first to report the news and then get it wrong? How many business conglomerates own the different media channels in this country? Where do political campaigns end and the championing of personal beliefs begin?
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