Propaganda cannot be called propaganda, it immediately disavows it. This word refers to the suggestion to the masses of thoughts and ideas that are preferable to the ruling elite of any society.
Ministry of Truth
In one of George Orwell's science fiction novels, the Ministry of Truth appears. That is exactly what the department should be called, which inspires the people with how they should think. At the same time, neither the social structure of the state, nor the degree of its authoritarianism in our time matter. The technology of suggestion has a universal human psychological basis, and the countries that are trying to look the most democratic have achieved the greatest success in it. Very interesting type of agitation, nicknamed "Surkovskaya propaganda." Twitter is full of notes and comments from indignant users outraged by the words and actions of Vladislav Surkov, an assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and an ideologist of “sovereign democracy”. How did he distinguish himself in front of the authorities and what is his fault in front of a liberal-minded public?
Ashkerov and his book
Thanks to his book of the same name, the philosopher Andrei Ashkerov became famous for the most ambitious and scientific exposure. “Surkovskaya propaganda” became the topic of his research in the socio-cultural aspect. At the same time, it stands out in some special direction, which has a sharply defined Russian specificity. The general meaning of literary work is that some special technologies are used to create public opinion, as a result of which a large part of the population turns out to be a zombie mass, dutifully voting for a totalitarian government and national leader. The book draws an analogy with the Soviet agitprop, which actively used documentary sources to achieve the desired effect, doing this on the brink of art, actually making a selection of the chronicles in such a way that the truth completely disappeared. Indeed, bringing the right pictures in the right order, one can instill the necessary thoughts into the broad masses, but is the Surkov propaganda really unique in this regard?
The experience of the Soviet agitprop
The less people read on average, the easier it is to influence their consciousness. Unfortunately, in this Russia is gradually approaching “developed Western democracies”, but the technologies developed to manipulate public opinion, adopted there, still fail. In the days of the Union, agitprop worked simply and reliably. The news was presented in the right way; the chronicle of the hard life of foreign workers and peasants confirmed the general thesis about the advantages of socialism. It was then that the citizens of the USSR in general, and Russians in particular, were accustomed to evaluate the information they submitted critically. Therefore, it was not necessary to rely on the fact that “Surkov propaganda”, using, in general, old Soviet technologies, would be an effective tool for influencing the thinking of the masses. Something else was needed, new, and preferably with a real foundation. And it was found, and beyond the borders of our homeland.
International environment
More than two decades after the collapse of the communist system, the consciousness of Russians has undergone significant changes. The euphoria caused by the illusion of the omnipotence of democratic Western values in their American sense has passed. Since 1991, a number of events have taken place that have clearly understood that countries that consider themselves a bulwark of freedom in the international arena pursue an aggressive policy aimed at observing only their own economic interests and not caring about the fate of the peoples “liberated” by them. Moreover, the media in these states are so limited in expressing alternative views that no “Surkov propaganda” can compare with them. Contrary to the obvious facts, countries are declared outcasts, sanctions are imposed against rebellious people, conclusions are drawn about the guilt or rightness of the parties without any analysis of the situation, from which we can draw a logical conclusion about the biased creation of public opinion. In this regard, it seems quite logical to strive to isolate ourselves from this whole stream by creating our own democratic system, which V. Surkov designated with the word “sovereign”. For this opinion, he became the target of liberal criticism.
So what is the difference?
There is no doubt that A. Ashkerov tried very hard, selecting arguments in favor of the main idea of his book “Surkovskaya Propaganda. Short course. " The efforts were successful, labor became a bestseller, and in its revealing power there are few editions of recent years that can compare with this opus. Bold analogies, the use of “Putin agitprop” technologies for the mass introduction of the right thoughts at the level of the subcortex of the brain, the progressive methods used by the “authoritarian regime” - all this is. The only weak point of the book is that it is not clear to the reader after reading it how exactly the “Surkov propaganda” differs from any other. After all, if the state does not pursue its own political line, in particular through the media, it is doomed to the fact that foreign "puppeteers" take control of the minds of its population. Unfortunately, there are examples, and you need to walk very close to them ...