QuoteProject
That's the whole point of good propaganda. You want to create a slogan that nobody's going to be against, and everybody's going to be for. Nobody knows what it means, because it doesn't mean anything.
Noam Chomsky
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Effective propaganda creates universal slogans that resonate with everyone despite their lack of clear meaning.

Noam Chomsky's quote emphasizes the power of propaganda in shaping public opinion. It suggests that the most effective slogans are those that garner widespread support without requiring a deep understanding or clear definition. This phenomenon highlights how language can be manipulated to unite people under a common banner, while often obscuring the complexities of the ideas or policies being promoted. In essence, it warns us to be critical of messages that evoke strong emotional responses without substantive content.

Themes

PropagandaSlogansMeaningPublic OpinionLanguageManipulation

In practice

Example use cases

In a political campaign, one might use this quote to illustrate the effectiveness of catchy slogans.

More from Noam Chomsky

There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Noam ChomskyRead
The 'free-floating intellectual' may occupy himself with problems because of their inherent interest and importance, perhaps to little effect.
Noam ChomskyRead
If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.
Noam ChomskyRead
There are very few people who are going to look into the mirror and say, 'That person I see is a savage monster;' instead, they make up some construction that justifies what they do.
Noam ChomskyRead
The Republican Party has become overwhelmingly so extreme that it's hardly a traditional political party anymore.
Noam ChomskyRead
There is still much debate about whether torture has been effective in eliciting information - the assumption being, apparently, that if it is effective, then it may be justified.
Noam ChomskyRead

Similar quotes

A wide and vague impression exists that so-called Eastern religion is more contemplative, innocuous, and humane than the proselytizing monotheisms of the West. Don't believe a word of this: try asking the children of Indochina who were dumped by their parents for inherited deformities that were attributed to sins in a previous 'life.
Christopher HitchensRead
O, call back yesterday, bid time return
William ShakespeareRead
Out of war nations acquire additional territory, if they are victorious. They just take it. This newly acquired territory promptly is exploited by the few - the selfsame few who wrung dollars out of blood in the war. The general public shoulders the bill.
Smedley ButlerRead
Time is our element, not a mistaken invader.
John UpdikeRead
The acknowledged legislators of the world take the world as given. They dislike mysteries, for mysteries cannot be coded, or legislated, and wonder cannot be made into law. And so these legislators police the accepted frontiers of things.
Ben OkriRead
A healthy church is not a church that's perfect and without sin. It has not figured everything out. Rather, it's a church that continually strives to take God's side in the battle against the ungodly desires and deceits of the world, our flesh, and the devil. It's a church that continually seeks to conform itself to God's Word.
Mark DeverRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.