If I want to get you to do something horrible, do you think I am going to walk up to you, point to the finish line with a banner stating my agenda and say let’s do it. No, if it’s something currently socially unacceptable I am going to grab your hand, put a pretty smile on my face and ask you take a walk with me. That being said, let’s apply this method to immigration and see the Agenda-Setting Theory in action.
First, let’s start with the name, immigrants. That doesn’t sound bad, right. They’re immigrants, we can’t justify harm upon immigrants so let me tag on illegal immigrants. Excellent, Illegal implies we can enforce something.
But we still have this immigrant which implies person hood, immigrants are people we need to rid that cognitive association, how about alien. Yes, illegal alien.
But if breaking OUR laws they still are subject to rights under those laws. So let’s throw a twist to it, let me run a campaign with images of these aliens crossing the border, hoping fences, caravans with tons of people crossing the border. Well, now they’re being demonstrated as a threat.
Not only a threat, an invasion one from another country. Now, we have illegal aliens threatening our US sovereignty.
Although, that’s still a bit to meta let’s make it so it affects you personally. How about a criminal and your job. Most of us have faced some sort of injustice or been victimized and need to earn an income, you can relate. Let’s run a campaign highlighting the criminals that exist already in this country and how you might not be able to support your family.
Perfect, criminals pose a relevant, immediate threat and they must be stopped, and your well-being and your family’s are in danger. But where to put them, they are being housed in hotels. Criminals don’t deserve hotels, better yet criminals that are a threat to our US sovereignty. Let’s cut the funding, but we still need a place to put them.
You know we do have a place called Guantanamo Bay or how about internment camps those were popular and effective in WW2 when under threat from a foreign power, that being Japan.
Lastly, let’s emphasize the cultural threat to our way of life. What’s close to us, our pets. Good, Let’s propagate they are eating our cats and dogs just in case.
Now, I’ve walked you two steps away from that finish line, I let go of your hand, point and you’ll walk across that finish line with ease, fulfilling my agenda. Every want and need. I can justify the housing and deportation of these criminal aliens, devoid of humanity eating cats and dogs who are attacking our US sovereignty, we are under threat, and they deserve no rights under our laws as foreign invaders.
The above events demonstrate an agenda instituted for over a decade; all are examples that have been tactically employed. You didn’t always believe this, remember, you have been fed this, and we are what we consume. It’s been done before and it will continue to happen again and again. This is the mass communication media effect known as Agenda-Setting Theory, (McCombs & Shaw, 1972) specifically the long route. Furthermore, I would like to note cognitive associations are a powerful tool. You can walk someone, each step to where you want to take someone. For example:
Over 10 years ago when someone uttered “immigrants” this image came to mind.
Now when immigrants is uttered you see this.
Because you have heard this.
I encourage you to remember our history, our identity and who we all are.
A potent tool of propaganda is to strip the “other” of human characteristics to reduce the empathetic connection we naturally experience during social interaction.
Next, time you here immigrant I ask you to see this:
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