Perception management

Listening to Democracy Now thursday morning, the term 'perception management' came up during journalist Bob Parry's discussion of Regan's Iran-Contra and the Bush Administration's present efforts to effect the elections of Nicaragua.

I highly recommend reading Parry's articles.

The Wikipedia discussion of the term is limited. It does however point out the idea that "...falsehood and deception,.... are important ingredients of perception management." Also it points out that the term originated with the military.

In the early 1980's, The Office of Public Diplomacy provided cover for the CIA as they went about their war in Nicaragua and this was done through the use of perception management. Read this article by Parry for more.

Can you think of the ways that perception management was used on us in the run up to the Iraq War. What were some of the notions floating about? People told me Saddam was as dangerous as Hitler. A statement which now seems absurd, but people believed this to be true. What about WMD and Iraq funded mushroom clouds over American cities? What about the notion that Saddam was responsible for 9-11? What about the term, "stay the course?" A term ultimately more suited for a golf game or a diet program.

These things didn't just come out of the air. In a more realistic time, a time when facts supersedes ideology, perception management would be called propaganda.

There are several terms which we are aware of, and which we do not have the carefully crafted definitions and methods of application. I am thinking of "perception management", "spin", "psychological operations AKA psyops", and our newest friend "torture." All of these have at least one common link. That would be information; presenting it, altering it, inventing it, adjusting it, or acquiring it. Certainly there are more carefully nuanced terms and applications. Certainly they exist in the defense department planners repertoire.

To be continued.......

Painting by Max Pechstein