Here's. The thing saving money with Geico was almost better than playing pick up basketball, because there's always that guy who joined your game he never passes the rock he constantly Rex theories and who completely happy when put his hands up and say no foul, no foul with Geico. It's easy switch and save on car insurance. No, The vacant ankle sprain because you're absolutely exhausted, so which, in save with Geiger it's almost better than sports. I'm Barbara hosted the new podcast stay, calm, meditation changed my life in college and I have spent the last fifty years. Teaching people about the benefits of meditation from celebrity clients to students in inner city, schools and now I'm sharing a lot of what I know straight to your ears. In my new podcast join me,

every Monday through Friday morning. All you need is a few minutes in an open, mind, listen and subscribe to stay calm on the ice card, radio, app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast, from you at those two psychic powers and government conspiracies history is riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or learn. Stuff. They don't want you to know, Hulu welcome back to the show. My name is met, the whole meet the outcome Patriot, nor is a way for the moment, but never fear our super producer, Paul Deck and his here. Most importantly, you're here- and you are you that makes this stuff. They don't want you to know now. You may recall our very first episode

however, on a gentleman named, Edward Bernay is one of the most important and slightly secure, at least until our episode came out. Thinking, in history right, yes, the man commonly known as the Father of public relations, the most famous most famous relative of Sigmund Freud in our modern age. Both of those things are true. If you're a fan of this showing you haven't, listen to that up a sort of the pot cast. I it is one of the few that matinee categorically recommend you listen to and share with your friends. Family

colleagues without going too far and what happens in that up a suit. Let's put it this way. Edward Burmese is the reason that you and your loved ones, as well as your enemies, to probably practice several things that seem normal today seem formal idea, because you know that very very please it's insane how quickly people can become accustomed to something something that is not normal and then all of a sudden becomes normal to the average individual to an entire community, perhaps or even civilization as a whole, something that was never done before and now it's normal pray likewise astonishing. How rarely we question bizarre so often we hide behind the idea of tradition as a species I mean we're. So often we owe we don't ask

mental questions about why something is framed. The way it is presented the way it is a French into. Why do we eat bacon? For breakfast, this was not the case for the vast majority of human error, as on this planet? Oh, why are we actually at war with a particular country at any given time and one that I always go back to us as a strange example. Here is Matt. What why do people wear ties like neckties? Oh it's because of the form so about form not so much function. Yeah just looks really good to have that line going down the chest. Someone's read a couple of fashion guides. Icy, yes, make it work fast, so there, yet that's that's a good point. We did earlier on a different showed that we ve worked within the Pascal brain stuff. We looked at the origin of where neckties come from in Matt. You are a spy

incorrect was I actually correct. It serves new function. Ok, it's not just! I was talking from the took us. It's not it's, not a functional thing. It took us is more functional than that so leading to this. Why? Why does a country work a certain way, if folks think about the government in the country that you live in today or the governments in countries used to live it right? How closely does the government in practice adhere to the theory of government as outlined in your countries institution or other documents. You know get it right for some of the most part, will most people

harmless of where they live, will generally agree that there is at least some degree of difference between the government on paper and the government in practice. Right and in some cases this can seem like relatively obscure difference right or a can seem like a matter of per Snickey NIT picking interpretation. But speaking of secure. Today's episode focuses on another figure sort of like Bernice, another profoundly important, equally obscure historical figure, Walter Lip, no one, we say he's obscure. We mean to the public to the everyday, Joan Jane walkin around they probably dont, know,

her lip and, as I did not know who this person was until we started thinking about this episode and reading some of the materials just like we're Bernice, but but these gentlemen were very much well known within circles of the powerful. I think we should at least I put it out their rights like they were. They were there on the we were rights, it's funny because before parliament I went on air today I brought in a a fancy glass, the Mai, typical coffee, because we are talking about the elite and it looks like an absent glass. Gotta, be honest with you. Well I'll, tell you what, It is the truth, be told not as convenient as the irregular mug up that our typically use. But you know

tradition, so nice? So here are the facts about Walter Little, as we said nowadays, Walter Lippman is, let's see obscure enough that were used. Walk on a on the average City Hall Street and ask someone you know, identify the following figures say: you know: Neil Armstrong probably know that new is some sort of astronaut, maybe get at at the least identify you know the decanter past presidents, it probably probably at least recognise the name of past president's right, but if you said whose Walter Lippman they would set disease soon, the grocer store, I dont know her unless, of course you are asking someone in Harvard and then the answer might very well be. I think that's a building can't they producers the Woodman building. But, as you said man in his

day. This man was profoundly influential remained so so, let's get the normal little bit Walter Lippman was born on September, twenty third eighteen, eighty nine teen, eighty nine in New York, he was a child of privilege. He attended these sacks school for boys, before matriculating into Harvard now sacks by the way, ass, a sea age ass. You might recognize that name somewhere with a golden in front of it right. Like Goldman, Yes- and this is where he studied at Harvard under the famous ass for a novelist George. Since IONA, who was a teacher of numerous other rights, Numerous other people who went on to become Literary lions, you know, Ts Elliot would be one of the most famous examples

then in May of nineteen ten, he began his career in journalism as a cub rapporteur, with the Boston common after he dropped out of his masters course that he was taking at Harvard University, and this. This is interesting because we found a couple of different things in the research you'll find many biographies C grades, we did right in nineteen ten and then you'll find other writers who say that he dropped out yeah so either way you did go to Harvard at some point. He was assistant to the philosopher novelist, George Santayana. I in nineteen thirteen Lippman cofounded a paper called New Republic Liberal American magazine the published articles on politics and and the arts and in that same year he published a book called a preface to politics,

is writing his philosophy at this time. In this early phase, garnered the attention of one Woodrow. Will in just a loss, I know they're about the new republic at the time when he found it in quite for quite some time afterwards had a fair, we small readership of only you know, tend to twenty thousand people, but the for reading that magazine, worthy important people write the the bankers, the professors, the jurists, seamen and nineteen. Fourteen Lippman was appointed as an adviser to President Wilson, Woodrow Wilson, and during this time he helped the President draft a famous speech about a world war. One was called the fourteen points you can read it in full online today show lip men was at this point and interventionist in a largely isolation this society and we'll get what we

by that. Is that the majority of the? U S? Public did not support foreign intervention, because there was this feeling that well one. Why should we get involved right? It's its imperialist plans. Level and to oh we're, separated by oceans, Ray and there's no imminent threat. At this point in this isolation is society? Lippman was an interventionist. He was one of the people who argued that it was both rational and advantageous for the United States too.

Enter into world war, one in some capacity or another, he wrote propaganda that was meant to sway the needle on public support, because in a representative democracy. The theory goes that the voters must support a large scale, government action, or at least the majority of voters, must support something for it to occur. Yes, because the representative part of that government, the DE people's part of the government in Congress, they are the ones that actually declare war and enact why especially at this time for World WAR one, so you had to get the voters in the the people's voice to say yes, let's do this so. Lippman and Edward Bernice both worked for what was called the committee on public information, elevating the committee on public Information- and this was

time propaganda institution built to do two things: first, to spread or propagate pro intervention, pro war, literature, art, music, anything in pop culture, as well as academic arguments for intervention on the part of the? U S and in the second task, was to suppress, discredit or destroy. Anything that was anti war. So, if you just pulling in example, out of thin air rain, one One way in which something like this might occur still happens today happen for decades. After would be, let's see are too. There are two art galleries: look at in a town,

and one of them has as it featured artists. Who is a glorified any moral duty or imperative to save people in another country. In this, this gallery is filled with this. One this work? And then in the other gallery, there's someone who has exhibits about imperialism and the Annette pensioners, tyranny of intervening. What your intentions, a culture you don't understand in a civilization that never asked for nor needed your health. What this sort of operation would do would not need to have the government openly shut them down. You would have critic from newspapers praising whichever side it doesn't matter what side we're talking about. We have critics praising Lee Interventionist,

they want interviewing praising the isolationist and then you would have them also dismissing or ignoring the other side that cultural argue Italy is almost this soft aggression tactic that there is employed by this stuff in a weird AIDS, it's not fully going after a lot of times, at least from what are three in this research. The the committee on public information wouldn't necessarily physically go after anyone, but they would use the media to, like you said, been completely ignore or just trash something that they didn't agree with right. Yes, exactly in the most important part of that is in these sorts of operations, you wouldn't know the ultimate force behind this trend. It would appear to

this is the most important part. It would appear to be an organic consensus, arrived at by every Jean John and Jimmy Smith, an American just to pick a ridiculous. It's almost like the run tomatoes if the tomato score is at a certain height. Were you know if it's in the eighties you're like a man. Ok, I'm gonna, go see that you don't you have to read the stuff about it if its in, like this thirty's twenties than an omnivore, probably not gonna, go see that trash, because you have time usually, if you're the average person to go through, read every single review Now you want the bottom line. The best news explain it to me now, because I'm almost off the elevator

Or her light almost turned green, as the case will be from any community. Only have twenty bucks to spend and I gotta choose where I want to spend it even better. Lippman also travel the world and wrote extensively prolific Lee. That's that's such a fantastic dream. I feel like I'm here. I am in Vienna near my thoughts on the division. Is man you wanna, be any Bourdain so badly? Don't you listen? no you, oh I you know what you know. What low food centric, I think I think, he's doing a great job being Anthony Board. Ok, but, but I appreciate I'd love who wouldn't love to travel the world and right, I don't know think of any so Lebanon was no exception. To that that rule that we have arbitrarily decided is almost universal then, on September eighth, nineteen, thirty one little,

call him for the New York Herald, which was called today and tomorrow, lover title. It first appeared eventually. This was indicated to more than two hundred and fifty newspapers within the United States and then another twenty five. I've, other nations and it also one to Pulitzer Prize is one in nineteen, fifty eight and another in nineteen sixty two. So in his day, Walter Lippman was a world famous columnist for the New York Times and other paper the note and over all the world held his opinion in tremendously high regard. He lived amid New York's elite in there for a a percentage of the world's linked. I he dined with president's. He would write speeches for them. He advised them in formal and informal capacities. He was a true man behind the curtain, so.

Let's talk about what he truly believed in right, yeah, this all well and good, but why Why is he the subject of today's episode? Is he them the day and stuff, they don't want you to know. What did he actually believe will tell you after word from our sponsor? this episode of stuff. They don't want you to know is brought to you by native hey, you guys, I'm sick. You're looking at my wife's native deodorant that she loves it. Is Africa caught and White peach she uses this thing. Every day, she's tried a tie of different deodorants, and this is the only one that she says works for her, because its aluminum free, it's baking soda free, doesn't irritate her arms and it smells great because odorants with aluminum can actually form like these plugs that clog up your sweat lands to keep you from sweater. That doesn't seem

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is responsible for creating popularizing coining several terms that you have almost certainly used at some point in your life, friends and neighbours. The first one is the well let's, let's do Let's do one, that's little: U S specific. First, that's the cold war. He he is the person who popularized the term cold war, with a series of articles in nineteen, forty seven called the Cold war ray pretty good. When you title something, it's probably gonna stick. In those articles he was speaking out against President Truman's policy of containment. I, in the more popular term that you have you have

obviously her there's, no one who has not heard this this term at least no one. That speaks English as not heard this term, and that is stereotype, guess one of his works public opinion it be. And with the world outside and the pictures in our heads. This is the chap, the introduced his idea of a stereotype. What what a stereo type is in it explained. How public opinion, was formed and was manipulated because of what we trust as what he called inauthentic messenger So, as I mentioned before, Lippman was working with the committee on public information also called the cruel committee and their influence public opinion by censoring information that was Anti war there also pretty Thousands of these programmes, pamphlets and cartoons and magazines movies need all kinds of media. Also the USA would enter World WAR one World WAR, let's say

eighteen, seventeen, it wasn't a one had the time. Nobody, nobody was waiting for the sequel, but the idea is that United States said it was not going to enter world war one no matter. What in this He is sitting there actively trying to make it happen right. So this this idea of a stereo type, the picture in our heads versus the world outside is, is the subject of a great deal of thought and public opinion in the Lippman book in this work. He attempts to. Spleen how these pictures that arise almost spontaneously in people's minds? I e was hoping explained how those come about the most simple way to say it would be that, according to Lippman, we all live in these second hand worlds and we live.

This way, because we are aware of much more than we have ever personally experienced. You will like Neil Armstrong we know that astronauts exist, but many people have never met a will, never meet. One We know that billionaires exists, but many people have never met and will never meet when we know that a reddit loves this about this town in Germany that everyone says doesn't exist. Maybe a better example would be baton. You know the nation of Baton exists, but many people will never go there. That's good! So, according to this slemons argument is that our My own personal experience is primarily secondhand hand, primarily indirect. We read about things we watch things about things and hope that the people who have experienced it directly are telling us something objective: rational and accurate

in other words, the truth. That's why, when you get mermaids on discovery, channel you're, like one boy, sorry, I think Time has passed for us to tell people we ve, are you out of the air. So here's another aspect: what did he think of democracy, because you see blip men wouldn't have consider himself just a journalist. In fact, he concern himself. A public fly of her and most of his work centred around the concept of democracy in all its forms, representative, democracy. So on. So what did you think of it? A fortunate Lee? It's a terrifying question early on. He was up domestic about this American or, U S, flavour of democracy. He embraced what we will call of Jefferson improve

backed if he believed that the american public would become intellectually engaged in political world issues and that they would fulfil the ultimate role of the public right, which is to be an educated electorate, not only does everyone vote but everywhere understands the issues, a play, why their voting the way that they do? If you ask them HU, the, if you ask them who thee County, commissioner, is going to be why they would know if you ask them about humanitarian spending in ITALY, Yemen or Mauritania or something Not only would they know their position on it, but they would know why death do you see port. Engaging Germany in defending Poland, or you know some something to that effect any you would hope that the person would come back with a reasoned argument about. Why are we not now be nice cheered without? Was that that's the optimistic view

but with the rule of industrialization away in heavy in his mind, the events leading to world were to end the spread of totalitarianism. Lippman came to reject this view. Instead, he felt that nobody was questioning fundamental assumptions of democracy. Democracy as we understand it was working at all, specifically, I didn't believe that the average citizen was in any way qualified to have any kind of input in the realm of politics or and the actions of the state and Basically, the the public was being let around like this pack of animals by journalists

in the media and people who reported what the government was saying. Rights during the nineteen twenties Lippman published two more books, which were criticisms, indictment of humanity. They were in the parlance Martin they were distracts, makes like hot mix tape distracts one was called the criticising democracy, one was called public opinion and the other was called the phantom public. The american voter listening claim was not capable of acting out of any rational, collective self interest, or even

Lee considering the issues it hand in a rational way, not only not having an answer to a question, but not understanding the question. Instead, he said the average voters ill informed, myopic and prone to fits of enthusiasm. So in his disillusionment, Rube too in a modern context would be something along the lines of hey. You are supposed to vote. In every election based on you, aggregate calculation whenever that might be of who becomes the best candid.

Or why you think a certain local law should or should not be in place when he says that a voter is ill informed. He means that they means they don't know what they're talking about right. They don't understand the issue for one reason or another and when he says biopic, he means that they might be what's often called a single issue. Voter someone reset as well. I will typically vote heroes for certain ideological standpoint or a certain party line, but the only I really care about. Is you know the the illegality of only in a world a beast idea should be illegal. I think that you know that countries go into Helena Hand Basket of one more person? Can own a will to beast pneumonia?

that's what I vote on these it and that's that's where you get some of the more social issues becoming the most prominent things that are spoken about in the media, you're think about stances on abortion or stances on second amendment rights, things that aren't necessarily the most important things to be focusing on, but they become the one thing that the voters will latch onto and that's the craziest part because essentially it makes this an exercise in mad lived in a very dangerous way. The US, I hope everybody has had the wonderful opportunity to play mad live on our road trip or something growing up, but mad live. Is a game wherein you asked? Are you Don't know a man lives are, I feel like we can't make assumptions. I guess so. Yeah you're right Well, I didn't say that I'm going people were met, loves you, do it the do it in a voice, man lives, you guys is where you

a bunch of lakes in a sentence along set of sentences? Perhaps in you fill those blanks in with nouns and additives adverbs, and then you read, the whole in you got this jumble, whack Doodle, Senate's, I've. I've I feel like you're, I am fairly aside Maybe I don't know not, everybody is ok. It be. Maybe everybody knows what that jobs? Are you think they do? Ok, I think I think we're somewhere in the middle some people. Don't what they are, but people who were listening this podcast not an additive, is the apple. We do ok right right in its various, it works you told him bad livers, so so These I'm selling that up now. Is because I d it's it's a fundamentalist, I'm sure that you and I are making that you're, absolutely right.

People would all know what a mad live is and how it functions. Rape into the dear of fits of enthusiasm right, that's the last. The last piece of his is primary criticism there. The idea fits of enthusiasm would be best explained today by social media rain. So you see a post and shared over and over look at all these tools buying wildebeest. You know what I mean here. This has to stop. And then all of a sudden somebody who ordinarily, would never vote. You know go to a protest. Or maybe even isn't that active social media rights. Then all of a sudden, it's the most important thing. When we talk a little bit about the really really depressing borderline Disgusting site, new cycle that occurs, not

student mass media are broadcast media, but also in social media. Where where'd you see a tragedy, Real genuine tragedy occur, and two weeks later, the people who were incredibly incense about it have completely forgotten, because now, oh god, for did someone where something stupid at an award show their, which I know sounds brutal, but that that's the fact of the matter, so that's what I think is like nobody says, fits of enthusiasm I mean you're, absolutely right and another thing that you couldn't kind of love into. That would be the slogan ism that has occurred, at least in the past, to elections, and it occurs throughout american elections, but having yes, we can chanted by people and then put on bumper stickers and the nets that single sentimentality of yes. We can do it becoming this,

moving force for voters and then make Amerika great again as well. Just something men encapsulates the enthusiasm of the people who you are trying to get behind you, oh yeah, or or denigrate the the value of their perception of people or institutions that are against which you won't have. How right like dirty the beast hers. I don't know, I'm just gonna write this wildebeest yeah yeah comparison. Ground boy. We we could actually women out there we go. I should have picked a better. I should a picked a better animal. I think will be so great. I'm I'm actually by learning about will the beast for it: they did thing happens to the best of the sounds. A little sketchy for its true story, right

and let us know about your experiences with Wildebeest, so this this idea and that voters will take. To not know, what's going on, will tend to focus on only one thing and will tend to in impulsively lash out in sporadic burst, impulsively participate in sporadic first, rather than continually exercising the right to responsibilities of citizenship. Of this he argued was being used to insidious advantage by other forces. Play, gave out other parts of the government perfected the art of manipulating the public. Is this idea of manufacturing consent? You might recognize that phrase from some of known Chauncey work. He took it directly from Walter Lippman any stated that before

Like you know, it's this idea of nineteen eighty four right: we ve always been at war with EAST Asia. Right, I thought we had always been at war with Oceana either. One of women's beliefs was that the american peoples is increasing obsession. Consumerism was causing them to have a decreased awareness and concern for pressing public issue. So basically, there being distracted by constantly wanting to buy new things upgrade at this point their house upgrade their lives in the things around them, rather than the larger issues that were looming overhead. Ok, I see so that the idea, then, that keeping up with the Joneses becomes one of their number one policy issues for household were yeah. Just

You're, absolutely right. Policy issue is now within the home and the clothes that you're wearing in the food. They are eating and it's just it doesn't matter. If there's something going on in Europe right eye, All these people posting these high minded sanctimonious arguments about only wild animals, but did they even have a refrigerator David, have cable and where they posting I'm in nineteen hundred like bullets and board. That's what it is. I of the community both employed at the course at a dad General Snorkel Yak. I call them that suit. He felt a journalism was partially to blame for this because it was not fulfilling what he saw as its correct duties, which again

in theory on paper would be providing rational, accurate information and one big issue for him in this regard was what was known as muck raking or what we call investigative journalism if we want to put a necktie on it and he he objected to this because he saw it as a means to foment distrust of public institutions. And officials, and then Lippman wondered you know why. Why should someone who isn't a physicist have a voice in conversations about physics- and you know that makes sense right if the if the visit of the world are all one room and their arguing about the the latest theory and physics ripe and what we can learn the future. Russia's toward us,

in its promise and its danger and then there's one guy was not a physicist just like in the room is a psychiatrist. Ok sure he's qualified in something else. Maybe he's sick it is well. What can he lend to this covers? I haven't Think, psychiatry would be able to lend a lot of insight into a conversation with physicist we're. He just he's a can't spell very well, so he saw the sign on the door with any interest in you thought he was in the right place, fairly Co. That seems to make sense on some level Sue Lippman. If you can imagine and scratching his chin for

I can hear things here that checks out. So how is the world of politics any different and walks world means fallen that right after this? Hey, I'm Andy. If you don't know me, it's probably because I'm not famous, but I did start immense grooming company called Harry's. The idea for Harry's came out of a frustrating experience. I had buying razor blades. Most brands were overpriced over designed and out much at Harry's. Our approaches, simple cures, our secret. We make sharp, durable, blades and sell them at honest prices for as long as two dollars. Each we care about quality so much that we do some crazy things like by a world class german blade factory obsessing over every detail means were confident and offering a hundred percent quality guarantee, millions of as I have already made the switch to Harry's? So thank you if you're one of them and if you're not, we hope you give try with the special offer get ahead.

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The danger is no single individual Lippman thought could easily understand. The complexity of the modern world is just much stuff going on. Furthermore, he believed the idea of an authentic public opinion me mean a consensus or agreement formed by people who were knowledge trouble about public affairs and interested in public affairs. He believed is mainly a myth. This was a unicorn this was winning the lottery seventeen times and two weeks. I guess it could happen yeah. You have to have a lot of things go perfectly right in order to achieve that state. I think so I think perhaps Lippman might be on the right track there, but he's a bit polarizing about exist one way or the other way. He proposed that the most effective form of

Governance would be a world in which the elite, the coldness, anti o the communist, send tee. That's of those who were in the know, just like you listening whom he thought they would have if these people had all of the authoritative agency. Then they could make these benevolent indisputable decisions for

all of us, the unwashed masses right the whole pollute the peasants the uneducated die. That's actually you and me and been according to them, but not Paul Nels, one of the guys. She can just see the lateness on his face. He wears a tuxedo to work every day. Oh, it does look nice though, and I have to say Paul, I respect you because I notice it's always a different tax ito, you're not fallen so away from take cedars and and back to the elite. Lippman is essentially arguing that the informed public does not exist that the public is despite what is on paper about democracy, inherently incapable of doing what is right doing on a smart,

doing what is good for lack of a better word. So instead he pictures this sort of technocracy aside this leadership of scientists and long time politicos, who will be able to make the decisions on behalf of all the other people in a country and This this means that not only would you ask voter, not have a say, something like a lady, is something like a law about pollution.

Or a law about, regulation deregulation, which also wooden wouldn't have knowledge of what was going on. So that's his idea that the control of information both gathering and distributing it would be in the hands of this technocracy that would be trusted to use scientific methods to figure out what was really going on and make good decisions not just about happening, but about who should receive specific messages. He wanted to establish a semi governmental or clause. I Governmental Intelligence bureau that value it. Information supply it to other elites to make decisions, and this bureau could also determine which pieces of information should be transmitted through the mass media to the public and which pieces of information people.

Better off, not knowing any would him he would have gone away with it if it wasn't, for those dastardly, kids come up with the all internet thing. Absolutely absolutely ruby do moment is appropriate here we should say that her Lippman later steps away, retreated from this latest argument degree, but that idea remains massively influential and not to unfair WWW historically, when we consider the past governments of earlier civilizations right, there's a king and all the people that the kings ancestors slept with and they in charge. Now that's the way it is especially if they have divinity about them that God has somehow chosen them right or there's a chieftain say Think or there's a euro. These religiously same thing: here's where it gets crazy.

Not only did Lippman think that democracy was more or less impossible in its current form, but more more people seem to in practice agree with. Today they do, and this is what we spoken about already on the show of critics of both the theoretical function. The current government and the practical function of the government seem do then agree that the average voter you and me and everybody else who doesn't know much but is instead ruled by emotion and is prone to impulsive, irrational decisions. Now rational he would mean voter decisions are actually working against the voters self interest. What you would you should be voting for. You can do a lot of examples with that, especially when you talk about tax reform and then will you know the majority of the voters, especially in the lower to the middle class. You know not seeing the

If it's that may perhaps people in the upper classes would see, and you have more voters than that lower class, but you're still going to get a popular consent. A lot of times, right, of course in this is not something this in any way exclusive to a political party, no up a gene raw of a political party wherein issue or an issue. Yet this is a is. This is a tendency that Lippman Seas and that the current people in charge or whatever that time is in whatever we really whatever posts. Lippman ideology. Wanna you wanna grasp at this is typically what people in power will believe, and we can see this inaction was an interesting tendency here, because leader critics such as William

Buckley on the on the right side of american politics were NOME Chomsky on the left side. Both saw especial interest as the ultimate decision makers in too many political discussions. Of course, these these two follows these two guys would not agree with each other and I'm sure they would disagree on exactly which organisations they considered tyrannical special interest groups. But the point remains even Chomsky arguments. In particular, the me, here, is seen as acting as a street enforcer for what he sees as special interests. This inextricably entwined system of government officials, heads businesses, large corporations, these powers behind them. All too often our seeing as the real voters and that's

Unfortunately, a common thread that you will hear discussed more and more in recent years. These critics would argue these special interest, whatever they may the UN special interest itself, is sort of an umbrella term sort of a thought, thought terminating cliche right, don't special interest, it's a bit of a bogeyman, but these are the forces pushing the public in one direction or another framing issues in a way that benefits their own internal aims. Rigour. Lists of their effect on the common good for the majority of EU citizens. If their common aim aligns with the common good in great fine bully for us GO team, we Voltaire and together we done our captain planet thing. This law me the world a better place, but the problem is that, even if it acts against the public interest, then ok great for us GO team. We voltchok together and profits are going to rocks cheese,

optimist once imagine that the age of information was going to be one of unending elucidation, a world in which every single person had equal access to knowledge and equal ability to On that knowledge in a small way toward a common good blots, you can ask people from the entire gamut of fields, social scientists, statisticians political prudence. They are off now convinced this is not the case. There are now we're in the sea change them some kind of paradigm shift in the world of news coverage. You ve got broadcast in falling behind as online new sources begin their rise or continue to rise, including the news I readers, like the rest of the world social media play forms are on the rise where people are getting most of their information, even news, information from these sources, the

the increasing likelihood of these so called search bubble where you get stuck in inside this world of news and algorithms that just reinforce the views that you ve already shared or liked, were submitted as your preferences and the emphasis then, is not uncritical thought, but rather on the enjoyment of it all right linked. The goal is not to inform you so much as it is too continue your time on. The revised I hear on the platform I to stay here. Longer states the way your psychologically similar to summon the tricks. Casinos use signal here. He very similar to that, so that this idea is dangerous and there's there's another planet like dad here on and the concept of they're, not democracy impact is impossible in something that you and I may have talked about at length before,

mention on Airbus talked about affair affair? Often it's the concept of Dunbar's number. The gist is that human brain seem to be hard wired to accept? Only a certain number of other human beings ran about a hundred and fifty as other humans, the rest the other billions of people in the world are either functions or grouped into broad categories. You don't oh, I canadian person is that what you're one fifty? We guess what everyone lives. There is just one of the Canadians to you: wanna be divided by what you see is their gender or what you see is their job right. Now. The problems here are readily apparent if you were a propagandist like lip men or burmese

Why are so many other people working today? You only have to convince the victim of your propaganda to stop thinking of some people's individuals. Make him think of people is categories convince them that whatever decision you would like them to make whatever protest you'd like them to attend whatever vote, do you want them the cast or whatever product you want them to boycott? Just convince him it's in the best interest not of the world, not of the country, but at that one hundred and fifty people that they think of his real people wow. So the game is, is a little bit smaller and not as difficult as it might appear, and for the leader of a country. It some political arm, this shows us that after a certain population size, it becomes very difficult for us. Individual to function a genuine representative of the people they lead, because if Dunbar's number turns

to be true and there should be more research on it, but if Dunbar's number holds holds up, then these leaders are incapable of recognising their constituents as human beings he Ike's and just to that end, if we want, you analyze. Perhaps what would had Walter Lippman Dunbar number would be if we're sticking with one fifty He was a member of this place called the metropolitan club of the City of Washington. There are metropolitan clubs in several other places, but this one is very particular because it is in Washington DC. It's a private social club in close proximity to the White House, I'm going to read you a won't hear from their website. The metropolitan club is one of Washington's oldest and most valued private institutions, since its founding in eighteen, sixty three at the height of the civil war by six Treasury department officials. It has

suited the primary goal of furthering literary improvement, mutual improvement and social purposes, whatever that means members of this social club included influential journalists. Policymakers end quote in you Lee Every: U S, president's Abraham Lincoln. Now this is the kind of place where you pay an exorbitant amount of money every year and you get to go there and just talk with your your people. Who are you know at your stature, I guess your place in life- and this is where he would spend a lot of his time, and you can imagine that if or your one hundred and fifty people, because there were, I think, twelve hundred active. Burs around the time. Twelve to fourteen hundred members, I mean you can't go much higher than that.

Sure, and then it seems from me. I'd biographical moved there. It seems pretty logical that they would say you know who should be in charge the people. I know the people from the metropolitan. It's not that different from most human reasoning, who should be in charge of the people that you know, people that you like that you have experienced first hand right up, so We have to ask ourselves when we feel like we are making a decision, especially if we are making a decision on something that would affect the course of our government. The course of our community will do whatever it doesn't have to be. I know this has been heavy on the political aspects because of Lebanon's background, but it doesn't have to be there

I have to ask yourself how much of it, if your mind in your actions or a car, how much time are you at the wheel, How much time are you writing shot gun and it when you were not driving? Who is this appears to be the stuff mass media doesn't want you to know, at least according to Walter Lippman and again he may seem obscure today, but like Bernice. His guess he remains relevant today and, to conclude, today's episode we have to ask you: where is democracy? Is a concept going? What what trends do we see. Is the age of spontaneous, almost endless information. Helping or hurting what's so many people have praised and criticized for centuries now, and

Where is the american public going in specific jack? Do you think we are all distracted and disinterested to the point of not being able to decisions informed or otherwise for ourselves. Just maybe you personally feel that way. I know. Sometimes I feel that way, depending on the day, we'd love to hear from you in us on social media, where we are conspiracy, stuff and most of the places, Facebook and twitter we are conspiracy, stuff show. To grim, and if you don't want to do any the social media stuff just send us a good old fashioned email. We are conspiracy at house of words that com,

I'm Danny Shapiro host of the head podcast family secrets, I just launched a new podcast called the way we live now our lives have been disrupted. Corrupted, but that does not mean that we can't reach one another in ways that are both powerful and intimate I'll talk with people across the great human tapestry. What's life like You today will be reminded that were not alone. Listen to the way we live now honey. I aren't radio, app apple pie, outcasts or wherever you get. Your pack casts sure we'll distancing, slows the spread of grown a virus. So if you have a fever, dry coffin, shortness of breath, all your health care provider before going more info. It grown virus, not Gov. Let's all do our part, because we're all alone together brought you by the council,