III. Which channels do exit to influence public opinion in Germany ?
In Germany public opinion generates from different sources. Those are private media products, statements published of key leaders (published in the media), examples from everydays life and taking part in cultural events. Because private media products will be the most important point I will explain this as last point.
Cultural events are not just operas and classic music concerts. Today we see visits in the movie theater, sports and other entertainment as part of cultural life. After World War II we face a cultural shift in Germany. Especially the American occupation dominated this cultural shift in the western sectors. This is an important point: If you grow up with hamburgers, french fries and coke, playing bowling and watching entertaining movies your understanding of yourself and with this your identity changes. Even the culture of leading companies shifted more and more from sustainability to profit. This may have pro and contra points about it - but this is not the point here. Important is the shift itself. The self became more important, represented by "Lone Rider Heroes" documenting the struggle for success in life as an individual. The struggle of the community for success and identity as part of the community faded more and more. Culture gives identity. If the population of a territory accepts - over a process of centuries - a foreign culture and the old cultural identity fades the individual becomes more and more part of the dominating culture. This comes with a shift of values and acceptance of policies. In the case of Germany we actually see the struggle between Retro East German / Soviet culture and the American culture - represented in the case of American Football, fashion and culture on the other hand. Acceptance of policies comes with shifting your identity and values in this very direction. What may be the message of a movie showing some American characters shooting around Paris, Berlin or Frankfurt on their fights about the things and values they defined as justification to do so ? The answer is clear: We are superior and define what`s right or wrong on your territory - not you ! This message can be seen in movies from the "Bourne-series", "GI Joe"," The A-Team" and others. Again this is not meant as moral implication but as demonstrating a tool of opinion making. A human being can only decide on the basis of the informations he already has or he is able to create himself on the basis of the collected impressions. Therefore cutlure is a way to influence public opinion.
Examples from everyday`s life are the most important impression of all because the individual is a direct witness. This could be shaking hands with Angela Merkel, seeing Obama visiting Berlin on a short visit and recieping media. The information from the media is never first hand but the reception of the informations are. Examples from everydays life are evaluated on the basis of impressions and informations that an individual got throughout his life. The individual will decide if something is good or bad on this base. So the event alone is not whole story. The Dragon Ride at NATO`s eastern border is a good example. The same event was seen different because of the meaning it had for different individuals. While East Europeans were supporting this act a lot of Germans felt this as provocation towards Russia while the Pentagon described maneuvers of the Russian Military within Russian borders as provocation. While Germany has not felt a danger toward itself smaller East European countries do so because of the impression of the occupation of crimea and the happenings in the Ukraine. The individual may ask " Am I in danger ?" The information loop ( evaluating new things on the bases of old often from the same source) would strenghen the recipation in the way you want, if you control the tools of this loop. So the recipation of direct witnessed events can be influenced and used for public opinion making ( and shifting) if a force controls the information loop.
If you control the key leaders of a nation you have a powerful tool not only on policy making but on acceptance for your policies in that nation, too. The US do have strong leadership programs in Germany via different organisations, foundations and invite journalists, politicians and military personell for those programes. During this programs it is possible to generate acceptance and support for US policies and interests. These key leaders can generate themselves support and acceptance for US policies. There is a long list of organisations and foundations offering this programes which can be found easily on OSINT research.A lack of Russian activity on this level can be seen as expression on US domination on the German information battlefield.
In Germany public opinion generates from different sources. Those are private media products, statements published of key leaders (published in the media), examples from everydays life and taking part in cultural events. Because private media products will be the most important point I will explain this as last point.
Cultural events are not just operas and classic music concerts. Today we see visits in the movie theater, sports and other entertainment as part of cultural life. After World War II we face a cultural shift in Germany. Especially the American occupation dominated this cultural shift in the western sectors. This is an important point: If you grow up with hamburgers, french fries and coke, playing bowling and watching entertaining movies your understanding of yourself and with this your identity changes. Even the culture of leading companies shifted more and more from sustainability to profit. This may have pro and contra points about it - but this is not the point here. Important is the shift itself. The self became more important, represented by "Lone Rider Heroes" documenting the struggle for success in life as an individual. The struggle of the community for success and identity as part of the community faded more and more. Culture gives identity. If the population of a territory accepts - over a process of centuries - a foreign culture and the old cultural identity fades the individual becomes more and more part of the dominating culture. This comes with a shift of values and acceptance of policies. In the case of Germany we actually see the struggle between Retro East German / Soviet culture and the American culture - represented in the case of American Football, fashion and culture on the other hand. Acceptance of policies comes with shifting your identity and values in this very direction. What may be the message of a movie showing some American characters shooting around Paris, Berlin or Frankfurt on their fights about the things and values they defined as justification to do so ? The answer is clear: We are superior and define what`s right or wrong on your territory - not you ! This message can be seen in movies from the "Bourne-series", "GI Joe"," The A-Team" and others. Again this is not meant as moral implication but as demonstrating a tool of opinion making. A human being can only decide on the basis of the informations he already has or he is able to create himself on the basis of the collected impressions. Therefore cutlure is a way to influence public opinion.
Examples from everyday`s life are the most important impression of all because the individual is a direct witness. This could be shaking hands with Angela Merkel, seeing Obama visiting Berlin on a short visit and recieping media. The information from the media is never first hand but the reception of the informations are. Examples from everydays life are evaluated on the basis of impressions and informations that an individual got throughout his life. The individual will decide if something is good or bad on this base. So the event alone is not whole story. The Dragon Ride at NATO`s eastern border is a good example. The same event was seen different because of the meaning it had for different individuals. While East Europeans were supporting this act a lot of Germans felt this as provocation towards Russia while the Pentagon described maneuvers of the Russian Military within Russian borders as provocation. While Germany has not felt a danger toward itself smaller East European countries do so because of the impression of the occupation of crimea and the happenings in the Ukraine. The individual may ask " Am I in danger ?" The information loop ( evaluating new things on the bases of old often from the same source) would strenghen the recipation in the way you want, if you control the tools of this loop. So the recipation of direct witnessed events can be influenced and used for public opinion making ( and shifting) if a force controls the information loop.
If you control the key leaders of a nation you have a powerful tool not only on policy making but on acceptance for your policies in that nation, too. The US do have strong leadership programs in Germany via different organisations, foundations and invite journalists, politicians and military personell for those programes. During this programs it is possible to generate acceptance and support for US policies and interests. These key leaders can generate themselves support and acceptance for US policies. There is a long list of organisations and foundations offering this programes which can be found easily on OSINT research.A lack of Russian activity on this level can be seen as expression on US domination on the German information battlefield.
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