Smiling faces, empty words, and empty phrases

Elections are just around the corner. In a well-considered electoral system, Swiss citizens can elect their representatives to the National Council and the Council of States. Each canton provides two Councillors of State, while the number of National Councillors is determined according to the population share of the respective canton. This system ensures that the different parts of the country, language regions, urban and rural areas, are represented in a balanced way. The question of who should represent our country at the highest level of authority is of great importance and is ultimately a matter of trust. However, the people still have the opportunity to help shape events in the country through initiatives and referenda.

A friendly welcome

They greet me with smiling faces from the posters at the roadside at the entrance to our village. They are dressed up, their hair is carefully done, and their make-up is attractive. (Photoshop did the rest.) But the beaming women and men have not won the lottery, instead they are campaigning for me to put their name on the list of candidates for the National Council or the Council of States. They want to represent my interests in the highest offices of our country.
  I am happy to say, we have many committed fellow citizens. It is a fortunate thing, because I want our country to return to its integral neutrality and to finally bury its plans for NATO membership and accession to the EU. Only with secure neutrality will my country regain its role as a model of peace for the world, and as a source of hope for the many people suffering in war-torn countries. Unfortunately, many things have gone wrong in Switzerland in recent years, and the course our country now takes is in urgent need of correction. Accordingly, I am eager to vote. But first, I am curious to hear what the candidates have to say.

About truth, courage
and freedom of expression

At first, everything I read on the political posters sounds promising. One candidate claims to support, “freedom of expression”. Quite in my spirit, I think. Unfortunately, our mainstream media have fallen “into line” with the political establishment and there is little diversity of opinion or freedom of expression to be found. Instead, they represent the interests of lobby groups or have become the extended arm of big power. It seems that their purpose is to control my opinion and what I think. (That’s why I now inform myself elsewhere). For example, our mainstream media write that Switzerland would remain neutral even if we supplied weapons to Ukraine, in some roundabout way, or supported unilateral sanctions against Russia. Strange! Then I wonder, does this candidate I’m considering actually think of “freedom of expression” in the same way as I do? I’d rather have something more concrete, Sir!
  The candidate on the next poster suits me better: She claims to be “Committed to the truth”. Very good, then she will surely inform me openly about her political and career plans, and will never lie to me (because lying is not nice, her mother must have already said that). But then I wonder, why stress a commitment to the truth? In Bern, honest people with a clear head and an upright stance are already needed.
  I look at the next poster where the candidate advertises that he is: “Thinking ahead with courage and will”. Exactly right, that’s what I would like to see. But what must be going through the mind of the man smiling at me? Is he the one who will stand up for the integral neutrality of our country with a strong “will”? If so, he would have my vote for sure! Or, will he stir with “courage” in a completely different direction? Will he make our country a boot-jack of the great powers? If so, he won’t have my vote!
  Maybe the two ladies on the next -placard will manage to persuade me. There are, after all, two of them beaming at me. The poster says, “Choose the future now”. Yes, I think, but which future? Surely they must have a specific future in mind, but just don’t want to say. I am allergic to such secrecy. And then what do I see? I’m amazed: “Enough is enough”, says the next poster. Me too! I go home.

Propaganda – the art of seduction?

Once at home, I pull out from my bookcase the book by Edward Bernays entitled “Propaganda; The Art of Public Relations”. This is exactly what interests me now. It was first published in 1928 and has been reprinted ever since, most recently in 2021, in its 13^th edition.
  The subtitle, which did not appear on the original book but was added to the German translation, refers to the fact that the term “propaganda” tends to be avoided today and has been replaced with the less objectionable phrase, “public relations.” The word propaganda fell into disrepute during the years of the Second World War. (Bernays’ book was on Joseph Goebbels’ bookcase). Bernays remains influential and propaganda is still considered compulsory reading for PR consultants – as the propaganda experts are called in politically correct terms.
  The preface to the book says: “No one should have the right to call themselves a PR consultant or ‘public relation counsellor’ without having read Bernays, not as a compulsory academic exercise, but as a guiding principle of daily practice”. It is true that every book must always be seen in the context of its genesis, in this case America of the 1920s. Propaganda is certainly a mirror of the conditions in America at that time, but the book remains widely read and is still considered relevant today. It was only translated into German in 2007 – eighty years after its first publication.
  Bernays was not “politically correct”, but spoke plainly about what he saw as the necessary steering of public opinion through propaganda, including the use of propaganda in politics. That is why he writes at the beginning of his book: “The conscious and purposeful manipulation of the behaviour and attitudes of the masses is an essential component of democratic societies. Organisations that work in secret direct the social processes. They are the real governments in the country.” (p. 19) I had to pause and read the sentence again: Manipulation as a component of democratic societies? I have always understood democracy to mean that we are responsible citizens with the right and ability to determine the fate of our country ourselves.

Manipulation – a component
of democratic societies?

Bernays goes on to say that “A serious and talented politician is fortunately able to shape and channel the will of the people thanks to the tools of propaganda.” Politicians, he complains, have taken too little cue from the business world in this regard. (p. 83) According to Bernays, “…propaganda carefully tailored to the needs of the masses is an essential part of politics”. (p. 84) As he would have it, “Good government work can be sold as well as any other product.” (p. 92)
  Bernays offers the following advises to political parties and politicians: “In order to prepare the programme, a scientifically accurate study of the electorate with its needs should take place. An overview of the wishes and needs of the public is essential for the political strategist when he goes about his task of planning and drafting the activities of the party and its elected protagonists for the upcoming term” (p. 87).
  The emotional world of the people must not be forgotten either, according to Bernays. “It makes sense to appeal to people’s feelings in a political campaign – and is even an indispensable factor in any campaign”. (p. 89) Today, the numerous PR agencies that run election and referendum campaigns are responsible for implementing all that Bernays advises – even the Federal Palace in Bern is equipped with a huge PR department.
  After appropriate preparation, their meticulous implementation is to follow: “Once the main objectives and the basic plan of the election campaign have been adopted and the main approach to appeal to the groups has been defined, the message has to be conveyed precisely through the media that will bring it most efficiently to the target groups”. (p. 90) Which target group do you think my friends and I belong to?

A leading elite and
corresponding propaganda

Anyone who delves into Bernays’ remarks will not be able to avoid asking about his conception of man. Obviously, he assumes “that the organisation and focussing of public opinion is indispensable for a regulated coexistence”. (p. 21) And this requires two things, according to Bernays, a leading elite and corresponding propaganda, which functions to ensure the loyalty, and conformity, of those who are governed: “The gap between the intellectuals and the masses is bridged in the complex society with the help of propaganda. Only propaganda enables the government, an organ of the people, to maintain a close relationship with the people, which is essential for the functioning of a democracy.” (p. 98) What was that exactly?
  I assume that an educated people are an indispensable part of any living democracy and that our elementary schools should impart profound knowledge so that every young person knows his or her civic rights and duties, can orientate his or her actions accordingly, and thus ensure the continuation of our direct democracy and a life lived in freedom. So, anyone who wants my vote so that they can represent me in Bern must win my trust. Whether this can be achieved with the slogan “Keeps its promises” can be questioned.
  Now, I do not want to imply that the radiant women and men who are trying to convince me to support their candidacy have fully adopted Edward Bernays’ advice. But in view of their colourless slogans, it seems obvious to me that they have taken advice on how to offer as little of substance as possible for discussion while minimizing any possibility of attack. Have they understood so little about the nature of our direct democracy?
  That is why I am neither confident about the candidate who advertises her candidacy with the slogan, the “courage to find solutions”. What does she want to solve? How can peace return to our world? What does she say about the question of integral neutrality, about the threat of NATO affiliation and incorporation into the EU? These questions cannot be answered using empty phrases and empty words, but need an honest discussion with Switzerland’s citizenry. One of the political poster actually said, “Stay tuned!” Precisely, that’s what we’ll do!  •