Although some people would disagree, propaganda is much more common in a democratic society than in a totalitarian society. While the totalitarian government can simply tell you what to think and buy, the democratic government must hide its attempts to influence the people. It could be argued that military force and threats of violence are the ultimate propaganda, but a totalitarian government makes no secret of what it does. They force the people they govern to believe and do what they want, by force or otherwise. Democratic leaders do the same thing behind a mask. They use the media, the Internet and everything around you to influence your opinion. This method seems to work as well as the violent method; most people in a democratic society live their lives under the influence without even realizing it. They assume they live with free will, but are unaware of the constant influences around them. As Dennis Lewis said: “We are governed, our minds are shaped, our tastes are formed, our ideas are suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. » Propaganda is bad, but not bad in the way of conquering the world or conquering the world. something. It's even more perverse in the sense of tricking you into buying a product you don't exactly need or want. Corporations are just as guilty of propaganda as governments; they even use it in the same way. All they have to do is simply show their logo or bash their competitor and they have subconsciously made you want their product. It is one of the most basic forms of propaganda; they influence you without your knowledge. It’s evil in the sense that it lines the company’s pockets. This may not seem like a big deal, but over time it leads to the growth of a company that doesn't care about the center of the paper... any company. Depending on which angle you look at, any sort of argument or comment could be twisted into propaganda, even this article could be considered propaganda against propaganda. It is a never-ending cycle, but even if it cannot be destroyed, propaganda must be closely monitored and questioned by all citizens. Works Cited Lewis, Dennis. “Propaganda in a democracy.” WordPress and Web. April 2, 2014. Osgood, Kenneth A. “Propaganda.” Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy. Ed. Richard Dean Burns, Alexander DeConde and Fredrik Logevall. 2nd ed. Flight. 3. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. Student Resources in Context. Internet. March 27, 2014. Welch, David. "Propaganda." New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Ed. Maryanne Cline Horowitz. Flight. 5. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. 1916-1923. Student resources in context. Internet. March 27. 2014.