FREE SPEECH VERSUS PROPAGANDA.

(The following acerbic entry easily applies to practically every nation without exception, as every nation sees nothing wrong in engaging in agitprop. In this sense, I admit that it may be slightly unfair to single out one country, which in our case happens to be America. But there are a few valid reasons for me to do it. This is, after all, the American section, where I am writing about America, blessings, warts, and all. Indeed, America is important enough to be singled out (with this proper caveat, of course), and big enough to take it.

Another good reason is that America is one of the most vocal countries regarding the wonderfulness of free speech, and probably the most self-righteous country, to attribute this blessing almost exclusively to herself. Thus let this singling out attempt wishfully produce a humbling effect, even if realistically such an attempt is probably futile.

Next, we have the so-called Kinsley Gaffe, mentioned in the text below, and Kinsley is an American pundit, which gives our singling out an additional, albeit less significant, merit.

It goes without saying that the British, as satirized by the great comic Benny Hill, are almost legendary for their insincere speech, which, of course, they no less zealously than the Americans are trying to pass off as “free speech.” But in the last few decades since the end of WWII, the British have shrunk in stature, whereas America, even if it is puffing up its global importance beyond all reasonable limits of international etiquette, is still a world superpower of the first magnitude, and to a certain extent the most conspicuous one, which makes my singling it out more consequential than merely speaking in generalities.)

Propaganda is the very opposite of free speech. It is speech for hire. Which means that for a large majority of our freedom-loving Americans free speech is a luxury they can seldom afford. Take America’s political leaders, for example. The speeches they pass off as theirs, are not their own. They are produced by a class of hacks, known as professional speechwriters, to the generalized dictation of the so-called “staffers,” who look down on their “bosses” with contempt, because elected officials come and go, but the staffers are there forever. In other words, it is not the elected officials who tell their “help” what to do, but the “help,” being the politicians’ daily pipeline to Mr. and Ms. Big, are there primarily to “straighten” their bosses out, which is obviously a pleasant euphemism for making them more and more crooked with each passing day.

The staffers produce the talking points which become the speeches, passed off as speech. The talking points are the quintessence of agitation and propaganda, and there is little to be added to that.

Whenever American politicians open their mouth to utter something unfabricated, extemporaneous, or even impromptu, they tend to speak in safe clichés, otherwise they might risk getting themselves in hot water, also known as “putting their foot in their mouth.” In other words, politicians, beware of free speech: in your case it is bound to be a disaster!

No wonder we have this satirical political dictum known as the Kinsley Gaffe (because it originates with the American political pundit Michael Kinsley), to the effect that “a gaffe is whenever a politician accidentally speaks the truth.” Three cheers for the dearly departed truth then, but why should we say it with a smirk on our face?

Public officials in this sense are only the tip of the iceberg. Observe all those actors in commercials, paid to say stupid things, immortalized in Benny Hill’s skits. How many of us are satisfied with, and even proud of, speaking in the language of these silly clichés, boasting of as much sincerity and truthfulness as the ones of Benny Hill? So why are we doing it? Either we are obliged to speak in thirty-second commercials as part of our job description, at our employers’ behest (and considering that our regular business life comprises by far the largest chunk of our wakeful existence, this fact says volumes!), or else, we have become so used to this meaningless talk that we see nothing tragic in transferring it into our private, personal lives as a ready-made substitute for thoughtful, creative verbalizing.

Well, in conclusion, let us get optimistic for a change. Three cheers for free speech!!!

…Free speech… what’s that?!