Campaigns Quote by Noam Chomsky
“Ronald Reagan in the US was not a particularly popular president, but after his death sectors of wealth and power created a huge propaganda campaign that converted this disgraceful figure into a semi-divinity.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Media and Power, 2005
Posthumous propaganda can elevate unpopular leaders into revered icons, driven by elite interests.
In simple terms: Dead leaders can be glorified by powerful groups.
Key Takeaway
Critically assess narratives about historical figures.
Themes
politics
media
propaganda
legacy
power
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- political campaigns
- academic curricula
- public memorials
- media analysis
Key Concepts
cult of personality
historical revisionism
elite influence
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do societies mythologize certain leaders?
- How can we preserve factual histories?
A Different Perspective
Historical truth may be distorted by agenda.
![“If [climate change ] became a serious proposal in the United States, there would be a huge propaganda onslaught by the business community, the energy corporations and many others, to try to frighten the population into opposing it - claiming that if they have it, all sorts of terrible things will…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/209/noam-chomsky-42_able_if-climate-change-became-a-serious-propo_1999017.jpg)
![“We did not lack for religious leaders to urge us into "godly" war [...]. All of this was part of a well-financed propaganda campaign on the part of British agents. As usual, the government of the United States was being "run" by the British Secret Intelligence Service.” quote by Eustace Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fbf/eustace-mullins-25201_agents_we-did-not-lack-for-religious-leaders-to_2939403.jpg)
![“{President] Kayibanda's government [in Rwanda] continued the persecution against the Tutsis and began to make use of the media it controlled to launch a propaganda campaign against us. In a country where more than half the people cannot read or write and very few have televisions, radio is the…” quote by John Rucyahana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d13/john-rucyahana-59735_educated_president-kayibanda-s-government-in-rwan_636241.jpg)
![“The [Ronald] Reagan administration told the business world that they were not going to enforce the labor laws.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/127/noam-chomsky-42_administration_the-ronald-reagan-administration-told-th_803637.jpg)
![“[Ronald] Reagan bitterly hated unions and wanted them destroyed. This began with the air controllers' strike and went on from there.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/350/noam-chomsky-42_air_ronald-reagan-bitterly-hated-unions-and_1855130.jpg)
![“Government grew under [Ronald] Reagan. He was the strongest opponent of free markets in the post-war history among presidents. But it doesn't matter what the reality is; they concocted an image that you worship.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4e6/noam-chomsky-42_free-market_government-grew-under-ronald-reagan-he-w_727328.jpg)
![“You can see it in the worship of [Ronald] Reagan, which portrays him as somebody who saved us from government. Actually he was an apostle of big government.” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/170/noam-chomsky-42_apostles_you-can-see-it-in-the-worship-of-ronald_1959543.jpg)
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
