I wholeheartedly agree with these literal words, but I find it interesting that this quote is being passed around the Occupy Wall St. movement without anyone knowing who to actually credit for the statement. The origination of the thought, and the intention behind the words, can potentially change the interpretation of the entire sentence. How can a protester honestly hold up a sign at a protest supporting a statement that they cannot even cite? When media outlets begin their discussion of the quote with: “I heard someone say once…”, “The other day, I read a sign that said…”, or “My friend in Texas told me…”, it is difficult to take their commentary seriously. Who said it? Why did they say it? And was it taken out of context? “A definition of ‘propaganda’ insists [that] stressing controversy hampers one’s approach to an understanding of the subject.” - maybe if OWS protestors stressed facts and plausible solutions for reform over emotional exclamations that simply come off as “It’s not fair!” to the stubborn baby boomers that control our nation’s Republican party, I bet we could get somewhere. Again, I agree with what the quote communicates, but the demonstration of how susceptible Occupy Wall St. is to propaganda is disheartening.
