Propaganda is used here to mean organized persuasion: for example, both commercial advertising and public relations, and also political and governmental efforts to persuade.Propaganda seeks some kind of response (now or later) from the people who are the target audience. Two general categories are: Command propaganda which seeks a specific, immediate response:"Buy this... Do that ... Vote for ... Join ... Fight ...." (Now!) Conditioning propaganda which seeks to mold public opinions, assumptions, and attitudes on a long-term widespread basis, often as a prelude for command propaganda. (Later)

Counter-propaganda is used here to mean an attempt to inoculate or to immunize individuals in advance of any propaganda blitz by any of the organized persuaders: from any advertisers, from any politicians (Left or Right), or from any governments (domestic or foreign). In the future, assume that professional persuaders will be more sophisticated (not less so) and more organized than they are now, creating an ever accelerating imbalance between the professional persuaders and the average "persuadee" -- the average citizen

These counter propaganda axioms are means to an end -- a defensive strategy, or a "defensive rhetoric" for receivers. The goal is to equalize the situation between the professional persuaders and their audiences, to counter-balance, to seek a better equilibrium, to bring about a situation of mutuality in which the audience is more nearly on par with the speakers. Realistic assumptions must be made: power exists, weakness exists. The strong do not voluntarily give up power. Total equality will never exist. Yet, a movement toward equality is better than a movement away.

The American government was so founded on the realistic attitude of the check-and-balance system among the various forces in conflict. The result is a kind of shaky equilibrium, a moderating balancing act, usually denounced by all participants as favoring the others. When some segments of society grow too powerful, others seek a re-balancing. As organized persuasion becomes more powerful and sophisticated, more needs to be done to counter its effects: more people need to be well-informed themselves, and more supportive of education and legislation which favors equity, balance, fairness. So the goal of this website is to help the greatest number of the persuadees -- average people -- to better recognize and to better understand these predictable patterns so that they can better cope with the professional persuaders from any source.