The magic of repetition

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

>I'm beginning to get intrigued by how much credence it seems any assertion
>can gain purely through repetition, quite apart from every other mechanism
>used to persuade.  The modern finesse on the big lie technique seems to be
>to mix in the word "might" which makes almost every assertion true.  And
>then to imply that anyone who doesn't take this "possibility"  seriously
>is dumb and a pansy, the two things every person who aspires to importance
>fears.  And then repeat, repeat, repeat, knowing full well the "might"
>which is so useful in the early stages will eventually drop out.
>
>There seems to be some kind of socio-linguistic background assumption that
>anything that has "stood the test of time" is assumed to be true.  The
>campaign of constant repetition seems to play on that.  And of course
>putting it in the mouths of figures of authority helps.  But it also holds
>true for urban legends.
>
>I'm kind of dazzled at how simple it seems to be.  And how effective.  It
>seems there must be some classic work that discusses this somewhere, no?
>But outside of some famous quotes, I can't think of anything that
>addresses this directly.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>
>Michael

"The doctrine of the equivalence of action and reaction asserted the 
power of repetition over reality, long after men had renounced the 
illusion that by repetition alone could they identify themselves with 
the repeated reality and escape its power.  But as the magical 
illusion fades away, the more relentlessly in the name of law 
repetition imprisons man in the cycle -- that cycle whose 
objectification in the form of natural law he imagines will ensure 
his action as a free subject" (Adorno & Horkheimer, _Dialectic of 
Enlightenment_, 1997 [1944], p. 12).
-- 
Yoshie

* Calendar of Events in Columbus: 
<http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html>
* Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html>
* Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/>
* Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osu.edu/students/CJP/>