An Excerpt on Classification of Readers of the Press
" Generally, readers of the press can be classified into three groups:
First, those who believe everything they read;
Second, those who no longer believe in anything;
Third, those who critically examine what they read and form their judgments accordingly.
Numerically, the first group is by far the strongest, being composed of the broad masses of the people. Intellectually, it forms the simplest portion of the nation. It cannot be classified according to occupation but only into grades of intelligence. Under this category come all those who have not been born to think for themselves but have learnt to do so and who, partly through incompetence and partly through ignorance, believe everything that is set before them in print. To these we must add that type of lazy individual who, although capable of thinking for himself, out of sheer laziness gratefully absorbs everything that others have thought over, modestly believing this to have been thoroughly done. The influence which the Press has on all these people is therefore, enormous;
for after all they constitute the broad masses of a nation. But somehow they are not in a position or are not willing personally to sift what is being served up to them; so that their whole attitude towards daily problems is almost solely the result of extraneous influence. All this can be advantageous where public enlightenment is of a serious and truthful character, but great harm is done when scoundrels and liars take a hand at this work.
The Second group is numerically smaller, being partly composed of those who were formerly in the first group and after a series of better disappointments are now prepared to believe nothing of what they see in print. They hate all newspapers. Either they do not read them at all or they become exceptionally annoyed at their contents, which they hold to be nothing but a congeries of lies and misstatements. These people are difficult to handle; for they will always be skeptical of the truth. Consequently, they are useless for any form of positive work.
The Third group is easily the smallest, being composed of real intellectuals whom natural aptitude and education have taught to think for themselves and who in all things try to form their own judgments, while at the same time carefully sifting what they read. They will not read any newspaper without using their own intelligence to collaborate with that of the writer and naturally does not set writers an easy task. Journalists appreciate this type of a reader only with a certain amount of reservation.
Hence the trash that newspapers are capable of serving up is of little danger-much less of importance - to the third group of readers.
In the majority of cases these readers have learnt to regard every journalist as fundamentally a rogue who sometimes speaks the truth. Most unfortunately the value of these readers lies in their intelligence and not in their numerical strength, an unhappy state of affairs in a period where wisdom counts for nothing and majorities for everything. Nowadays, when the voting papers of masses are the deciding factor, the decision lies in the hands of the numerically strongest group; that is to say the first group, the crowd of simpletons and credulous."
The above excerpt is from Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler during his years as a politician. I was shocked by how the current Indian scenario resonates with that of Germany during the mid-20th century.
Hitler, irrespective of his bias of races, was a man of observation. His study of the audience was what made him understand them and talk to them in a tone which moved their hearts and embedded him inside of their outlook towards the world.
First, those who believe everything they read;
Second, those who no longer believe in anything;
Third, those who critically examine what they read and form their judgments accordingly.
Numerically, the first group is by far the strongest, being composed of the broad masses of the people. Intellectually, it forms the simplest portion of the nation. It cannot be classified according to occupation but only into grades of intelligence. Under this category come all those who have not been born to think for themselves but have learnt to do so and who, partly through incompetence and partly through ignorance, believe everything that is set before them in print. To these we must add that type of lazy individual who, although capable of thinking for himself, out of sheer laziness gratefully absorbs everything that others have thought over, modestly believing this to have been thoroughly done. The influence which the Press has on all these people is therefore, enormous;
for after all they constitute the broad masses of a nation. But somehow they are not in a position or are not willing personally to sift what is being served up to them; so that their whole attitude towards daily problems is almost solely the result of extraneous influence. All this can be advantageous where public enlightenment is of a serious and truthful character, but great harm is done when scoundrels and liars take a hand at this work.
The Second group is numerically smaller, being partly composed of those who were formerly in the first group and after a series of better disappointments are now prepared to believe nothing of what they see in print. They hate all newspapers. Either they do not read them at all or they become exceptionally annoyed at their contents, which they hold to be nothing but a congeries of lies and misstatements. These people are difficult to handle; for they will always be skeptical of the truth. Consequently, they are useless for any form of positive work.
The Third group is easily the smallest, being composed of real intellectuals whom natural aptitude and education have taught to think for themselves and who in all things try to form their own judgments, while at the same time carefully sifting what they read. They will not read any newspaper without using their own intelligence to collaborate with that of the writer and naturally does not set writers an easy task. Journalists appreciate this type of a reader only with a certain amount of reservation.
Hence the trash that newspapers are capable of serving up is of little danger-much less of importance - to the third group of readers.
In the majority of cases these readers have learnt to regard every journalist as fundamentally a rogue who sometimes speaks the truth. Most unfortunately the value of these readers lies in their intelligence and not in their numerical strength, an unhappy state of affairs in a period where wisdom counts for nothing and majorities for everything. Nowadays, when the voting papers of masses are the deciding factor, the decision lies in the hands of the numerically strongest group; that is to say the first group, the crowd of simpletons and credulous."
"It is an all important interest of the State and national duty to prevent these people from falling into the hands of false, ignorant or even evil-minded teachers"
The above excerpt is from Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler during his years as a politician. I was shocked by how the current Indian scenario resonates with that of Germany during the mid-20th century.
Hitler, irrespective of his bias of races, was a man of observation. His study of the audience was what made him understand them and talk to them in a tone which moved their hearts and embedded him inside of their outlook towards the world.
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