Media

Media has long been thought of as a giant propaganda machine.  Everyday millions of people around the world tune in to the television or radio to get the latest breaking news.  To make sure everyone gets it, there are thousands of different media sources to feed the need.  With such a large number of media sources there is a great deal of variety to suit everyone's taste.  The personal beliefs and preferences are what dictates which media source is viewed.  Of course the liberal democrat will watch the liberal news, and the conservative republican will watch the conservative news.  This "give the people what they want" type of media can get in the way of the truth.  Each type of media will give the perspective they know their core audience will respond to best.  It just wouldn't make sense for Fox News to advocate tax increases nd huge bail-out plans.  In this effect the media becomes a shadow on the wall of Plato's cave, in that they are what we want to see and not what we are really seeing.  If one were to look at all the different media sources around the world, they would get thousands of different perspectives on the latest breaking news.  The headlines in the U.S. might read "Terrorist bombing kills U.S. troops", while another might read "Freedom fighters liberate their home from American infidels."  Media is all about spin and perspective, and while it's perfectly normal to have a preference, it would be benficial to look at the other side once and a while. 

Propaganda

In Plato's Allegory of the Cave, the prisoners believed the shadows on the wall were real, and knew nothing of the causes of those shadows.  Just as the prisoners in Plato's Cave were manipulated by the puppeteers, we too can also be manipulated by politics, media, and corporations.  These sources of propaganda can use our ignorance to fuel their message and make us believe whatever they want.  Politicians may use our fear and anger in the wake of a terrorist attack as a way of pursuing other international interests, citing Iraq and the WMD scare as an example.  Media may paint a grim picture of the world, making those watching the news believe that the world, as a whole, is a miserable and doomed place.  Corporations can create the image of what they want us to believe is the perfect body, giving many a distorted and shallow view of true beauty.  When you think about it, it is like we are prisoners in Plato's Cave, the only difference being that we are not chained down and forced to believe in the shadows.  We are able to leave the cave and come and go as we please.  However, these shadows have become our reality and a major part of our lives.  Given the opportunity to actually seek the truth, we instead dismiss these truths in exchange for what we see as a comfortable reality.

Propaganda