"Hitler and Mussolini and Father Coughlan and Huey Long and Franklin Roosevelt ... attained their enormous influence by radio."
S.I. Hayakawa and General Semantics (1968)
I've had a few recommendations to look at the work of Hayakawa. He was an english professor, university president, and senator (from California). A decidedly eclectic mix.
The quote above comes at the opening of this lecture, discussing the revolution in media which had occurred at the opening of the 20th century. Highly recommended.
I'd come to the realisation of the significance of media and its role on society and politics a few years ago. I keep running into validation of that notion.
McLuhan isn't mentioned AFAICT though he makes similar points. See also #HannaArendt and the #FrankfurtSchool
https://youtube.com/watch?v=W0VdNQVlg7U
I've also queued up
- Hayakawa: What is General Semantics https://youtube.com/watch?v=P8rZrwBUheM
- George Lakoff: The Neuroscience of Language and Thought https://youtube.com/watch?v=JJP-rkilz40
(YouTube recommendations are proving interesting here.)
#SIHayakawa #Media #radio #politics #fascism #populism #MarshallMcLuhan