Gesammelte Werke

The American tradition of common sense, of sales resistance, may be revitalized in this particular field by our approach since the self-styled
Führer
is, in this country, in many respects nothing but a glorified barker.
    There is one specific area in which psychological exploitation, if unveiled, will turn into a boomerang. The agitator generally poses as a great little man, as a person who, in spite of his exalted idealism and indefatigable vigilance, is one of the people, a neighbor, somebody close to the hearts of the simple folks; he comforts them through his condescending sympathy and creates an atmosphere of warmth and companionship. This technique, which, incidentally, is much more characteristic of the American scene than of the streamlined mass meetings of the Nazis, aims at a specific condition complementary to our highly industrialized society. It is the phenomenon which, in the sphere of mass culture, is known as »nostalgia.« The more technification and specialization disrupt the immediate human relationships which were associated with the family, the workshop, the small entrepreneur, the more do the social atoms, which form the new collectivities, long for shelter, for economic security, and for what the psychoanalyst would call a restitution of the womb situation. It seems that a considerable fraction of fanatic fascists – the so-called lunatic fringe – consists of those in whose psychology this nostalgia plays a particularly important role – the lonely, isolated, and, in many ways, frustrated people. The agitator shrewdly attempts to enroll their support by posing as their neighbor. A truly humane motive, the longing for spontaneous, genuine relationships, for love, is seized upon by the cold-blooded promoters of the inhuman. The very fact that people suffer from universal manipulation is used for manipulation. People's sincerest feelings are being perverted and gratified by swindle. Even if they fall for it momentarily, the desires involved are so profound that they cannot be satisfied by a sham. Treated like children, they will react like children who realize that the uncle who talks baby talk to them merely wants to ingratiate himself for ulterior reasons. Through such experiences the energy inherent in their longing may finally turn against its exploitation.
     
    The manual first describes the difference between the political orator and various kinds of agitators, and then gives a few criteria by which the agitator may be recognized. Furthermore, it discusses the devices to which the agitator's technique can be reduced, and explains how they work, and their specific appeal to the listeners.
    Following are two examples of such discussions:
    Martyr Hero.
The main purpose of the agitator is to arouse our human interest in him. He tells us that he is a lonely, independent man who sacrifices everything to his cause and lives in modest circumstances. He repeats that he is not backed by big money or by any of the powers that be. He is particularly eager to make us believe that he is not a politician but aloof from and somehow above politics.
    To pretend loneliness is an easy way to catch our sympathy. Today life is hard, cold, and complicated and everybody is somehow lonely. This is what he exploits. By stressing his isolation he appears to be one of us, suffering from the same causes from which we all suffer. Actually, however, he is not at all alone. He is the man with the good connections and he will boast about them whenever an opportunity presents itself. Then he will read to us the letter of that senator who praises his patriotic zeal.
    He gives a sales talk all the time, but he wants us to believe that he is not selling anything. He is afraid of our sales resistance and, therefore, hammers into our heads the idea that he is a pure soul while others try to make suckers out of us. As a shrewd advertiser he exploits even our distrust of advertising.
    He knows that we have heard about political racketeering and corruption and he utilizes our aversion to this sort of thing for his own political ends. For it is he who is a political racketeer with lieutenants, bodyguards, dark financial interests, and everything that is shady. He constantly shouts »Hold the thief.«
    There is one more reason why he plays the lone wolf. He poses as being needy so that we will do something for him and feel proud of it. In reality we are the poor sheep. While he attempts to flatter our vanity by suggesting that