We can all probably remember an incident at school when a rumor was spread. It propagated fast and wide from person to person and the more it was repeated the more it was believed. Rumors are usually started by an individual or a small clique with an agenda. Eradicating the rumor was nearly impossible unless those behind it were revealed and their motives unveiled.
Swaying opinion for advantage and to increase the number of people backing your side is a way of life. The tactics of fear, hate, objectification, falsehoods, labeling and character assassination have been around for thousands of years.
Each side during the world wars had their slogans. Both said God was on their side, and the other side were murdering savages and not human. In business and politics competition is high. One company gets more of the market share and one person gets elected to office.
Political or commercial campaigns use propaganda techniques to influence. People can be made to believe anything if they hear one message often until it is firmly fixed in memory and easy to repeat. Now, that’s a sound bite. Anyone supporting the opposite position must be attacked and discredited, and their messages dismissed.
Negative labels like Liberal, Socialist, Conservative, or Extremist are commonly used. They say you are safe with us, as we want what you want and we can protect your way of life. You can’t trust the other guys because they will allow everything that will destroy the things you care for most. This is fear mongering and propaganda mixed.
The campaign against the Toll Road has employed such propaganda techniques. To illustrate here are some of the statements floated by various people:
‘The by-pass will ruin Monticello’ has been repeated but the truth is that the statute says nothing about it connecting to Georgia and DOT representatives assigned to our task force said at a BOCC meeting and in communication with the Monticello News the Toll Road terminates at I-10.
Some individuals have said they know the route of the road will take. This rumor got people unnecessarily excited. The only proposals will come from DOT.
Fear of hunting being ruined. Nearly all the land in the south of the county is state and federal management areas so no hunting camps there.
Fear our historic buildings will be destroyed by the road. A road won’t do that but lack of maintenance and repairs will.
Fear we will become just like Miami with our culture lost to urban sprawl. Protecting our culture and atmosphere is in our hands. We can thoughtfully update our Planning Code, doing a first class job at determining where and what kind of development is allowed.
Fear our water will be stolen by the south. The Florida aquifer is not threatened by the Toll Road. The real threat comes from unbridled drawdown caused from poor monitoring and lack of measurement controls like metering. A pathway running along the Toll Road for infrastructure is in the statute. DOT has stated they are not installing any pipelines. The pathway avoids using eminent domain to take citizens’ land in the future.
We must determine for ourselves and not allow the small group that is pulling the propaganda strings to mislead you. See through their techniques of spreading fear, mistrust of DOT and false rumors about the Toll Road. Be cautious when listening to the messages, evaluate things for yourself and decide what is best for all Floridians and the future generations of Jefferson County. Don’t become victims of fear and rumors.
Phil Calandra