Κατασκευή υποτελών

by E.A. Rauter, Τάσος Ψηλογιαννόπουλος (Translator)

Το κείμενο του Ράουτερ, γραμμένο πριν από μισό αιώνα, παραμένει επίκαιρο. Μας αναγκάζει να σκεφτούμε το κατά πόσον οι πολιτικές μας πεποιθήσεις και οι απόψεις μας σχετικά με την οργάνωση της κοινωνίας είναι προϊόν ελεύθερης και αντικειμενικής κρίσης. Για τον συγγραφέα τα πράγματα είναι ξεκάθαρα. Αυτά που οι περισσότεροι άνθρωποι θεωρούν αυτονόητα, δεν είναι παρά προϊόν «πλύσης εγκεφάλου» την οποία υφιστάμεθα ως παιδιά στα σχολεία και ως ενήλικοι μέσω των ΜΜΕ. Οι σκέψεις μας λοιπόν δεν είναι τόσο «δικές μας» όσο νομίζουμε. Αυτό μας δείχνει μέσα από απλά παραδείγματα το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο.

Το συμπέρασμα του είναι σαφές: «Εάν δεν αντισταθούμε στα αναλυτικά προγράμματα των σχολείων, στις εφημερίδες και στα προγράμματα το ραδιοφώνου και της τηλεόρασης, οι σκέψεις μας θα συνεχίσουν να είναι οι εχθροί μας».

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Ernst Alexander Rauter (27 April 1929 in Klagenfurt – 8 March 2006 in Munich) was an Austrian uncommitted leftist author, journalist and self–taught language critic.

He was considered a "cult" author of the '68 generation. In the 1960s he actively participated in the west – German, extra – parliamentary opposition, Ausserparlamentarischen Opposition – (ΑΡΟ) and took part in many public demonstrations besides its leader Rudi Dutschke. In 1968 he became popular to the rebellious youth of the time, thanks to his book
Wie eine Meinung in einem Kopf entsteht: Über das Herstellen von Untertanen (How an Opinion Forms in the Mind: Creating Subject People). There, densely and comprehensively, he described the mechanism of enslavement and manipulation of the people by political and economical rulers. The most interesting point of his analysis is the statement that information being “planted” into our heads is responsible for forming our judg(e)ments and beliefs, which in turn determine our actions, and our life as a whole. “In school people are created. The process of creating people is called education. Since a man’s actions determine the course of his life, the information he receives, determines the way he’ll live. Schools not only create people, they also create biographies”.

Reviews

[Dan'S_mind · Rating 3 out of 5]

a perfectly conceived, all around book.. But still (in quite a few parts) he let's an entrail, of his Leftist ideas contaminate the 'whole agenda' That bothered me, due to this 'ideological conflict'I am with E A Rauter, but still it is a very important book, from the '70s era, that despite the technological advancements, still 'shines through' today


In a few occasions he was quite prophetic, like that shared garage's they started using a decade (or more, I can't recall) in Berlin, but for quite different reasons

[Sky Feather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small gem. How society manipulates people by programming them in certain ways, from a young age.

Title in Greek: 'Η κατασκευή υπηκόων | Πώς κατασκευάζεται μια γνώμη σ' ένα κεφάλι'

[Zafer Avran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pedagojik yaın ağor basan bir anlatı sanırken antikapitalist bir söylev çıktı. Her şeyden önce sorduğu soruyu cevaplamayan ama bu ve benzeri sorular sorduran bir kitap. Kanıksadığımız birçok yanlışı ve haksızlığı dile getiriyor, farklı bir dünya mümkün diyor. Sorunların genelleme yollu tespitinin ötesine geçip detaylı çözümlemeler getirseydi daha bir hoş olurdu sanki. Belki de bir isimlendirme kurbanı diyebiliriz.

[Vangelis Kolomitrousis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but powerful essay that challenges the obvious regarding the sources of influence and the shaping of political and social thought. Ideal for those who want an introductory work for a critical consideration of the institutions and messages we absorb daily.

Rauter writes in concise language, but with depth and reflection, focusing on a holistic understanding of the mechanisms of manipulation. Although written decades ago, the work remains ever relevant (perhaps even more so today), regarding the way our perceptions are shaped through capitalist institutions and the systemic media that the bourgeois oligarchy maintains in privilege today.

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Ένα σύντομο αλλά ισχυρό δοκίμιο που αμφισβητεί το αυτονόητο όσον αφορά τις πηγές επιρροής και τη διαμόρφωση της πολιτικής και κοινωνικής σκέψης. Ιδανικό για όσους επιθυμούν ένα εναρκτήριο πόνημα για κριτική θεώρηση των θεσμών και των μηνυμάτων που απορροφούμε καθημερινά.

Ο Ράουτερ γράφει με περιεκτική γλώσσα, αλλά με βάθος και στοχασμό, εστιάζοντας στην ολιστική κατανόηση των μηχανισμών χειραγώγησης. Αν και γραμμένο προ δεκαετιών, το έργο παραμένει πάντα επίκαιρο (ίσως ακόμη περισσότερο στις μέρες μας), σχετικά με τον τρόπο που διαμορφώνονται οι αντιλήψεις μας μέσω των καπιταλιστικών θεσμών και των συστημικών ΜΜΕ που διατηρεί προνομιακά η αστική ολιγαρχία σήμερα.

[Derya Kahraman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a socialist propoganda. Since it is a propoganda it takes things one-sided. Some parts are just shallow, some parts are outdated (as the book was written in 70s). Don't recommend. It didn't add much to what I already knew.

[Yorgos Milis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book whose historical weight cannot be overstated. What might have once felt like a radical exposé may now resonate with a sense of recognition rather than surprise for a contemporary reader, particularly one already drawn to its subject matter. This shift, however, doesn't diminish the book's crucial role in shaping our understanding of these issues. Instead, the current reading experience offers a unique opportunity to trace the origins of now-common knowledge and appreciate the initial boldness of his (Rauter's) arguments.