Most people's political views are shaped or influenced by the media and by their peers. The same forces influence their peers, therefore most people's political views are fairly similar, that is, the "conventional wisdom." Ed Finn wrote in an article entitled Conformity and Dissent which appeared in the October 2003 issue of CCPA Monitor , "The pressure to conform and join with the majority is unrelenting. It's natural to want to be popular, to be 'one of the gang', to fit in, to be accepted. Most people are culturally predisposed to believe what they are told by their leaders, and to behave accordingly." Of course, there are sufficient differences in opinion from these sources of political and social knowledge to allow for the formation of right, middle or left of centre ideologies.

For those who are curious enough to seek out political and historical ideas that differ from the conventional wisdom, there is sufficient written material available. Such material usually consists of books, the internet, magazines, editorials and literature from social and political activist organizations, that is, non-government organizations (NGOs). Books, in my opinion, are the best source for non-conventional views but, I emphasize, they must be sought out and diligently read otherwise one's mind is filled with the mainstream discourse and very little else. However, as I said above, there is enough flexibility in the mainstream discourse to allow for difference of opinion, at least in a democracy.

"It must be understood that the upper echelon of society has the ways and means to influence the media and the politicians, therefore, have the greatest influence on forming the orthodox view".¹ Those who own or control the newspapers and the radio and TV networks do not stifle dissent completely; they do allocate a limited amount of space and time for the skeptic to propose different policies. In this way they maintain the "free press" philosophy. However, the skeptics access to the media is never enough to enable them to reach the public continually and effectively. Their heretical views are overwhelmed by the unceasing chorus of establishment editorial writers and columnists whose main function is to disparage the dissidents and portray them as out of touch with reality.

The vast majority of the population is preoccupied with everyday life. Youth is caught up in school and social activities, most adults are absorbed in earning a living or maintaining their financial status. Therefore, most people are not exposed to the non-conventional wisdom of history and current politi-cal views. They read the papers, listen to TV and have discussions with their peers hence are inun-dated with the mainstream discourse. Therefore, when they are exposed to views that are fundamentally different, it has little effect on their core beliefs. Besides, the general public being preoccupied with the mundane things of everyday life are also caught up with superficial things such as electronic gadgets, bigger cars, expensive jewelry and many other things that appear to raise a person's social status. This is known as "consumerism", that is, equating personal happiness with the purchasing and consumption of material possessions.

It is the business world that promotes the consumerism philosophy. It is good for business and they use public relations firms to promote the philosophy. From childhood to adulthood, the general public is deluged by such promotional propaganda. Is it any wonder that so little attention is paid to past and current political and social issues which may have a profound effect on their lives? I include "past" because to understand history is to better understand current issues.

¹Herman, Edward S. "The Propaganda Model : A Retrospective" In Against All Reason, December 9, 2003.
http://www.human-nature.com/reason/01/herman,html