Soft power

Notes

Claim

There are two types of power by which those in power influence the society:

1. Repressive power - power that is used to force someone to do something they don't want to do, whether by force or litigation.
2. Normalizing power - power that is used to get people to think it is part of their personality to behave the way hey are told to.

Explanation

The culture you are born into is not objective, naïve or innocent. It was made by those we are currently in power, those who form the status quo, to keep the situation as is. Simply by being born into this culture, you might act in a way that reinforces and maintain this culture, even if you are not the one who benefits from it Herd Mentality. Its not necessarily those who are in positions of power like a prime minister or a judge that really hold the power within a society, but rather those who have the power to shape the mentality, identity, and preferences of the members of the society, such as the media.

One of the ways they shape society's perception about a given topic is by using narratives and even change the very definition or context of a word to hijack our thoughts Word meaning varies with history and social context.

Why it matters

This distinction matters because normalizing power hides its own coercion — when you internalize the norm as part of who you are, you experience your compliance as free choice rather than control Consent to the social contract is coerced, not chosen. That's what makes it harder to resist than a law or a punishment: there's no external force to push back against, only a version of yourself that already agrees.

Examples

For example, an influencer that uses the word "slay" a lot in an attractive way can turn this word from a negative context to a positive ones, suddenly we can hear people say things like "this outfit is slay" which is meant as a compliment.

Supporters

Opposers

Open questions

Visual