Of course, television is most dangerous not when it suppresses our own identities, but when it distorts the identities of those who purportedly represent us:
In this age of television, it matters less what people do than what they look like. Therefore, the function of the President’s men is not just to make his policies seem like their mistakes, but also to make the President himself look better by contrast with themselves. If Machiavelli were to update his directive in accordance with the current practice, he would say: “A president should surround himself with ugly people doing ugly jobs, in order to seem that much more attractive himself by doing no job at all.” Miller, Boxed In (83)
He’s talking about Reagan here, but I’ll forgive you for thinking it was more current than that. It’s interesting to think of Machiavelli as the first brand expert; his guidance is all about making you appear as something you are not, which is often (and unfortunately) what branding is about.
