The Psychological Technique of Martin Luther Thomas' Radio Addresses

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by Theodor Adorno

Stanford University Press

Due/Published August 2000, 144 pages, paper

ISBN 0804740038

This volume reveals another aspect of Adorno's work, an analysis of the psychological underpinnings of what we now call the Radical Right and its use of the media to propagate its political and religious agenda.

The now-forgotten Martin Luther Thomas was an American fascist-style demagogue of the Christian right on the radio in the 1930s. During these years, Adorno was living in the United States and working with Paul Lazarsfeld on the social significance of radio. This book, Adorno's analysis of Thomas's rhetorical appeal and manipulative techniques, was written in English and is one of Adorno's most accessible works. It consists of four parts: "The Personal Element: Self-Characterization of the Agitator," "Thomas¹ Methods," "The Religious Medium," and "Ideological Bait." The importance of the study is manifold: it includes a theory of fascism and anti-semitism, it provides a methodology for the cultural study of popular culture, and it offers broad reflections on comparative political life in America and Europe.

Implicit in the book is an innovative idea about the relation between psychological and sociological reality. Moreover, the study is germane to the contemporary reality of political and religious radio in the United States because it provides an analysis of rhetorical techniques that exploit potentials of psychological regression for authoritarian aims.

Review

This relatively obscure Adorno work is not only a fascinating addition to our understanding of his political thought and impressions of America but also speaks volumes to contemporary discussion of politics and media manipulation. Adorno’s analysis centers around the now-forgotten figure, Martin Luther Thomas, a demagogue of the 1930s Christian Right who skillfully used the radio to promote his ideas. Borrowing from the propaganda techniques of the Nazis, Thomas fashioned a message aimed towards the religious lower middle-class, stirring up fear and suspicion (Jews and Communists in particular) among his listeners. Adorno dissects Thomas’s carefully constructed personality, use of confession, creation of enemies, intense emotionalism, and appeal to the sense of alienation and emptiness felt by many of his followers. Adorno also examines the immense appeal of demagoguery and fascism in modern industrial society, exposing their failings and effect on the individual’s sense of identity and community. The differences between Hitler’s and Thomas’s techniques and messages are also discussed as well as the latter’s use of the idea of democracy to achieve undemocratic goals. This is one of Adorno’s more accessible works and its discussion of political rhetoric and psychological regression strikes a chord with contemporary concerns.

Table of Contents:
1. The Personal Element: Self-Characterization of the Agitator
2. Thomas’ Method
3. The Religious Medium
4. Ideological Bait