Propaganda
“By the skillful and sustained use of
propaganda, one can make a people see
even heaven as hell or an extremely
wretched life as paradise.”
Adolf Hitler
What is Propaganda?
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writing that sets out to persuade at all costs, abandoning
reason, fairness, and truth
information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to
help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation,
etc.
covert persuasion of large numbers of people
the basic defining goal of propaganda is that it seeks to
control what people believe
The History of
Propaganda
The term 'propaganda' first appeared in
1622 when Pope Gregory XV
established the Sacred Congregation for
Propagating the Faith.
Where Do We See It?
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The military - wars have always been a good reason for
governments wanting to persuade the people of the justness of
their cause, as well as to hide the horrors and failures at the
front line.
Education - when you control the education system, you can
instill values and beliefs from a very young age.
The media - when you control the media, you can control the
messages that are put in front of people day in and day out. If
all that people see is a consistent message, then they will
eventually come to believe it.
Hitler, the Master Propagandist
 In
1933, Hitler realized the potential
of propaganda and appointed Joseph
Goebbels as Minister for
Propaganda. Goebbels was
remarkably effective.
Techniques of Propaganda
Bandwagon
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Make it appear that many people have joined the cause
already, and that they are having lots of fun or getting
significant advantage.
Show that those who join early will get the better prizes, such
as positions of authority or other advantages.
Link it to morality and values, showing that those who join
sooner are more moral and pretty much better people all
around.
Bandwagon
Examples:
 an ad states that “everyone is rushing
down to their Ford dealer”
 McDonald’s tells us that billions
have been served
Bandwagon
Everyone listens
to the Fuhrer!
Testimonial
A
celebrity or expert who endorses a
product, candidate, or idea. Think about
all of the commercials with celebrities.
The celebrity may not always be
qualified to speak on the subject.
Plain Folks
 This
technique has a person or cause
being associated with regular people.
Candidates who are just like you –
they put their pants on one leg at a
time too.
More Plain Folks
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America’s recent presidents have all been
millionaires, but they have gone to great lengths
to present themselves as ordinary citizens
Bill Clinton eats at McDonalds
George W. Bush works on his Texas ranch
Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer before he
became president
Name
Calling
“The Jew: The inciter of
war, the prolonger of
war.”
Glittering Generalities
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Use of attractive, but vague words that make speeches and other
communications sound good, but in practice say nothing in particular.
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Use linguistic patterns such as alliteration, metaphor and reversals that turn
your words into poetry that flows and rhymes in hypnotic patterns.
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Use words that appeal to values, which often themselves are related to
triggering of powerful emotions.
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A common element of glittering generalities are intangible nouns that
embody ideals, such as dignity, freedom, fame, integrity, justice, love and
respect.
Glittering Generalities
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Advertisers will sometimes give an
incomplete comparison like “better tasting”.
Better tasting than what? Dirt? Spam?
 Cascade
claims that their detergent will
leave your dishes virtually spotless. In
other words, there will be some spots.
Examples of Glittering
Generalities
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with the greatest
pleasure that I welcome you to this most
auspicious of occasions. We are gathered here
on the brink of a challenge to which we must all
rise in concert, for not to do so would be to
accept despair, which I will never do and I know
you will never accept.
Transfer
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Also called “Association”
Associate with other people or groups that already
have high trust and credibility. Show that you aspire
to similar ideals.
Become a member of auspicious organizations
Name-drop and quote them.
Show that you have friends in high places. Show
how you are like them.
Transfer
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As I was saying to the President, it is so
important that we bring our forces together. He
agreed, of course, and we will be taking it
forward next week.
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Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce my
good friend Brad Pitt. Brad and I go way back,
and he’s kindly come here today to tell you what
I’m all about.
Stereotyping
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Cast those who you want to denigrate into an
unpopular stereotype. Talk about the stereotypes as
'them', downplaying their rights as humans. Describe
them as threatening, unworthy, disgusting and other
negative frames.
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Stereotyping can also be used to cast a group of
people as good, perfect and otherwise wonderful and
desirable.
Stereotyping
Card-Stacking
Card Stacking: The strategy of showing the
product’s best features, telling half-truths, and
omitting or lying about its potential problems;
 Use only facts that support your argument
 Information is manipulated to make a product
appear better; only the facts in favor of the
propagandist are used;
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Examples of Card-Stacking
a brand of snack food is loaded with sugar
(and calories), and the commercial may boast
that the product is low in fat, which implies
that it is also low in calories
 Someone endorses a certain weight-loss plan,
and says she lost a bunch of weight by
following that plan; what she doesn’t mention
is that she also exercised
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Card-Stacking
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Use only facts that support your argument
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Example: You accuse an incumbent of not voting for
an increase in social security payments. What you do
not tell the voters is that the incumbent wanted a
higher increase and that is why the incumbent voted
against the raise. You just identify the “no” vote, not
“why.”
Liar, Liar
The Ways We Lie
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White lies
Facades
Ignoring facts
Deflecting
Omission
Stereotypes and Clichés
Out and out lies
Dismissal