PROPAGANDA
WILLIAMS
2012
WHAT IS
PROPAGANDA?
PROP-A-GAN-DA
NOUN:
1. Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used
to promote or publicize a particular cause or point of view
2. Information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help
or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.
Sound familiar?
You may be asking yourself, “What ISN’T propaganda??”
PROPAGANDA
Propaganda is..
• Influence
• Persuasion
• Appeal
• Manipulation
PROPAGANDA:
FRIEND OR FOE?
PROPAGANDA CAN BE
USED TO INSPIRE…
…AND TO DESTROY.
PROPAGANDA:
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Propaganda employs a variety of techniques in order to
persuade its audience to a desired view or position.
• NAME CALLING
• GLITTERING GENERALITIES
• TRANSFER
• TESTIMONIAL
• PLAIN FOLKS
• CARD STACKING
• BANDWAGON
• LOGICAL FALLACIES
PROPAGANDA:
NAME CALLING
• Uses derogatory
language or words that
carry a negative
connotation when
describing an enemy.
• Attempts to arouse
prejudice among the
public by labeling the
target something that
the public dislikes.
PROPAGANDA:
GLITTERING
GENERALITIES
• Uses words that have
different positive
meaning for individual
subjects, but are linked
to highly valued
concepts.
• Words often used as
glittering generalities
are honor, glory, love of
country, and freedom.
PROPAGANDA:
TRANSFER
•
•
•
An attempt to make the
subject view a certain
item in the same way as
they view another item.
Used to transfer negative
feelings for one object to
another.
In politics, this technique
is often used to transfer
blame or bad feelings
from one politician to
another or from one
group of people to
another.
PROPAGANDA:
TESTIMONIAL
• Quotations or
endorsements which
attempt to connect a
well-known or
respectable person with
a product or ideal with
the intent to better
“sell” the product or
ideal.
PROPAGANDA:
PLAIN FOLKS
•
•
An attempt to
convince the
public that his or
her views reflect
those of the
“common person”.
The candidate
tries to appear to
be working for the
benefit of the
“common person”.
PROPAGANDA:
CARD STACKING
• Only presents
information that is
positive to an idea or
proposal and omits
information contrary to
it.
• While the information
presented is true, other
important information
is purposely omitted.
PROPAGANDA:
BANDWAGON
• An appeal to the
subject to follow the
crowd.
• Tries to convince the
subject that one side is
the winning side and
that winning is
inevitable.
• Appeals to a person’s
desire to be on the
winning side.
PROPAGANDA:
LOGICAL FALLICIES
• An argument that
sounds as if it makes
sense but the premises
given for the conclusion
do not provide proper
support for the
argument.
PROPAGANDA:
COMMON TRAITS
Uses truths, half-truths, or lies
• Omits information selectively
• Simplifies complex issues or ideas
• Plays on emotions
• Advertises a cause
• Attacks opponents
• Targets desired audiences
WHAT DO YOU NOTICE?
U.S. Army; World War One
WHAT DO YOU NOTICE?
“One People, One Reich, One Fuhrer!”; Germany; World War Two
WHAT DO YOU NOTICE?
U.S.; World War Two
WHAT DO YOU NOTICE?
Britain; World War One
WHAT DO YOU NOTICE?
“Jews are lice. They cause typhus.”; Germany; 1941
PROPAGANDA:
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
• Seek out reliable sources for information;
• Watch for combinations of half-truths and lies;
• Check for hidden messages;
• Watch for use of propaganda common traits;
• Be weary of one sided arguments.
PROPAGANDA:
WHY WORRY?
"Goebbels [Reich Minister of Propaganda
1933-1945]
openly
admitted
that
propaganda had little to do with the truth.
'Historical truth may be discovered by a
professor of history. We, however, are
serving historical necessity. It is not the
task of art to be objectively true. The sole
aim of propaganda is success’.”
-Propaganda: The Art of Persuasion (Rhodes, 1976)