Propaganda

What is it and why should you care?

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What is it?

• Propaganda is information that is passed around or advertised to get people to think favorably about someone, something, an idea, or a cause
• Everyone uses propaganda
• Companies, politicians, governments, and even your parents and friends
• What are some examples?

Is this an example?

Is this?

Uses of Propaganda

• Propaganda is used for many things
• Educating people about dangers
• Teach people about new laws
• Sell people things (commercials)
• Get people to vote for someone
• Influence people’s thoughts about a government policy or another country
• Propaganda has many good uses, but it has also been used to a tool to control entire populations

Propaganda as a tool

• Governments use propaganda to control influence the way their people think
• This can be done in many ways like:
• Scaring people
• Lying about something or changing the truth
• Make one evil look better than another
• Promoting faith in the leader/gov’t
• The goal is to manipulate the information people get and change the way they think
• When propaganda is the only information people can get, it is very bad

Fear

Lying and Blurring the Truth

Promoting faith

Propaganda techniques

• There are 11 different ways propaganda uses to deliver its message and change your thinking
• You should learn to recognize these so you are not easily manipulated

• Assertion
• Card stacking
• Glittering generalities
• Bandwagon
• Name calling

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• Indentifying the enemy
• Simplification
• Plain folks
• Transfer
• Testimonials

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Assertion

• An enthusiastic, energetic statement that something is true, even though it is not or may not be. There is usually no proof it is true.

Bandwagon

• Asks you to follow the crowd, or do something because everyone else is. Implies that that side is the winning side and you should be a winner too.

Cardstacking

• Only giving information that supports the cause and leaving out information that looks bad.
• Only presenting one side of an issue.

Glittering Generalities

• Glittering generalities are words that have different positive meaning for individual subjects, but are linked to highly valued concepts.
• Words like change, glory, unity, liberty, freedom, love of country, and democracy
• Common in political propaganda

Lesser of two evils

• Tries to convince you that something is less “bad” than something else, so it is good
• Used a lot to get people to sacrifice, like during war

Name Calling

• Using a mean or offensive words to describe an enemy. It is meant to get you to hate or distrust a group of people.
• Used mostly during wartime and in politics

Simplification

• Makes a complex problem or issue into a simple choice between good and evil.
• Used a lot to influence uneducated people

Plain Folks

• Plain folks means ordinary people. It tries to convince you that the person giving the propaganda is an ordinary, everyday person, and that plain folks know best. This is to make you feel comfortable, trusting, and like you have something in common.

Transfer

• Tries to get you to look at one the same you see another, connect them in your mind
• Usually used to transfer negative feelings, but can be used in the same way for positive feelings

Testimonials

• Quotations or endorsements by famous people to connect them to what is being advertised
• Can also be people talking about their experience with something

Pinpointing the enemy

• Tries to simplify things by presenting one group as the enemy.
• Complex problems are reduced to good guys vs. bad guys
• Similar to simplification

Propaganda is everywhere

• We get bombarded by propaganda constantly everyday
• Commercials on TV, radio, Internet, and in magazines and newspapers
• School lessons and textbooks
• Parents and family
• Friends
• Propaganda can be good or bad.

What can you do?

• Get smart, learn the facts, and don’t be tricked
• Stay current on what is happening around you
• Speak up when you hear or see propaganda that is a lie, hurts others, or is bad for your community