Propaganda

English II

Propaganda

• Propaganda:– A type of persuasive monologue or one-sided

messaged intended to coerce others to agree with an idea or take a particular action.

– What does this mean:• Basically propaganda is used to convince the

general public to agree with someone or something or to do something.

Propaganda

• Two types of propaganda:– Good propaganda

• Encourages people to do something positive– Raising money to support a charity– Staying in school– Say no to drugs

– Bad propaganda• Attempts to convince people to do something that

might be harmful to themselves, their beliefs, or their financial situation

– Spending money on products you don’t really need

Propaganda

• Why is this important?– As a young adult, you are the most targeted

group for “bad” propaganda.– Groups and companies want to take

advantage of your insecurities (and especially your money) to make you act a certain way.

• Here are some propaganda techniques that you should recognize…FYI: they will be on the OGT!

Testimonials

• Testimonials:– A common technique where famous people

endorse products although they are not qualified as experts.

• This is the “Got Milk” of propaganda techniques

Testimonials

• Michael Jordan endorsed Hanes underwear for many years…– Michael Jordan was a

great basketball player, but is he an underwear expert?

– So why would he be used to endorse this product?

Testimonials

• “Got Milk” advertisements are another perfect example of advertisements that use celebrity testimonials.

• Think about it…what do the Olsen Twins or Misha Barton know about milk? – Are they dairy farmers?– Are they nutrition experts?

• NO!

Appeal to Emotion (Emotional Words)

• Appeal to emotion is used to create a strong reaction in readers or viewers of advertisements and speeches (YOU!)– These advertisements often use words with

strong connotations and visuals that appeal to sympathy to get you to buy or to do something.

• This is the “Tammy Faye” of propaganda techniques.

Appeal to Emotion

• Have you ever seen those late-night advertisements for the Christian Children’s Fund?

• These advertisements employ an appeal to emotion.– For just seventy-five cents

a day you can feed a starving child.

– If you don’t do it, who will?

Appeal to Emotion

• Politicians often use appeals to emotion in their speeches.– This helps politicians get

elected and push laws and issues through.

• Other charities and non-profit organizations use appeals to emotion in their advertisements.– By using appeals to

emotion, charities are “tugging at your heart strings”, making it much easier to ask for donations.

Bait and Switch

• To define bait and switch we need to look at the typical set-up of a bait and switch tactic:– A seller advertises a product for a ridiculously low

price (the bait)– When the buyer comes in to purchase the product, it’s

been sold out.– The seller then pressures the buyer to purchase a

more expensive item.• This is the “Day After Thanksgiving Sale” type of

propaganda.– THIS FORM OF PROPAGANDA IS ILLEGAL UNDER

FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS!

Bait and Switch

• I know it is difficult to see, but if you look closely at the Comp USA advertisement, you will see that HP laptops are on sale for a very low price.– If you look at the fine print, you

will realize that less than 50 laptops are available.

• This would become a bait and switch tactic if when the buyer got to the store the HP laptops were sold out, and a salesperson pressured the buyer into purchasing a Dell laptop for a much higher price.

Bait and Switch

• Just because there are laws prohibiting bait and switch tactics doesn’t mean that companies still don’t use this method.– Your age group is the

most-targeted audience for this tactic since you have the most expendable income.

– Generic brands of some of the pictured items are often used to lure you in, but once you get there, bait and switch tactics are employed.

Bandwagon

• Bandwagon is a technique in which the reader is make to feel that a great movement is beginning. Readers are made to believe they will be idiots or outcasts if they do not join the movement.– This is often associated with In-Crowd Appeal:

a kind of flattery which encourages viewers to identify with an admired, envied group.

• This is the “Debunkify Myths” form of propaganda.

Bandwagon/In-Crowd Appeal• We discussed good propaganda and

bad propaganda at the beginning of this slide show. Although the Debunkify tour is a good form of propaganda, it incorporates bandwagon techniques.

• The advertisement to the right says, “Only 1 out of 5 people smoke…So much for everyone smokes”. The poster shows four attractive women and a person dressed as Death.– This campaign/advertisement

attempts to gain the support of teens to stop the teen smoking epidemic.

– The Debunkify campaign wants to make teens who smoke feel like outsiders…they want these teens to feel like they’ve missed missed out, and they aren’t cool because the smoke.

Bandwagon/In-Crowd Appeal• Although only two people are

shown, the Hollister advertisement uses in-crowd appeal. – These two beautiful people

are wearing Hollister clothes; don’t you want to be beautiful like these two?

• Soda commercials use in-crowd appeal too. – Don’t you want to be as happy

as this beautiful woman; you can infer that her friend is very happy too.

• D.A.R.E. uses bandwagon techniques to get students involved.

Glittering Generalities

• Glittering generalities are descriptions that sound great, but they are praises that you cannot prove.– Glittering generalities are used to describe

products, issues, and political candidates. • This is the “GI Joe” form of propaganda.

Glittering Generalities

• GI Joe is not a real person, but the GI Joe jingle contains excellent examples of glittering generalities.– GI Joe is the “Real

American Hero”, but what does that really mean?

• What is an “American Hero”

• What makes GI Joe more real than Spiderman or Superman?

Glittering Generalities