UnderstandingPropaganda

Finding the motives in messages

We See It Every Day…

We Hear It Every Day…

•Global Warming : One and Two

–Between the two websites, do you notice any differences in what is being said about global warming?

We Watch It Every Day…

• Mike Huckabee Presidential Ad– What message do you think Huckabee tried to spread using Chuck

Norris’ endorsement?– Do you think the ad would have caught your attention without Chuck

Norris?

• Duck and Cover– What do you notice about the tone of this commercial? Do you think it

misrepresents the danger of the atomic bomb?– What reasons might there have been for making this and other similar

commercials so cheerful?

― Obama Texas Campaign Ad― Clinton Texas Campaign Ad

So What Is Propaganda, Exactly?

Propaganda is defined as information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a

person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

It relies on biases, assumptions, emotions, and values to persuade an audience to accept a certain position.

Two Main Strategies

Logical Appeal – the strategic use of logic, claims, and evidence to convince an audience of a certain point. This can involve facts, figures, and any other kind of convincing data.

Emotional Appeal - targets a person’s emotions to create some kind of connection with the writer, speaker, etc. Since humans are in many ways emotional creatures, this can be a very powerful strategy.

Simply put, propaganda is a message with an agenda.

What messages do these images suggest?

While the word “propaganda” was not widely used until the early 20th century, the concept of manipulating the minds of men and women for specific purposes has been around for much longer.

Using art, theater, and monuments, as well as the written and spoken word, civilizations as old as the Egyptians and Greeks were able to promote power, religion, and ways of thinking.

In History

Hatshepsut, one of the female pharaohs of Egypt, famously built a large temple dedicated to a new god called Amun.

This early propaganda was used to promote the new god’s importance and give the Egyptians an impression that Hatshepsut had power and authority even though she was a woman.

The Holy of The Holies Temple ⃗<

In Government

When you think of the word “government”, what comes to mind?

Probably ideas such as power, laws, voting, and public policy. All pretty important stuff, right?

With that in mind, it can be intimidating to realize that in the hands of the government, propaganda can be a powerful tool for swaying the masses (a.k.a. us!). The kind of propaganda used, however, and its effectiveness usually depend on the type of society.

Open vs. Closed Societies

Open societies are based on political freedoms and human rights. Political leaders can be replaced without bloodshed, individuals can have considerable influence, and knowledge is shared…well, openly. The public has the freedom to examine all information available and come to their own conclusions.

Closed societies, on the other hand, are usually created in the form of collectives. The welfare of the group comes before the welfare of the individual, and the government is generally authoritarian, oppressive, and controlling. Overall, information is not shared as freely.

Based on these definitions, what are some examples of open and closed societies that you know of?

So when it comes to propaganda, what advantage do you think open societies

have over closed societies?

Hint: Imagine you’re watching T.V. one afternoon when someone comes on and claims the

world is flat. Since data gathered by generations of scientists and astronomers has been shared with us, proving the world to be anything but flat, you would probably find his claims ridiculous.

But…what if scientists and navigators were prohibited from sharing information with us about the shape of the earth?

What if there was public speculation, but most people never knew for sure?

In this case, if the speaker on T.V. used strong appeals, you might actually be inclined to believe him.

In the famous George Orwell novel 1984, a fictional closed-society government known as Big Brother used constant surveillance, fear, and oppression to control the people.

“Ignorance is StrengthFreedom is Slavery

War is Peace”

What makes these slogans so dangerous and powerful?

How could anyone believe them?

In The Movies

Movies are often used as a medium to express opinions on current political issues.

In the movie V for Vendetta (2005), the masked character V uses his own counter-propaganda to fight government propaganda he does not believe in.

Do you think the directors of this film may have meant for the film itself to be a kind of propaganda?

In Advertising

Advertising is sometimes seen as propaganda for commercial products (returning to our earlier definition, you can tweak it to say “information and ideas being spread widely to help sales of a item or service”).

Do you find the appeals used in the following advertisements effective? Are they likely to increase sales?

Butterscotch Furreal PonyNike PlusMasterCard

Throughout the years, some of the most creative and deceptive propaganda techniques have been used in times of war.

As you read the next few slides, imagine that you are one of the French soldiers or the American listening to his radio. Keep in mind the following questions:

• Do you think would these broadcasts would have affected you?

• What kind of appeals do the messages use? (Logical, emotional, or both?)

In War

It is the spring of 1940, in the early days of World War II.

Allied armies face the German columns, but there is little action at the front, and a group of French soldiers find time to gather around and listen to an enemy broadcast.

Story #1

“Where are the English?” asks the radio voice in French. The soldiers glance at each other uneasily. “I’ll tell you where your English comrades are,” continues the voice. “They lounge about Paris and fill the night clubs. Have you seen a Tommy in the Maginot Line? Of course not. French soldiers, you will find the Tommies behind the lines—with your wives.”

This was a German propaganda strategy of division, intended to increase suspicion and doubt about the loyalty of French allies.

It is the autumn of 1941. The United States is still neutral, but an American Army is in training and the Navy is being strengthened.

Meanwhile, an American sitting at home tinkering with his short-wave set picks up an English-language broadcast beamed to North America from Germany. Nervous about the war raging in Europe, his sits back and listens to what the voice has to say.

Story #2

“The German government and the German people have only the friendliest of feelings for the United States, the home of so many American citizens of German descent.” The words of the radio speaker are sugary sweet. “Let it be said for once and all,” the broadcaster continues, “that a German victory in this war is no threat to English democracy—and certainly not to American democracy.”

This was a strategy of attempting to reassure our country with a declaration of the “peaceful intentions” of the Nazi war machine.

We often forget that propaganda can also spread information and ideas for the general public good.

• “The Truth” Videos• Foundation for a Better Life “Hope” Commercial

On The Flip Side…

So What’s The Big Deal?

Remember that propaganda is something to always be aware of.

There are motives behind messages we receive every day, and it’s important to learn to recognize them…

…because after all, it is up to YOU to watch and listen carefully and then decide what is worth believing.

Slide 2: Images: http://images.cafepress.com/image/5661562_400x400.jpghttp://www.usarc.army.mil/chaplain/graphics/goarmypatch.jpghttp://www.queenstribune.com/guides/2006_CountdownToTheHolidays/images/page-24-26-4weeks5.jpghttp://www.allfreelancework.com/files/68230/corona-beach-ill-n-copy.jpg?PHPSESSID=e559bc422f4bb4b7e9eba1832ed9e7fd

http://www.buttonsonline.com/2008/barack_bumpersticker2.jpg

Slide 4: Image: http://jj.isgeek.net/2006/04/10/todos-queremos-ser-como-chuck-norris Slide 6: http://www.uwc.ucf.edu/Writing%20Resources/Handouts/appeals.htm

Slide 7: Images: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/21/Is_this_tomorrow.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Britannialion.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Klan-sheet-music.jpg

Slide 8: Image: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0114236/Hatshepsut.htm

Slide 13: Image: http://www.patrickjlamb.com/The_20world_20is_20flat_2D784503.jpg

Slide 15: Image: http://www.eedin.com/Uploads/tcarter/1984_themovie.PNG

Slide 16: Image: http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/warner_brothers/v_for_vendetta/hugo_weaving/vendetta2.jpg

Slide 19: Image: http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-C-Opening/img/USMC-C-Opening-27.gif

Slide 19-22: http://www.historians.org/projects/GIRoundtable/Propaganda/Propaganda_Intro.htm

Slide 23: Image: http://freealabama.com/images/lincoln%20billboard%201.jpg

Sources