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Propaganda
What is propaganda?
The goal of propaganda is to spread ideas that
further a cause: political, commercial, religious
or civil.
It is used to manipulate the readers' or viewers'
reason and emotion; to persuade you to believe
in something or someone, buy an item or vote a
certain way
Propaganda
There are some common techniques that we see
in forms of propaganda...
Name Calling
Consists of attaching a negative label to a person
or a thing. People often do this when trying to
avoid supporting their own opinion with facts.
Rather than explain what they believe in, they
may try to tear their opponent down.
Think of an example.
Name Calling
Examples: Calling all Middle Eastern people
terrorists. There is no evidence to support this
and is just giving a group a bad name.
Rooting against a sports team instead of cheering
for your own.
Name Calling
Name Calling
Glittering Generalities
Uses “glad” positive sounding words that have little
or no real meaning. These words are used in general
statements that cannot be proved or disproved.
"We believe in, fight for, live by virtue words
about which we have deep-set ideas. Such words
include civilization, Christianity, good, proper,
right, democracy, patriotism, motherhood,
fatherhood, science, medicine, health, and love.”
Each may mean something different to a different
person—who automatically assumes it means the
same thing for everyone else.
Glittering Generalities
The Institute for Propaganda Analysis suggests that
you ask yourself what a particular word really
means and leave that word out of the advertisement
or persuasion and then think about how you feel.
Glittering Generalities
Examples: “Pure, fresh, mountain spring water.
Bottled especially for you in Utah from only our
purest mountain springs.”
...How do you know these springs are the purest?
What makes Utah water better than any other
state?
Glittering Generalities
Transfer
An attempt is made to transfer the prestige of a
positive symbol to a person or an idea.
Transfer
Example: Using an American flag as a backdrop for
a political event makes it look like the event is
patriotic and in the best interest of the US.
A commercial for a medicine may show a person in
a lab coat, to make them look more scientific and
reliable.
Has to do with SYMBOLS most of the time.
Transfer
False Analogy
In this technique, two things that may or may not
really be similar are portrayed as being similar. You
must ask yourself if the two are truly similar. There
is usually not enough evidence to support a
comparison.
False Analogy
Examples: Most extremists follow Islam. Therefore,
Islam is religion that propagates extremism.
You would be the perfect candidate for the job but
you are a former felon, and according to records
almost 80% of all former felons relapse to their old
ways.
False Analogy
Plain Folks
The “plain folks” approach convinces us by
depicting ordinary looking people doing ordinary
activities.
The propaganda institute suggests when a politician
does this, to separate their personality from their
views and facts.
Plain Folks
Example: The president wearing jeans and being at
a baseball game makes him look like a “normal”
person.
Infomercials show average looking people using
their product and “if they can do it, so can you.”
Plain Folks
Testimonial
When “big name” personalities are used to endorse
a product.
You might ask yourself what the celebrity actually
knows about the product.
Testimonial
When “big name” personalities are used to endorse
a product.
You might ask yourself what the celebrity actually
knows about the product.
Testimonial
Card Stacking
This term comes from stacking a deck of cards in
your favor. Card stacking is used to slant a message.
Key words or unfavorable statistics may be omitted
in an ad, leaving “half truths.” Sometimes called
selective omission.
How to avoid this? Find more information before
making a decision.
Card Stacking
Example: A food may be low in sugar, but they don't
tell you that it is high in fat.
A politician advertises the positive things they have
done and omit the mistakes.
Bandwagon
This approach encourages you to think that because
everyone else is doing something, you should do it
too, or you'll be left out.
“Keeping up with the Joneses”
Bandwagon
Examples: In sports, when people start rooting for a
popular, winning team, others might say they
jumped on the bandwagon.
If everybody you know is upgrading to a 50” flat
screen TV, you want one too.
Bandwagon
Propaganda techniques be used in good ways
sometimes.
Either/or fallacy
Also called “black and white” thinking because only
two choices are given. You are either for or against
something with no middle ground. It is used to
polarize issues and give no gray area.
Either/or fallacy
Example: A politician might say you're either For
America or Against America, even if you don't
agree on everything the country does.
Either/or fallacy
Faulty Cause & Effect
Suggests that because B follows A, A must cause B.
Just because 2 sets of events are related, does not
mean they caused each other.
Faulty Cause & Effect
Example: Since Obama has been in office, global
warming seems to have gotten worse.