Download Fassett Christopher Fassett Professor Cindy Chavez English 85 15

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Christopher Fassett
Professor Cindy Chavez
English 85
15 February 2015
Reading Log # 5
“Propaganda: How Not to Be Bamboozled” (pp.209-219)
Personal Comments: 7-10
Facts: 15-25
Personal Comments
People need to
question
What are the good
ones?
Commercials?
Uncritical? Meaning
not wise?
Makes sense
How do we know?
We get lied to
everyday
Facts
1.Propaganda is to persuade
2. It can be used for good or evil
3. -Toothpaste you use
4. - The movie you go see
5. - Magic
6. Works best with uncritical audience
7. People don’t realize when propaganda is being used
8. Bamboozled is to be tricked
9. “Conquest of the masses”
10. – Joseph G – Nazi – Soldier
11. Propaganda is around us everywhere
12. Distinguish between propaganda and reasonable argument
13. Be informed of this – its deceiving us
14.Informed with methods and purposes of propaganda
15. Shapes attitudes on subjects
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Student Reader Response #5
“Propaganda: How Not to Be Bamboozled” (pp.209-219)
1.) According to Cross propaganda is simply a means of persuasion and so it can be put to
work for good causes as well as bad. To persuade people to give to charity, for example
or to love their neighbors, or even to stop polluting the environment. Propaganda is used
all around us that most people don’t realize. It’s used in the toothpaste you use, the
movies you go see, and in magic tricks. It’s also greatly used in government to
manipulate the mines of their people. Propaganda is used by people in order to shape
your thoughts and views of a subject. They use techniques to make you believe what they
want you to believe.
2.) Cross believes it is necessary for people in the democratic society to become informed
about the methods and practices of society. Cross says, “If we continue to be a
government “by the people” let us become informed about the methods and purposes of
propaganda, so we can be the masters, not the slaves of our destiny.” It is necessary to
become informed so we don’t get bamboozled anymore. Propaganda works best with a
uncritical audiences because they are informed with propaganda. If we are uninformed
we just start believe people who are informed, and they make us believe things that they
want us to believe. They use lies without you evening know it. If we become informed
with methods of propaganda we can see when it’s being used and make a decision of our
own without someone trying to persuade you. It will allow us to make educated decisions
for ourselves. So this is why this is Cross’ advice with dealing with propaganda
3.) There is another approach to propaganda which is called a “red herring”. A “red herring”
will create a distraction that will make people forget or ignore the real issues. There are
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several kinds of “red herrings” that can be used to distract attention. People basically use
this to distract the audience away from the real problem at hand. Cross says, “Begging
the question occurs when, in discussing a questionable or debatable point, a person
assumes as already established the very point that he is trying to prove. For example, no
thinking citizen could approve such a completely unacceptable policy as this one.” This
means putting the fault of something else. In the glossary they give an example that says,
“If American autoworkers built a better product, foreign auto sales would be so high.”
4.) The most common propaganda trick, Cross says, is testimonial. Cross says, “The
testimonial device consists in having some loved or respected person give a statement of
support (testimonial) for a given product or idea. The problem is that the person being
quoted may not be an expert in the field; in fact, he may know nothing at all about it.
Using the name of a man who is skilled and famous in one field to give a testimonial for
something in another field is unfair and unreasonable.” I have seen testimonial
propaganda many times. The ones I remember the most are the commercials that have
athletes trying to promote a product like “Icy-Hot”. Another one I’ve seen are when
cereal boxes have athletes like Michael Jordon on them hoping kids would want that one
because Michael Jordan must eat it. This type of propaganda can be seen everywhere,
especially on TV commercials.
5.) Examples are ways of illustrating, developing, or clarifying an idea. I Cross uses
examples of propaganda form real life situations that have happened in the past. She
doesn’t make something up. They are examples that people can remember and relate to.
Most of her examples are from Senator Yakalot. This senator adds to Cross’ points. This
senator has shown propaganda in all forms that Cross is able to explain in her writing. I
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think her testimonial examples were weak at explaining exactly what it means. It was
hard for me to understand. But the bandwagon examples were easy for me to understand
because I have seen bandwagoning before.
6.) Analogy is a special form of comparison in which the writer explains something complex
or unfamiliar by comparing it to something familiar. When a subject is abstract, or when
readers may have trouble understanding it, analogy is useful. Cross says, “An analogy is
a comparison between two ideas, events, or things. But comparisons can be fairly made
only when the things being compared are alike in significant ways. When they are not,
false analogy is the result.” Cross using lemmings to explain bandwagoning. This is not a
false analogy because what the lemmings are doing is similar to what we do. They are
just two different situations. It seems the lemmings kill themselves because everyone else
does, and it seems we follow what other people do the same way.