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(Handout 3.1) Propaganda! What is Propaganda!? Propaganda is a type of message aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of people. Instead of impartially providing information, propaganda is often deliberately misleading, using logical fallacies, which, while sometimes convincing, are not necessarily valid. (www.duggmirror.com) **Question: Do you think that our current government participates in the creating of Propaganda? How about music and movies? Can you give any examples?** ***Can you think of any examples of messages aimed at influencing opinions or behavior of the people in 1984? American Propaganda! in WWII When it was suggested that World War II was approaching, Americans did not want to go to war. However, the government recognized that American participation was necessary, and quickly stepped up pro-war propaganda. This was not extremely successful until after Pearl Harbor, when the war no longer seemed comfortably distant but very close to home. At this point, it was necessary for the American propagandists to continue to convince the public that war was close at hand. As the war began in earnest, America increased the flood of propaganda, utilizing especially the radio and visual media, most specifically posters. **Question: Can we think of any current kinds of visual media propaganda? When do you think the most current wave of propaganda started?** Posters such as this one which implies that a man is dying because of “careless talk” were also very common. They implied that enemy spies were everywhere and that, in the words of a similar poster, "loose lips can sink ships." Although spies were no great threat to America during World War II, it was said that even small amounts of information would help the Germans. These posters and others like it also served to bring home the reality of war to many of the citizens of America. When viewers realized that there was a danger of spies around them and that people were actually dying, they began to realize that actual warfare was going on in the world around them and that America was at threat. **Question: Are the American people currently dealing with a war crisis that “is closer to home than we think?” What happens when soldiers die in Iraq? What kinds of images do we see in the news coverage?** *How is war portrayed in 1984? How does the government get people to get “on board” with the war? This poster which urges viewers to conserve gasoline by joining a car-sharing club, also belonged to a common type of wartime poster. Since materials and supplies for the war effort were scarce, conservation was encouraged by propaganda. This poster is a fairly typical example of this type, with the common suggestion that waste will aid the enemy. Hitler is often mentioned by name instead of referring to the Nazis or the Reich, because propaganda tended to personify the evil of the Nazis in Hitler. The American is shown to be unaware that he is aiding the enemy, which implies that those who drive alone are also uninformed. The poster claims to correct that by urging the average viewer to quickly join a car-sharing club to conserve gasoline. This poster informs women that fighting for their country will not only help the country and the war effort but would also help gain more rights for women. This was part of an ongoing campaign to get more women involved in the armed forces and in wartime production industries. As the war continued, more and more military personnel and laborers were necessary, and it was suggested to women to volunteer for these jobs in order to advance the cause of feminism. They were encouraged by the idea that by aiding their country, they would also be aiding themselves, although no substantial guarantee is made. **Question: Why are women and children found in so much of the visual propaganda?** Pictures and text found at: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/ww2/american/amerprop.htm "The U.S. news media covered the war in Iraq the same way they cover the Olympics—with red, white, and blue trappings, human interest stories, bombastic theme music, and an almost total focus on American accomplishments at the expense of any international context. Around the clock coverage gave the illusion of telling and showing everything and made us forget how little we actually knew." http://www.classroomtools.com/propworks.htm (Handout 3.2) Types of Propaganda! BANDWAGON: The basic idea behind the bandwagon approach is just that, "getting on the bandwagon." The propagandist puts forth the idea that everyone is doing this, or everyone supports this person/cause, so should you. The bandwagon approach appeals to the conformist in all of us: No one wants to be left out of what is perceived to be a popular trend. EXAMPLE? TESTIMONIAL: This is the celebrity endorsement of a philosophy, movement or candidate. In advertising, for example, athletes are often paid millions of dollars to promote sports shoes, equipment and fast food. In political circles, movie stars, television stars, rock stars and athletes lend a great deal of credibility and power to a political cause or candidate. Just a photograph of a movie star at political rally can generate more interest in that issue/candidate or cause thousands, sometimes millions, of people to become supporters. Example? PLAIN FOLKS: Here the candidate or cause is identified with common people from everyday walks of life. The idea is to make the candidate/cause come off as grassroots and all-American. TRANSFER: Transfer employs the use of symbols, quotes or the images of famous people to convey a message not necessarily associated with them. In the use of transfer, the candidate/speaker attempts to persuade us through the indirect use of something we respect, such as a patriotic or religious image, to promote his/her ideas. Religious and patriotic images may be the most commonly used in this propaganda technique but they are not alone. Sometimes even science becomes the means to transfer the message. FEAR: This technique is very popular among political parties and PACs (Political Action Committees) in the U.S. The idea is to present a dreaded circumstance and usually follow it up with the kind of behavior needed to avoid that horrible event. LOGICAL FALLACIES: Applying logic, one can usually draw a conclusion from one or more established premises. In the type of propaganda known as the logical fallacy, however, the premises may be accurate but the conclusion is not. example: Premise 1: Bill Clinton supports gun control. Premise 2: Communist regimes have always supported gun control. Conclusion: Bill Clinton is a communist. GLITTERING GENERALITIES: This approach is closely related to what is happening in TRANSFER (see above). Here, a generally accepted virtue is usually employed to stir up favorable emotions. The problem is that these words mean different things to different people and are often manipulated for the propagandists' use. The important thing to remember is that in this technique the propagandist uses these words in a positive sense. They often include words like: democracy, family values (when used positively), rights, civilization, even the word "American." NAME-CALLING: This is the opposite of the GLITTERING GENERALITIES approach. Name-calling ties a person or cause to a largely perceived negative image. http://turnerlearning.com/cnn/coldwar/cw_prop2.html