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Eight Faces of Propaganda. A video survey informed by propagandacritic.com. What is propaganda?. Propaganda, simply put, is persistent persuasive messaging. It includes: Ads ads ads . It resists: The give and take of argument: i.e., critical thinking. It does this by manipulating: - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Eight Faces of Propaganda
A video survey informed by propagandacritic.com
What is propaganda?
• Propaganda, simply put, is persistent persuasive messaging. It includes:– Ads ads ads.
• It resists:– The give and take of argument: i.e., critical thinking.
• It does this by manipulating: – Symbols– Emotions
Propaganda connotes malevolence, but it is a neutral tool.
Not necessarily good.
Not necessarily evil.
Types of Propaganda.Many types of propaganda, but we will focus on 8 key types identified by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis. The concepts in this PowerPoint come from propagandacritic.com. The example locations are indicated throughout.
Word Games– Name-calling– Glittering generalities– Euphemisms
False Connections– Transfer– Testimonial
Special Appeals– Plain folks– Bandwagon– Fear
Name calling.
• Definition: a device that “links a person, or idea to a negative symbol.”
• Effective how? The intended audience may reject the person or idea on the basis of the negative symbol.
• Examples: the words “hobo,” “queer,” “terrorist,” etc., have negative connotations added through the years.
Name calling antidotes: ask yourself…
• What does the name mean?• Does the idea in question have a legitimate
connection with the real meaning of the name?• Is an idea that serves my best interests being
dismissed through giving it a name I don't like?• Leaving the name out of consideration, what
are the merits of the idea itself?
Name calling example.
• “Boys Beware,” a 1950’s anti-gay propaganda film.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5VNe9NTOxA
Glittering generalities.
• Definition: a device that uses “virtue words” in association with the person or idea being promoted: e.g., “democracy,” “good,” “motherhood,” “fatherhood,” etc.
• Effective how? Audience supplies its own definitions for the “glittering” quality and applies it to the object of promotion, making it seem virtuous.
Glittering generalities antidote: ask yourself…
• What does the “virtue word” really mean?• Does the idea in question have a legitimate
connection with the real meaning of the word:• Is an idea that does not serve my best interests
being "sold" to me merely through its being given a name that I like?
• Leaving the “virtue word” out of consideration, what are the merits of the idea itself?
Glittering generalities example.
• “Army strong” commercial, 2009.• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq-ZVIZJaI
8&feature=related
Euphemisms.
• Definition: a device that attempts to make a potentially unpleasant reality more palatable.
• Effective how? Audience is shielded from factual perception of the person or idea for which euphemism is being employed.
• Example: “collateral damage” is the term the military uses for civilian casualties – civilians who are killed in a war zone.
Euphemism example.
• “High Fructose Corn Syrup” ad, 2008.• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbRxTOy
Gf0
Transfer.
• Definition: a device by which the authority or prestige of something we respect is carried over to the person or idea being promoted. Symbols are used heavily to achieve this: the cross, American flag, etc.
• Effective how? The symbols deployed act as a sort of short-hand.
• Example: “doctors” in white lab coats to suggest that a cold medicine is effective.
Transfer antidotes: ask yourself…
• In the most simple and concrete terms, what is the proposal of the speaker?
• What is the meaning of the thing from which the propagandist is seeking to transfer authority, sanction, and prestige?
• Is there any legitimate connection between the proposal of the propagandist and the revered thing, person or institution?
• Leaving the propagandistic trick out of the picture, what are the merits of the proposal viewed alone?
Transfer example.
• “Volkswagen Commercial: the Force,” 2011.• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQ
na0• “Firework,” Katy Perry, 2011.• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBd
aqIw
Testimonial.
• Definition: a device that uses an outside source (like a celebrity) to confer legitimacy for a person, product or idea.
• Effective how: audience is manipulated by the appeal to an illegitimate authority.
• Example: Oprah Winfrey supported Barak Obama for his presidential campaign, but for what reason should we believe she knows what is best for the country?
Testimonial antidotes: ask yourself…
• Who or what is quoted in the testimonial?• Why should we regard this person (or
organization or publication) as having expert knowledge or trustworthy information on the subject in question?
• What does the idea amount to on its own merits, without the benefit of the Testimonial?
Testimonial example.
• “The Official Justin Bieber Proactiv Commercial,” 2010.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyET522rKMA
Plain folks.• Definition: a device that uses “ordinary people” to offer
testimony on behalf of a person, idea or thing.• Effective how? The device helps to convince audience that the
object of promotion is “of the people.” • Example: “America's recent presidents have all been
millionaires, but they have gone to great lengths to present themselves as ordinary citizens. Bill Clinton ate at McDonald's and confessed a fondness for trashy spy novels. George Bush Sr. hated broccoli, and loved to fish. Ronald Reagan was often photographed chopping wood, and Jimmy Carter presented himself as a humble peanut farmer from Georgia.”
Plain folks antidotes.
• What are the propagandist's ideas worth when divorced from his or her personality?
• What could he or she be trying to cover up with the plain-folks approach?
• What are the facts?
Plain folks example.
• “Yes on Proposition 8 Commercial,” 2009.• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4nqtDrJI
7A
Bandwagon.
• Definition: a device that suggests “everyone else is doing it, and so should you.”
• Effective how? People adore a crowd and do not want to be left out of groups.
• Example: “Big Bang Hite Beer,” 2009.
Bandwagon antidotes.
• What is this propagandist's program?• What is the evidence for and against the
program?• Regardless of the fact that others are
supporting this program, should I support it?• Does the program serve or undermine my
individual and collective interests?
Bandwagon example.
• “Prop 8, the Musical,” 2009. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_hyT7_B
x9o&feature=related
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