Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Understanding Propaganda: Finding The Motives in Messages
Understanding Propaganda: Finding The Motives in Messages
Propaganda
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.
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.
Hatshepsut, one of the female pharaohs of Egypt, famously
built a large temple dedicated to a new god called Amun.
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.
“Ignorance is Strength
Freedom is Slavery
War is Peace”
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:
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.
“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.”