“There is a difference--a big difference--between education and propaganda. Education shows you how to think. Propaganda tells you what to think. Good educators present all sides of an issue and encourage discussion. Propagandists relentlessly force you to hear their view and discourage discussion. Often their real motives are not apparent. They sift the facts, exploiting the useful ones and concealing the others. They also distort and twist facts, specializing in lies and half-truths. Your emotions, not your logical thinking abilities, are their target.
The propagandist makes sure that his message appears to be the right and moral one and that it gives you a sense of importance and belonging if you follow it.”
“Awake!" June 22, 2000. Page 9
A history of propaganda
Today the word “propaganda” has a negative connotation, suggesting dishonest tactics, but originally that was not the meaning intended for the term. “Propaganda” apparently comes from the Latin name of a group of Roman Catholic cardinals, the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide (Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith). This committee-called Propaganda for short-was established by Pope Gregory XV in 1622 to supervise missionaries. Gradually, “propaganda” came to mean any effort to spread a belief.
But, the concept of propaganda was not born in the 17th century. From ancient times, men have used every available medium to spread ideologies or enhance fame and power.
The term “propaganda” took on a generally negative connotation in World War I when governments began playing an active role in shaping the war information spread by the media. During World War II, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels proved themselves to be master propagandists. Following World War II, propaganda increasingly became a major instrument to promote national policy. Both the Western and the Eastern blocs waged all-out campaigns to win the great masses of committed people to their side. Every aspect of national life and policy was exploited for propagandistic purposes. In recent years the growing sophistication of propaganda techniques has been evident in election campaigns, as well as in advertising (of products).
How does propaganda work?
“As means of communicating have expanded, from printing to the telephone, radio, television and the Internet, the flow of persuasive messages has dramatically accelerated. This communications revolution has led to information overload, as people are inundated by countless messages from every quarter. Many respond to this pressure by absorbing messages more quickly and accepting them without questioning or analyzing them.
The cunning propagandist loves such shortcuts, especially those that short-circuit rational thought. Propaganda encourages this by agitating the emotions, by exploiting insecurities, by capitalizing on the ambiguity of language, and by bending rules of logic. As history bears out, such tactics can prove all too effective.
Lies
The handiest trick of the propagandist is the use of outright lies.
Making Generalizations
Another very successful tactic of propaganda is generalization. Generalizations tend to obscure important facts about the real issues in question, and they are frequently used to demean entire groups of people.
Name-Calling
Some people insult those who disagree with them by questioning character or motives instead of focusing on the facts. Name-calling slaps a negative, easy-to-remember label onto a person, a group, or an idea. The name-caller hopes that the label will stick. If people reject the person or the idea on the basis of the negative label instead of weighing the evidence for themselves, the name-caller’s strategy has worked. (Example: Describing former presidential candidate Kerry as a “flip-flopper”).
The Institute for Propaganda Analysis notes “bad names have played a tremendously powerful role in the history of the world and in our own individual development. They have ruined reputations,…sent (people) to prison cells, and made men mad enough to enter battle and slaughter their fellowmen.”
Playing on the Emotions
Even though feelings might be irrelevant when it comes to factual claims or the logic of an argument, they play a crucial role in persuasion. Emotional appeals are fabricated by practiced publicists, who play on feelings as skillfully as a virtuoso plays the piano.
For example, fear is an emotion that can becloud judgment. And as in the case of envy, fear can be played upon.
Hatred is a strong emotion exploited by propagandists. Loaded language is particularly effective in triggering it. There seems to be a nearly endless supply of nasty words that promote and exploit hatred toward particular racial, ethnic, religious (and political ) groups.
Some propagandists play on pride. Often we can spot appeals to pride by looking for such key phrases as: “Any intelligent person knows that…” or, “A person with your education can’t help but see that…” A reverse appeal to pride plays on fear of seeming stupid. Professionals in persuasion are well aware of that.
Slogans and Symbols
Slogans are vague statements that are typically used to express positions or goals. Because of their vagueness, they are easy to agree with.
For example, in times of national crisis or conflict, demagogues may use such slogans as “My country, right or wrong,” “Fatherland, Religion, Family,” or “Freedom or Death.” But do most people carefully analyze the real issues involved in the crisis or conflict? Or do they just accept what they are told?
In writing about World War I, Winston Churchill observed: “Only a signal is needed to transform these multitudes of peaceful peasants and workman into the mighty hosts which will tear each other to pieces.” He further observed that when told what to do, most people responded unthinkingly.
The propagandist also has a very wide range of symbols and signs with which to convey his message. (Such as a flag, an emblem, a particular image etc.)
So, the sly art of propaganda can paralyze thought, prevent clear thinking and discernment, and condition individuals to act en masse.”
Excerpts from Awake! June 22, 2000, “Do Not Be A Victim of Propaganda”, and “The Manipulation of Information”.
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