Propaganda

What is Propaganda?• Propaganda is:

– “the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.

– Ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause a public action having such an effect.” 

• Sometimes it is very obvious, or revealed propaganda. For example, news releases and coverage promoting space exploration as glamorous.

• Concealed propaganda is used to influence people without making the purpose behind the message obvious. For example, the same clothing manufacturer may pay movie stars or musicians to wear their garments in their everyday life. Thus, teens that look up to or idolize the stars will want to dress like them.

• Propaganda influences what we buy, what we believe, how we behave and how we make important decisions.

• How is this poster propaganda?

How Is this propaganda? What message is it sending?

How is this propaganda? What message is it sending?

Types of Propaganda

Take notes on your handout!!Or Hitler wins!!

(Using propaganda to make you take notes on propaganda)

Bandwagon • BANDWAGON: The basic idea behind

the bandwagon approach is just that, "getting on the bandwagon.”– What does it mean to “hop 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. – It’s human nature to want to fit in

• EXAMPLE: Everyone in Lemmingtown is behind Jim Duffie for Mayor. Shouldn't you be part of this winning team?

Bandwagon in animal farm • Boxer worked hard and repeated

the mottos “I will work harder” and “Napoleon is always right.” Because of Boxer’s optimistic approach to the laborious tasks, the other animals were interested in working hard too.

• When the pigs came forward to confess their “affiliation” with Snowball, the other animals came forward to admit their connection with Snowball as well.– Do you think Napoleon knew

this would happen?

How is this ad using the Bandwagon effect?

Testimonial • TESTIMONIAL: This is the celebrity

endorsement of a philosophy, movement or candidate. – In advertising, 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: "Sam Slugger", a baseball Hall of Famer who led the pros in hitting for years, appears in a television ad supporting Mike Politico for U.S. Senate.

Testimonial in animal farm

• After Napoleon gets rid of Snowball, Boxer tells the rest of the animals to work harder

• Squealer tells the rest of the animals that Snowball was on Mr. Jones’ side the whole time causing the animals to believe it.

How is this ad using Testimonial technique? (Ellen says, “That’s why I love Covergirl Foundation.”)

Plain Folks• 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.

• EXAMPLE: After a morning speech to wealthy Democratic donors, Bill Clinton stops by McDonald's for a burger, fries, and photo-op.

Plain Folks in Animal Farm

• Squealer tells the other animals that the pigs work just like everyone else, but it’s a different type of work. Squealer said that “this was of the highest importance for the welfare of the farm”.

How is this ad using Plain Folks technique?

Appeal to Fear• 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.

• EXAMPLE: The Citizens for Retired Rights present a magazine ad showing an elderly couple living in poverty because their social security benefits have been drastically cut by the Republicans in Congress. The solution? The CRR urges you to vote for Democrats.

Fear in Animal Farm• “He ordered the hens’ rations to be

stopped, and decreed that any animal giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death. ”-Napoleon

• “Throughout the spring and summer they worked a sixty hour week, and in August Napoleon announced that there would be work on Sunday afternoons as well. This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half.” (Chapter 6)

• -Napoleon • Napoleon goes everywhere with his

dogs. These intimidate the animals to not speak out because they are fearful of his menacing dogs.

How is this ad using Fear?

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDUoXp4cB_c&list=PL1D75C43FFB741865

Logical Fallacies • 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. • We can see in this example that the

Conclusion is created by a twisting of logic, and is therefore a fallacy.

EXAMPLE:• Cutting people is a crime• Surgeons cut people• Surgeons are criminals

Logical Fallacies in Animal Farm

•Premise 1: Snowball is

bad.

•Premise 2: Bad things are

happening on the farm.

•Conclusion: Snowball is

doing the bad things.

Transfer• Connects a product, a candidate, or

a cause with a positive OR negative image or idea.

• 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.

• Example: “There are a couple things America got right: cars and freedom.” = “If you buy a Challenger, you are a patriot.”

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyGlqb1s_n0

TRANSFER in Animal FarmNapoleon’s Poem:Friend of fatherless! Fountain of

happiness! Lord of the swill-bucket! Oh, how my soul is on Fire when I gaze at thy Calm and commanding eye, Like the sun in the sky, Comrade Napoleon!

Thou art the giver of All that thy creatures love, Full belly twice a day, clean straw to roll upon; Every beast great or small Sleeps at peace in his stall, Thou watchest over all, Comrade Napoleon!

Had I a sucking pig, Ere he had grown as big Even as a pint bottle or as a rolling pin, He should have learned to be Faithful and true to thee, Yes, his first squeal should be "Comrade Napoleon!"

How is this ad using transfer?

Glittering Generalities• 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."

• EXAMPLE: An ad by a cigarette manufacturer proclaims to smokers: Don't let them take your rights away! ("Rights" is a powerful word, something that stirs the emotions of many, but few on either side would agree on exactly what the 'rights' of smokers are.)

Glittering Generalities in Animal Farm

• “We pigs are brainworkers.” – Squealer

• “Napoleon is always right.” – Boxer

How is this ad using Glittering Generalities?

Name Calling• NAME-CALLING: This is the

opposite of the GLITTERING GENERALITIES approach. Name-calling ties a person or cause to a largely perceived negative image. EXAMPLE: In a campaign speech to a logging company, the Congressman referred to his environmentally conscious opponent as a "tree hugger."

Name Calling in Animal Farm

• “In sheer malignity, thinking to set back our plans and avenge himself for his ignominious expulsion, this traitor has crept here under cover of night and destroyed our work of nearly a year.” –Napoleon about Snowball

How is this Comic using Name Calling?

Card stacking• CARD STACKING: This

technique is used to show favoritism. Larger print, bigger or more attractive pictures, or a more attractive presentation of certain people or ideas are used to influence you.

• EXAMPLE: A newspaper might use a large picture of a smiling spokesperson for an organization that they favor, or a less attractive and smaller picture of a person speaking on behalf of a position they do not endorse.

How is this Ad using Card Stacking?

Loaded Language• LOADED LANGUAGE - Depending on

the agenda of the person providing the report, the same person, group, or event can be made to sound better or worse. An understanding of this technique enables us to see that some phrases that appear to be neutral descriptions can actually imply a value judgement.

• EXAMPLE: If you favor a group and their agenda, you might call them a "public interest advocacy group." If you don't like them they can be called "lobbyists." Or in international affairs, the same group could be described as "fighting for independence" or "freedom fighters" if you agree with their cause, or as a "separatist movement" if you don't.

Loaded Language in Animal Farm

• In Animal Farm, the pigs refer to Snowball as a traitor, but called Napoleon good things such as “father of all animals”, “terror of mankind”, “protector of Sheep-fold”, and “ducklings friend”.

How is this using loaded language?

• When Kraft Foods first created “processed cheese,” traditional cheese makers wanted it to be called “embalmed cheese” while Kraft Food wanted it to be called “processed cheese.”