Propaganda

Long ago and far away when I was a college freshman, we were assigned to read an article entitled, "How to Detect Propaganda." With the passage of years, I can remember little beyond the title. But my recent reading has stimulated a review of the subject.

Propaganda may have high and holy motives. In fact the word comes from the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide (Congregation for Propagation of the Faith, 1622)

Propaganda is the effort to manipulate other peoples' beliefs, attitudes, or actions by means of symbols. Deliberate manipulation distinguishes propaganda from casual conversation or the free exchange of ideas.

To achieve its goals, propaganda selects facts, arguments and symbols, which it presents to maximum effect. Propaganda may omit or distort pertinent facts, and may try to divert the attention from everything but its chosen message.

Propaganda involves the making of deliberately one-sided statements to a mass audience.

Propaganda is distinguished from education by its selectivity and manipulation. Education teaches us how to think. Propaganda tells us what to think. Educators present various aspects of an issue and encourage debate. Propagandists build the strongest possible case for their views and discourage discussion.

Education tries to present the various sides of an issue—the grounds for doubt as well as the grounds for belief, and presents both the advantages and disadvantages of alternative actions. Education empowers the student to collect and evaluate evidence for himself, and assists him in developing the techniques to handle evidence.

A propagandist may look upon himself as an educator. If he realizes he is unduly emphasizing or distorting certain aspects of truth he may feel that he does so only to make a valid message more persuasive. The "true believer" recipient of propaganda may regard the message as self-evident truth, and offers a dogmatic response to the dogmatic manipulation.

Education stresses empowerment of individuals. Propaganda stresses motivation of special interest groups.

Lenin (1902) advocated reasoned argument to indoctrinate the educated. For the uneducated and unreasonable he preferred slogans, parables and half-truths.

Propaganda promotes its opinion as wise and reasonable, moral and right; it creates a sense of importance or belonging. Propaganda shares with other methods of persuasion the methods of gaining trust, simplicity, repetition and the use of symbols. But propaganda also employs distortion, concealment and lying.

To succeed, propaganda must be believed. It may align itself with existing opinion, offering only a little that is new.

Propaganda must be easy to understand and remember, thus the appeal of simple catching slogans which are constantly repeated. "The intelligence of the masses is small. Their forgetfulness is great. They must be told the same thing a thousand times." (Adolf Hitler)

Propaganda seeks to arouse a strong emotional response. The trigger is not necessarily the actual meaning of words, but the feelings aroused by the words. Familiar and favorable phrases are strongly associated with the propagandist's message.

Propaganda exaggerates the importance of some facts, and twists the meaning of others. Propaganda hides unfavorable evidence or shifts our attention elsewhere.

Propaganda oversimplifies complex issues. It encourages concrete thinking and easy identification of "them" and "us."

Propaganda identifies scapegoats as responsible for multiple evils.

Propaganda prefers repeated assertions to thoughtful proofs.

Propaganda misuses or omits the qualifying terms: all, none, some.

In common use are glittering generalities, attractive words and phrases designed for unreflective acceptance.

Propaganda may characterize its own "just plain folks you can trust" in contrast with the "elitist" nature of its opponents.

Propaganda may stress some already recognized threat, then characterize its opponents as guilty by association.

Realizing that most minds are easily distracted, propaganda will relentlessly stress how simple is the problem, and how simple its solution.

The most persuasive message will appeal simultaneously to three components of the personality: 1. It is rational, advisable, wise, prudent and expedient. 2. It produces pleasure and a sense of strength. 3. It is moral and righteous.

Propaganda may have symbolic association with all that is near and dear: Thus the appeal of parent symbols (mother church, pioneers, faith of our fathers).

It is much easier for propaganda to inspire the faithful to action than to inform unbelievers.

Ask of each book: Is the author more like an educator? Does his work stimulate me to study for myself, to carefully examine the evidence so that I may know for myself. Or is this work more like propaganda, in which the author has done the thinking for me. Does he urge me to reach my own careful conclusions or to adopt his point of view.?