PROPAGANDA

Propaganda got its start long before it was used by political parties. The Protestants and the Catholics used propaganda during the Reformation period in the 1600s. This pamphlet shows people mooning the Pope. They distributed anti-Catholic messages widely to the public in this manner.

(Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_during_the_Reformation#Roman_Catholic_reaction_to_Protestant_propaganda)

It was likely in use from the time people realized visuals have power. Possibly since early man could scratch out images on walls and rocks. While the use of propaganda seems like a new-fangled technique being used to influence elections it is an old-school tactic that has been in use for ages through print.

The first thing I think about when I hear the word propaganda is the flyers distributed by the Nazi party to the Germans during the WWII era. They looked like this one from 1936.

(Image source: https://hist1049-20.omeka.fas.harvard.edu/items/show/18)

This advertisement is to promote the Nazi party and win people over to support their cause. You see the strong German Nazi surrounded by out-of-work men (a reminder of prior economic collapse). Notice the man on the bench in despair. This reads “Before: Unemployment, hopelessness, desolation, strikes, lockouts. Today: Work, joy, discipline, camaraderie. Give the Fuhrer your vote!” (Source: https://hist1049-20.omeka.fas.harvard.edu/items/show/18) It reminds people of the stark contrast to life before the Nazi party came to power. Even the colors of the poster are used to create an influence on the reader. The drab, muted, red-covered men (implying a state of sorrow) contrast the more vibrant black-and-white image of the man in the center (showing strength and dignity). This is political propaganda used to win support for the party.   The Nazis were also known to use anti-Semitic propaganda to support their cause railing against the Jewish population. Once they rose to power, they targeted the Jewish population using propaganda flyers and posters. This article Rise of the Nazis and Beginning of Persecution delves into the reasoning of why this movement took place. They plastered messages on storefronts to influence the public perception of Jews. This is one such image.

(Image Source: (https://www.philaholocaustmemorial.org/antisemitism-explained/)

There is a great deal of this type of propaganda. This persecution of a population is one of the things from our history that we must not forget. As the philosopher George Santayana stated,  “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (The Life of Reason: Reason in Common Sense. Scribner’s, 1905: 284). This is a truth of humanity that we must hold onto so that we never repeat it. The purpose of this propaganda, as with most, was to play upon the emotions and fear.

My grandfather was a WWII Sergeant in the Army. He saw these types of propaganda being used first-hand. He told me the stories of the seeds of hatred being sewn by the Nazis using images and advertising. Lies and disinformation spread like wildfire and like fire consuming everything it contacts, the message of Jewish hatred spread.

In the article, What is Propaganda? It’s Not What You Might Think by Iranwire.com we are given a layout of what propaganda is. The article covers what makes an image or ad propaganda. The message goes for an emotional response, whether it is anger, fear, or hate. They use simple wording to spread the message. Think of a meme today. A perfect tool for spreading propaganda online. It aims at people’s needs and sensitivities. It also attacks the opposition. Using simple images and words it keeps people from deeper thinking and they easily follow the message that appeals to them.

Today propaganda is used by and for politics, religion, marginalized groups, the government, and all other kinds of different groups, individuals, and organizations to gain support for many different causes.

(Image source: https://iranwire.com/en/special-features/68334)

We have gone from leaflets and flyers to newspapers and mass media for the spread of (dis)information. You may find propaganda online in your social media, through paid advertising, on a billboard, or even on your news program and in entertainment like movies. It can be both bad and good. During the Covid outbreak, the government used propaganda in the form of Public Service Announcements to influence the public to get vaccinated. Did we even realize it was propaganda? I can honestly say that I didn’t recognize it.

(Image source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/print-resources.html)

In today’s world we can see the techniques for spreading and sharing propaganda have a much wider reach because of mass media. In the political sector, and shared by individuals online, memes are one of the most popular forms of propaganda spreading.

Here are a couple of examples.

(Image source: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/04/joe-biden-brains-heart-meme-brad-troemel/)

(Image source: https://theinappropriategiftco.com/blogs/making-life-fun-again/trump-memes-the-latest-and-best)

People thought the Biden ad was a campaign ad created by his party. The opposite party group started sharing it. It went viral. It was just an art piece jokingly created poking a bit of fun at Biden.

The image of Trump is doctored. It is another meme just making a bit of fun at the former President.

These images touch on the emotions and political beliefs (for or against) of their audience. They play on the public’s need to support one or the other political opponent and to feel that they are part of something larger in supporting their political candidate of choice.

It goes further, even in our news outlets. This 30-minute audio from Bold and Blunt , a Washington Times podcast, on YouTube talks about “Project Mockingbird” and how the news is being used to push propaganda from the “deep state”. It is happening now. It mentions Project Veritas. What is that? According to Wikipedia it is a company that creates doctored videos, spreading falsehoods. These are the types of groups that churn out propaganda that then gets shared on social media. (Source: https://youtu.be/7l5i3Zh0JGU?si=oT6vlqco8zFp-fgI) It also says that most people have lost faith in our news media and rely highly on social media platforms for news. Just a scary fact because we can see how easily (the memes) misinformation and misdirection through disinformation can spread on those platforms. You can find out more on https://mediamanipulation.org/.

Image Source: https://mediamanipulation.org/sites/default/files/media-files/Code-Book-1.4-Jan-7-2022.pdf

(Image source: https://newrepublic.com/article/144592/trump-creating-propaganda-state)

Trump is a true expert at selling himself. He is a genius at getting publicity. He is always in the news, on tv, in my scrolls, everywhere. A real propaganda spreader. He says it and his followers make memes for him to advertise his “Make America Great Again” slogan. He even has his news station for shameless self-promotion. Here is a quote from a broadcast. “Overall, since the president took office, President Trump has created more than one million new jobs, the unemployment rate is at a 16-year low, and consumer confidence is at a 16-year high—all while the Dow Jones continues to break records. President Trump has clearly steered the economy back in the right direction.” Said Kayleigh McEnany, reporter for the station. It doesn’t have to be true. (Source: https://newrepublic.com/article/144592/trump-creating-propaganda-state)

See how this plays on the emotions of the public? To present Trump in the same way that the Nazis presented themselves to the German public.  They played on the economy the same way that this does. This article from the New Republic titled

How Trump is Creating a Propaganda State talks more about his efforts to influence.

One of the best things that I have found to show an example of how propaganda spreads and the techniques used to spread it is from a book called Meme Wars. If you don’t have time to read an entire book about it there is a brief video of the same name on YouTube – Meme Wars. It takes us through the steps and tells us how comedian, Sam Hyde, was made out to be a mass shooter through propaganda shared on social media channels. None of it was true, but it is a prime example of how propaganda spreads through society and the disinformation that comes with it.

(Image Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTPogNrS7FM)

By knowing what we are looking at, using the SIFT method, (stop, investigate, find better coverage, trace it back to the source), and applying it to the images/ads that we see being circulated we can determine if it is disinformation. As seen, not all propaganda is misinformation, and not all propaganda is bad. However, in the case of propaganda being used to spread misinformation, they are hoping to play you and hit you in your emotions, touch on your cause, incite you in some way, and on the ability that you are just going to skim it and believe it to be true. Don’t be so easy.