Propaganda English II Propaganda Propaganda

Propaganda English II

Propaganda • Propaganda: – A type of persuasive monologue or one-sided messaged intended to coerce others to agree with an idea or take a particular action. – What does this mean: • Basically propaganda is used to convince the general public to agree with someone or something or to do something.

Propaganda • Two types of propaganda: – Good propaganda • Encourages people to do something positive – Raising money to support a charity – Staying in school – Say no to drugs – Bad propaganda • Attempts to convince people to do something that might be harmful to themselves, their beliefs, or their financial situation – Spending money on products you don’t really need

Propaganda • Why is this important? – As a young adult, you are the most targeted group for “bad” propaganda. – Groups and companies want to take advantage of your insecurities (and especially your money) to make you act a certain way. • Here are some propaganda techniques that you should recognize…FYI: they will be on the OGT!

Testimonials • Testimonials: – A common technique where famous people endorse products although they are not qualified as experts. • This is the “Got Milk” of propaganda techniques

Testimonials • Michael Jordan endorsed Hanes underwear for many years… – Michael Jordan was a great basketball player, but is he an underwear expert? – So why would he be used to endorse this product?

Testimonials • “Got Milk” advertisements are another perfect example of advertisements that use celebrity testimonials. • Think about it…what do the Olsen Twins or Misha Barton know about milk? – Are they dairy farmers? – Are they nutrition experts? • NO!

Appeal to Emotion (Emotional Words) • Appeal to emotion is used to create a strong reaction in readers or viewers of advertisements and speeches (YOU!) – These advertisements often use words with strong connotations and visuals that appeal to sympathy to get you to buy or to do something. • This is the “Tammy Faye” of propaganda techniques.

Appeal to Emotion • Have you ever seen those late-night advertisements for the Christian Children’s Fund? • These advertisements employ an appeal to emotion. – For just seventy-five cents a day you can feed a starving child. – If you don’t do it, who will?

Appeal to Emotion • Politicians often use appeals to emotion in their speeches. – This helps politicians get elected and push laws and issues through. • Other charities and nonprofit organizations use appeals to emotion in their advertisements. – By using appeals to emotion, charities are “tugging at your heart strings”, making it much easier to ask for donations.

Bait and Switch • To define bait and switch we need to look at the typical set-up of a bait and switch tactic: – A seller advertises a product for a ridiculously low price (the bait) – When the buyer comes in to purchase the product, it’s been sold out. – The seller then pressures the buyer to purchase a more expensive item. • This is the “Day After Thanksgiving Sale” type of propaganda. – THIS FORM OF PROPAGANDA IS ILLEGAL UNDER FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS!

Bait and Switch • I know it is difficult to see, but if you look closely at the Comp USA advertisement, you will see that HP laptops are on sale for a very low price. – If you look at the fine print, you will realize that less than 50 laptops are available. • This would become a bait and switch tactic if when the buyer got to the store the HP laptops were sold out, and a salesperson pressured the buyer into purchasing a Dell laptop for a much higher price.

Bait and Switch • Just because there are laws prohibiting bait and switch tactics doesn’t mean that companies still don’t use this method. – Your age group is the mosttargeted audience for this tactic since you have the most expendable income. – Generic brands of some of the pictured items are often used to lure you in, but once you get there, bait and switch tactics are employed.

Bandwagon • Bandwagon is a technique in which the reader is make to feel that a great movement is beginning. Readers are made to believe they will be idiots or outcasts if they do not join the movement. – This is often associated with In-Crowd Appeal: a kind of flattery which encourages viewers to identify with an admired, envied group. • This is the “Debunkify Myths” form of propaganda.

Bandwagon/In-Crowd Appeal • • We discussed good propaganda and bad propaganda at the beginning of this slide show. Although the Debunkify tour is a good form of propaganda, it incorporates bandwagon techniques. The advertisement to the right says, “Only 1 out of 5 people smoke…So much for everyone smokes”. The poster shows four attractive women and a person dressed as Death. – This campaign/advertisement attempts to gain the support of teens to stop the teen smoking epidemic. – The Debunkify campaign wants to make teens who smoke feel like outsiders…they want these teens to feel like they’ve missed out, and they aren’t cool because the smoke.

Bandwagon/In-Crowd Appeal • Although only two people are shown, the Hollister advertisement uses in-crowd appeal. – These two beautiful people are wearing Hollister clothes; don’t you want to be beautiful like these two? • Soda commercials use incrowd appeal too. – Don’t you want to be as happy as this beautiful woman; you can infer that her friend is very happy too. • D. A. R. E. uses bandwagon techniques to get students involved.

Glittering Generalities • Glittering generalities are descriptions that sound great, but they are praises that you cannot prove. – Glittering generalities are used to describe products, issues, and political candidates. • This is the “GI Joe” form of propaganda.

Glittering Generalities • GI Joe is not a real person, but the GI Joe jingle contains excellent examples of glittering generalities. – GI Joe is the “Real American Hero”, but what does that really mean? • What is an “American Hero” • What makes GI Joe more real than Spiderman or Superman?

Glittering Generalities