Transcript PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUES

PROPAGANDA
TECHNIQUES
What is propaganda?
The ideas
spread by any
organized
group for the
purpose of
influencing
human
behavior.
How does propaganda
reach you?
Newspapers
Magazines
Radio
Television
Internet
Propaganda
appeals to …
The desire to succeed in
our ambition or career
The wish to be popular,
have friends, be “in”
The urge to marry, to be
accepted by the opposite
sex
The need to earn a living, have
money to spend
The craving to possess finer
things
The desire for security in
old age
The eagerness to be
healthy and attractive
The desire to move in
respectable circles
The hunger for food
How to judge
whether a statement
is true or false.
Is the writer or speaker a
recognized authority in the
particular field?
Can the statement be presented
as a personal point of view or as
the considered opinion of a
group?
Are there a sufficient number of
cases of sufficient evidence to
justify the conclusion drawn?
Has the truth been somewhat
slanted or deliberately distorted
by means of evasions, halftruths, or omissions?
Does the statement depend on
reason or solely on emotion to
appeal to reader or listener?
Is the source of the statement a
reliable corporation or
individual?
Types of
Propaganda
Techniques
Bandwagon
It suggests an imaginary vehicle
carrying leaders of a cause or a
candidate who has a large following.
It uses such phrases as:
–“Everybody’s doing it!”
–“Join the crowd.”
–“This is the latest and best for you.”
CARD STACKING
Shows only the product’s
BEST features, telling
half-truths and omitting (or
lying about) potential
problems
Ex.: Drug manufacturers
gloss over side effects,
concentrating instead on
the medicine’s benefits
Glittering
Generalization
A statement that jumps from a
few cases to a conclusion that is
supposed to fit all cases.
It is called “glittering” because it
is falsely attractive.
Name Calling
This is a way of smearing
an opponent. Calling him
names can damage his
reputation or arouse
suspicions about his
character.
Plain Folks
This is the corny kind of
appeal to the man in the street
made by identifying either a
person or a product with his
particular locality or country.
“I’m one of you folks, born and raised in
these mountains and I can still shuck
corn with the best of you.”
Snob Appeal
The opposite of plain folks is the
“snob appeal,” which aims to
flatter those who would like to
satisfy their ego by assuming that
they are better than the rest of
mankind in looks, wealth, taste,
position, etc.
Scapegoat
A scapegoat is a person carrying the blame
for others.
Sometimes a failing student blames the
school or a teacher.
“Slogan”
A slogan is a catchword or phrase loaded
with emotion.
Slogans are usually clever and easy to
remember.
Testimonial
A statement endorsing a product or an idea when
signed by a prominent person
A popular favorite carries undue weight when it is
used to sponsor something outside his particular
field.
Transfer
This device transfers the good impression
we have of something we already know
to something else that we don’t know.
By associating the two we merge our
personal reactions without examining the
unknown person or thing by itself.
Satire Notes
“The satirist is to be regarded as our
physician, not our enemy.” Henry Fielding
Think of The Simpsons, SNL (Saturday
Night Live) and The Onion.
What is Satire?
A literary technique in which behaviors
or institutions are ridiculed for the sake
of improving society.
Its use of humor makes it a unique form
of social protest.
Began in Ancient Greece
Characteristics of Satire
Attempts to bring about change through
Humor
Often targets social or political
Institutions
Uses irony and exaggeration
Typically attacks hypocrisy, arrogance,
greed, vanity, etc.