Propaganda Techniques

English 10S

What is Propaganda?

Propaganda – form of communication deliberately spread widely to help or harm an idea, person, group, movement, institution, nation, or selling of a product

Forms of propaganda?

Forms: news articles, essays, commercials, ads, political campaigns, speeches, radio broadcasts, blogs, etc.

Propaganda: A Dirty Word Why is it such a “dirty” word?

Propaganda might… Prey on emotion rather than using logic Exploit insecurities of the receiver Use fallacious reasoning to trick its

receiver Leave out important information

(selecting and deflecting truth) Resort to deliberate misinformation

A biased message

What is a biased message or argument?

Bias - a judgment based on a personal point of view. If an argument is biased, it does not weigh each side of an issue fairly.

Means to an end

Propaganda can be used to accomplish positive or negative ends. Examples?

Positive:Put an end to smoking Support a worthy cause (pet shelters)

Negative:Encouragement of discrimination through history (Nazi propaganda, WWII propaganda, etc.)

Introductory Example

Coffee commercial from the 50s

Propaganda Considerations

What is the purpose of the propaganda?

Who is the target audience? How is the audience made to feel? What is the subtext (implied)? What specific techniques are used?

Section 1: WORD GAMES

Name calling Glittering Generalities Euphemisms Loaded Language

Name calling

Attacks a person or group instead of an issue

Works by way of association and/or connotation.

Examples: Commie Fascist Pig Yuppie Bum

Glittering Generalities

Using language to make something sound good (or bad) without giving concrete evidence as to why that is the case.

Glittering Generalities

Coke - Open up happiness -- What evidence do we have that coke will make us any happier?

Loaded Language

Using words that are not neutral. They appeal to our emotions (make us sad, angry, excited, etc.)

Loaded Language

Examples: Instead of saying “gun control,”

President Obama emphasizes the need to “reduce the broader epidemic of gun violence in this country.”

Some Second Amendment groups and gun retailers prefer the terms "tactical rifle" or "modern sporting rifle“ over “assault weapon”

Euphemism

A technique in which something bad is worded in such a way to make it sound more pleasant

Euphemism

Examples: In the 1940's, America changed the name

of the War Department to the Department of Defense

Under the Reagan Administration, the MX-Missile was renamed "The Peacekeeper.“

After the second world war, people began to use the term "combat fatigue" instead of “shell-shock” to describe the suffering of traumatized veterans.

Section 2: Forging Associations

Transfer Testimonials or Endorsements Argument from authority Ad Hominem fallacy

Transfer

Carrying over the authority, sanction, or prestige of something we respect and revere to something he/she would have us accept.

Symbols are often used – our feelings about the symbol (a U.S. flag, a church, an eagle, etc.) are transferred to the idea, person, product, etc.

Testimonials or Endorsements Technique which uses a popular

figure to promote a cause

Often used in advertisements and commercials to promote products

Also used to promote ideas – “Jon Stewart said…” “ The Pope now endorses…”

Testimonials or Endorsements

Weight Watchers --- How do WE compare to Jennifer Hudson? What is she suggesting?

My man, Morgan Freeman – Is the message any more logical now that someone we look up to has endorsed it?

Testimonials or Endorsements

Considerations: Why should we regard this person

(or organization or publication) as having expert knowledge or trustworthy information on the subject in question?

What does the idea amount to on its own merits, without the benefit of the Testimonial?

Argument from authority

The status/credentials of a person can greatly influence our perception of his or her message; we are more likely to accept his or her argument without question

Example: Assuming (without any critical thought) that your English teacher has the best interpretation of a poem

Ad Hominem fallacy

Assuming someone’s message or argument IS or is NOT credible based on who that person is or what group he or she belongs to

Example: Assuming a student who failed ninth grade English last year has a flawed interpretation of “After Apple-Picking”

Person A: Your driving is terrible Person B: Shut up! You failed your driver’s

test, so what do you know?

Ad Hominem Fallacy

A jury assumes that an accused person is guilty of a crime because they have a criminal record.

Section 3: Specific Appeals

Plain folks appeal Bandwagon Emotional appeal Appeal to Fear Snob appeal Sex appeal

Plain Folks

Attempt to convince an audience that a person, and his/her ideas, are "of the people” that he or she is like “ordinary Americans”

Obama - Just like us...sort of

Bandwagon

The audience is persuaded to do, think, or buy something because it is popular or "everyone" is doing it.

Examples: “4 out of 5 people use Colgate.” “2 billion served at McDonalds…”

Emotional Appeal

The audience is persuaded by words or images that appeal to the reader's emotions instead of logic or reason.

Examples: Showing images of abused dogs (and

asking for donations for an organization) Showing sick and/or poor children (also

asking for donations)

Appeal to Fear

Warning that disaster will result if an audience does not follow a particular course of action

Antismoking http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zWB4dLYChM

Lyndon B. Johnson Ad campaign 

Appeal to Fear

Considerationsa) Is the speaker exaggerating the

fear or threat in order to obtain my support?

b) How legitimate is the fear that the speaker is provoking?

c) Will performing the recommended action actually reduce the supposed threat?

d) When viewed dispassionately, what are the merits of the speaker's proposal?

Snob appeal

Plays on our desires for fancy things and “the good life.”

Sex appeal

Using a sexy man or woman to promote a product or activity does the followinga) captures (and keeps) our attention b) insinuates that we can be LIKE the sexy person c) OR insinuates that we can attract sexy people by using the product

Section 4: Specific to Ads/Commercials

Something for nothing Urgency Repetition Exaggeration/Hyperbole Scientific Approach

Something for nothing

Persuades the viewer to buy a product because he or she will get something “free” in return

Example: "Subscribe today and we'll throw in an extra knife-o-matic for free! That's a $40.00 value for only 25 Cents!"

What is the reality here? 

Urgency

Creating the impression that the audience must act fast.

“Act now! Supplies are limited!” “If you order within the next 15

minutes…”

What is the reality here?

Repetition

Attempts to persuade by repeating a message over and over again

Product names are often repeated at least four times.

J.G. Wentworth

Exaggeration/Hyperbole

Overstating the effectiveness or importance of a product.

Examples: “In one week you’ll see results!”“Flawless skin in less than 20 days!”

Scientific Approach

Using bogus tests, statistics, and scientific sounding jargon to lend credibility to something.

Example:"This chair is ergonomically designed for the best fit!"

Faulty ArgumentsEnglish 10S

Intro

Arguments may be valid or faulty(NOT to be confused with true or untrue)

Valid Arguments

An argument is valid if …its conclusion is logically entailed by its premises(the conclusion must follow from the evidence [premises])

Valid arguments

P1 - All men are mortal. P2 - Socrates is a man. C - Therefore, Socrates is mortal.  P1 - All cups are green. P2 - Socrates is a cup. C - Therefore, Socrates is green.

Faulty Arguments

An argument is invalid (faulty) if… the conclusion does not follow the premises as described

This is called “non sequitur”

Faulty Arguments

P1- All men are mortal. P2 - Socrates is mortal. C - Therefore, Socrates is a man. (It matters not that the above conclusion is

true; it is not evidenced by its premises).

Fallacious arguments usually have the deceptive appearance of being good arguments

Types of Faulty Arguments

Sweeping generalization Card Stacking Red Herring Circular Reasoning Either/Or fallacy Straw Man Slippery Slope

Sweeping generalization

Makes an oversimplified statement based on limited (or even one piece of) information

Stereotypes are included in this group

Sweeping Generalization

Example:My parents and grandparents

both were divorced, so it must be that marriage rarely works out.

Example: The person who robbed my house

was white; therefore, all white people must be thieves.

Card Stacking

Only presenting information that supports an idea or proposal and leaving out information contrary to it.

Though the information presented may be true, it does not offer an objective view of both sides.

Example: A persuasive research essay without a naysayer section

Red Herring

Presenting data or issues that are irrelevant to the argument at hand, and then claiming that it validates the argument

Red Herring

Example: A professor saying, "I think that we should make the academic requirements stricter for students. I recommend that you support this because we are in a budget crisis and we do not want our salaries affected."

Red Herring

Example: "You know, I've begun to think that there is some merit in the Republican's tax cut plan. I suggest that you come up with something like it, because If we Democrats are going to survive as a party, we have got to show that we are as tough-minded as the Republicans, since that is what the public wants."

Circular Reasoning

The claim of an argument is stated as part of the proof of the argument.

Also called “Begging the Question”

Circular Reasoning

Examples: “Women have a right to choose whether to have an abortion or not, therefore abortion should be allowed”

OR “The unborn has a right to life,

therefore abortion is immoral.

Either/or fallacy

Also called "black-and-white thinking"

Only two choices are given. The arguer proposes that you are either for something or against something; there is no middle ground or shades of gray.

Used to polarize issues, and negates all attempts to find a common ground.

Either/Or Fallacy

Examples: “You’re either with us or against us!”

“You are either part of the solution or else you are part of the problem.”

Bill: "Jill and I both support having prayer in public schools." Jill: "Hey, I never said that!" Bill: "You're not an atheist are you Jill?"

Straw Man

Misrepresenting an opponent’s position

“Attacking a straw man” is creating the illusion of having refuted a position by replacing that position with a superficially similar one.

Straw Man

A: Sunny days are good. B: If all days were sunny, we'd never

have rain, and without rain, we'd have famine and death.

Straw Man

A: We should give children ice cream after every school day.

B: That would be rather bad for their health.

A: Do you want our children to starve?

… It’s harder to argue that children should starve than that ice cream is unhealthy.

Straw Man

A: Abortion is wrong because it is the murder of human life. A child in the womb has as much right to live as any child outside the womb. A fetus has most all of his human features intact before birth, and even kicks his mother.

B: The fact that a fetus kicks gives no sign that it is human. A cow kicks - does that mean it is human, and we shouldn't eat beef? Abortion is OK because a fetus is not yet human.

Slippery Slope

A person asserts that some event must inevitably follow from another without any argument for the inevitability of the event in question

Slippery Slope

Examples: "We've got to stop them from banning

pornography. Once they start banning one form of literature, they will never stop. Next thing you know, they will be burning all the books!"

“If we let gays marry, the next thing we know people will be marrying pencil sharpeners”

Slippery Slope

Shifts attention to extreme hypotheticals without evidence. Uses fear as leverage to persuade.