Propaganda

     Many think propaganda is something new, but it is not. The word itself came into common use in the U.S. when World War I began. 
     With the rise of the Greeks those who made up the citizen class were conscious of group interest and were well informed on the problems and affairs of their city-state and thus propaganda and counter-propaganda emerged. 
     They didn’t have newspapers, radio and television, but they did have games, the theater, the assembly, courts of law and religious festivals which could be used for propaganda purposes. They also enjoyed orators and Greek playwrights could use drama for their political, social, and moral teachings. 
     Wars have always been a good reason to use propaganda. Governments seek to persuade their citizens of the justness of their cause and hide the horrors and failures. 
     Misinformation and disinformation are widely used to distract people from the truth and create new realities. In 1933, Hitler realized the potential of propaganda and appointed Joseph Goebbels as Minister for Propaganda. Goebbels was remarkably effective and much of the propaganda literature discusses in detail the methods they used. 
     Governments continue to tell people what they think they need to know and advertisers use propaganda techniques and most people are taken in and fail to see how they are manipulated. 
     Bernays' Propaganda written in 1928 began with the sentence, “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in a democratic society.” He believed most of the citizenry was an uneducated, ill-informed mass whose views should be directed rather than allow them to think. Thinking on higher matters was really for leaders who could decide what was best for lesser people. 
     In 1936 Boston merchant Edward Filene helped establish the short-lived Institute for Propaganda Analysis which sought to educate Americans to recognize propaganda techniques, but it wasn’t very successful and didn’t last long. They did, however, produce a list of seven propaganda methods that have become a standard. 

1) Bandwagon: Pump up the value of joining the party. 
2) Card-stacking: Build a highly-biased case for your position. 
3) Glittering Generalities: Use power words to evoke emotions. 
4) Name-calling: Denigrating opponents. 
5) Plain Folks: Making the leader seem ordinary increases trust and credibility.
6) Testimonial: The testimony of an independent person is seen as more trustworthy. 
7) Transfer: Associate the leader with trusted others. 

     When watching the news, listening to a speech, reading a paper or even looking at  a Facebook meme, how many of these methods trying to manipulate your thinking can you spot?