Propaganda. (1 Viewer)

[Gregor Samsa]

Hmmm.. Found this online, advice for presenting speeches about the 'War on Terror'. Its really quite disturbing ;

Two extracts;

MAKING THE CASE: THE LANGUAGE OF THE WAR ON TERROR

1) Set the Context: 9/11 changed everything. On this issue more than any, context is everything. The American people have notoriously short attention spans — and they do not always see the big picture unless it is unveiled to them.

4) Connect the dots. You have to explain Iraq’s role in the “Wider War on Terror.” Americans expected smoking-gun caliber evidence of weapons of mass destruction. So long as that kind of irrefutable proof isn’t available, a different tact toward indicting the Saddam regime must be taken. The Iraqi regime must be indicted because they committed same kinds of actions as those of other terrorists. Associate them by their actions, their goals, and their behavior. The following language from President Bush is precisely the right way to make the case:
“The violence we are seeing in Iraq is familiar. The terrorists who take hostages or plants a roadside bomb near Baghdad is serving the same ideology of murder that kills innocent people on trains in Madrid, and murders children on buses in Jerusalem, and blows up a nightclub in Bali and cuts the throat of a young reporter for being a Jew.

We've seen the same ideology of murder in the killing of 241 Marines in Beirut, the first attack on the World Trade Center, in the destruction of two embassies in Africa, in the attack on the USS Cole, and in the merciless horror inflicted upon thousands of innocent men and women and children on September the 11th, 2001.” -- President George W. Bush

Which is of course interesting in light of repeated denials of links being made between Iraq and Al Qaeda...

This is actually an official document, composed by Frank Luntz, Republican pollster and/or strategist.

This document can be found at; http://www.reachm.com/amstreet/archives/001044.html

Feel free to discuss. (To defuse an argument however, emotive, distortive arguments are not limited to the Right, but nevertheless, its a strong example.)

 

[neo o]

Damn leftist propaganda.

 

[Gavvvvvin]

That is disturbing . . .

 

[Enlightened_One]

I don't like propoganda. If the govenment has to tell people waht to think, then what is the point of democracy where the people are supposed to tell the government what they want to hear, not the other way around.

 

[Ziff]

The government, media and those in power will always tell people what to think. People can't think for themselves and really never will be able to.

 

[AsyLum]

People not being able to think for themselves and propoganda rely on the notion of human laziness.

People can think for themselves, thats one of the major aspects which seperate us from other non-self-concious beings.

The choice to listen and accept these opinions and propoganda is solely based upon the individual. Until a time where we are literally forcefed what to think, ala BNW or 1984, then i believe that such devices are there to exploit what is being allowed to be exploited.

Propoganda has been around since civilisations started.

 

[santaslayer]

Propaganda is what makes the world go 'round. People are just too stupid to realise it. (the propaganda, that is. )

 

[meisme]

Originally posted by Enlightened_One
I don't like propoganda. If the govenment has to tell people waht to think, then what is the point of democracy where the people are supposed to tell the government what they want to hear, not the other way around.

what dont you like about prop? govt's will always tell you what to think how to think and when to think it, its a characterising feature of politics, deifinatley not a new invention - read plato's 'rhetoric'

i find the only thing ppl dont like about propaganda is that they cant be assed thinking for themselves and so want ppl to tell them what to think in ways that doesnt offend their own sense of morality and ethics

and another thing: bugger the democracy argument, a democratic governemnt is still a government, if thay can make the public believe they are responding to their concerns they can maintain political power
and how do they make the public believe so? its elementary my dear watson, by using propaganda!!!

Originally posted by Ziff
The government, media and those in power will always tell people what to think. People can't think for themselves and really never will be able to.

who runs the government, media, who are the powerful? they arent robots!! they are ppl too

we are all quite capable of thinking for ourselves, at least to a greater extent than we do at the moment. but it is true: we are fickle creatures running on emotion and impulse rather than logic

but you cant be defeatist, we are granted with independent thought so get off your ass and use it!!!

 

[braindrainedAsh]

Look at all the propaganda floating around at the moment.... the Aust govt goes in to tokenism overdrive in the lead up to an election... Howard's jingoism with the flag in schools policy, his 2 hours exercise policy to show how the govt is apparently going to solve childhood obesity, family payment and baby bonus $$$, ads about how the govt is protecting the environments, the constant ads about the medicare safety net, in rural aust we get these shitty ads about how the fed govt is going to get broadband internet to country towns and make sure our phones actually are able to work, also the voilence against women aust says no campaign... it's all just propaganda to make you think that little johnny is da bomb!

I always wonder why the federal govt doesn't spend the money it wastes on ass kissing (ads, pamplets) to actually do things that help the environment.

And the baby bonus and family payment thing were some of the most ill thought out pieces of policy I have seen recently. They could have given families more money, but over a longer period of time... or they could have had some sort of rebate scheme where you can get a rebate on children's supplies you have purchased up to the value of $3000.... sadly a lot of that baby bonus and family payment money is going to be spent on the pokies and alcohol instead of on the kids.

 

[ameh]

Originally posted by meisme
we are fickle creatures running on emotion and impulse rather than logic

true

Originally posted by braindrainedAsh
Look at all the propaganda floating around at the moment.... the Aust govt goes in to tokenism overdrive in the lead up to an election... Howard's jingoism with the flag in schools policy, his 2 hours exercise policy to show how the govt is apparently going to solve childhood obesity, family payment and baby bonus $$$, ads about how the govt is protecting the environments, the constant ads about the medicare safety net, in rural aust we get these shitty ads about how the fed govt is going to get broadband internet to country towns and make sure our phones actually are able to work, also the voilence against women aust says no campaign... it's all just propaganda to make you think that little johnny is da bomb!

I always wonder why the federal govt doesn't spend the money it wastes on ass kissing (ads, pamplets) to actually do things that help the environment.

And the baby bonus and family payment thing were some of the most ill thought out pieces of policy I have seen recently. They could have given families more money, but over a longer period of time... or they could have had some sort of rebate scheme where you can get a rebate on children's supplies you have purchased up to the value of $3000.... sadly a lot of that baby bonus and family payment money is going to be spent on the pokies and alcohol instead of on the kids.

funny how my letterbox is bombarded with pamphlets on domestic violence towards women and 'letter from the prime minister' etc. suddenly before election time

 

[smegger_em]

i think it's kind of ironic how a lot of people who claim to "think for themselves", or claim to be "educated" only recognise propaganda when it comes from the government and comes from the right...that stuff may be stonger, more apparent and in greater abundance (and it is equally as bad, if not worse)...but i think they need to open their minds and accept that propaganda can come from the left aswell...i.e. michael moore.

 

[braindrainedAsh]

Of course propaganda can come from both sides... just take a look at the student associations at various universities, a lot of what they say is ill informed, and basically propaganda.

And propaganda comes equally from both ends of the political spectrum... both facists and communists have used propaganda excessively throughout history. Propaganda is a part of everything, people will always try and put a spin on things to get the outcomes they desire.

 

[smegger_em]

yeah, but my comment is that i think in the west GENERALLY, propaganda of the right is bought by the ignorant and propapanda of the left is bought by the "informed"....and also that a lot of people don't consciously know that it comes from both ends of the spectrum...i mean they know that things like soviet propaganda existed, but not leftist propaganda within our own society

 

[Enlightened_One]

Thta depends on how you define propoganda. Is it just select facts or is it embellished truth?

And by the way, Mike Moore is the best TV presenter around.

 

[smegger_em]

blah...thought you meant "michael moore"...silly me

 

[meisme]

Originally posted by smegger_em
selected facts...i'm pretty sure that's how the dictionary defines it (but not entirely)

anyway...some of what mike moor presents in propaganda no matter which definition you go by...he DOES embellish truth. but each to their own i guess.

guys guys!!
im doing my 4u major work on propaganda and the creation of fictional meaning
and i hate to destroy a good argument but you're all right, propagaganda is the organized attempt through communication to affect belief or action or inoculate attitudes in a large audience in ways that circumvent or suppresss and idividual's adequately informed, rational, reflective judgement......so there!

so any message made with the purpose to persuade is propaganda dont matter whether its left, right, updown clockwise or just plain purple!!!

but i do have a question to pose to you:

do you believe propaganda is a 'necessary evil'?


before you jump down my throat and say no, remember any broadcast, article, smiley-faced stamp with a political motivation can be considerd propaganda......so i hand it to you guys...what do you think?

 

[smegger_em]

nope. there's those smoking adds "wah, my boyfriend dumped me"...that's propaganda...and i guess it's productive...we're filled with anti-drug propaganda from about 5 till late teens...and that's probably productive too.

 

[meisme]

Originally posted by smegger_em
nope. there's those smoking adds "wah, my boyfriend dumped me"...that's propaganda...and i guess it's productive...we're filled with anti-drug propaganda from about 5 till late teens...and that's probably productive too.

so im confused r u anti/pro prop?

its 'productive' but not a necessary evil?

 

[smegger_em]

ummm...that's undecided. i think it's always going to exist, and there's not much i can do about it. how about you...anti or pro?

 

[smegger_em]

lol you are really enjoying your 4 unti course at the moment, aren't you?