Propaganda techniques and how to recognize them

Opinion/Media and Government - 7 minute read

From media to politics, our world runs on propaganda. It is found across the political spectrum. At one point in American history, specifically during the Cold War and the U.S. presidential election of 1948, government schools used to teach students what propaganda was and how to recognize it. During this period in American history, many Americans were aware of political propaganda. This, however, seems to no longer be the case. The reality is, anything can be propaganda, not just a book, an image, or a news story, but also a symbol, a color, or even a simple word. In this article, we are going to look at a few common types of propaganda, how to recognize the techniques, and also how to recognize the purpose of the propaganda.

Glittering Generalities

Glittering generalities are words and phrases that sound a specific way without actually getting into specifics. When Barack Obama was running for President, his campaign slogan was a single word: “Change.” Many Americans were ready for a change after Republican President George W. Bush, and this slogan promised just that. However, what did “Change” mean? It probably conjured feelings of hope for those who voted in favor of Obama. He would be the “change” they would need in America. However, “Change” isn’t specific. It is nothing more than a generalized word that had the ability to make people feel a specific way.

“Make America Great Again” is another example of a glittering generality. It sounds good. What true American wouldn’t want America to be great? However, when you think about it, what does “Make America Great Again” really mean? Opponents may claim that America was never great. Older Americans might think back to their childhood, growing up in 1950s or 1960s America. Some historical scholars might romanticize the patriotism and freedom that came with an America fresh out of the Revolutionary War. The reality is there is no specific way to think about this phrase, only a specific way it is meant to make you feel.

Name Calling/Stereotyping

This may sound a bit childish, but this is a common and effective form of propaganda. The more people hear certain names being applied to a certain person or group, the more people believe that person or group to be those names. That is important, because with those names comes stereotypes.

People on the left effectively employ this form of propaganda frequently. Anyone who disagrees with them in anyway is automatically considered a “fascist,” a “Nazi,” a “homophobe,” a “racist,” a “transphobe,” a “sexist,” a “conspiracy theorist,” an “extremist,” and so on. It does not matter if these words accurately describe someone or not. What matters is that other people begin to associate these words with the person or group.

As for the right, they have often used words like “snowflake,” “woke,” “social justice warrior (SJW),” “groomer,” and “communist.” Just like on the left, whether these words accurately describe the person or group they’re targeting, it does not matter. What matters is how people who hear these words applied to other persons feel about that person or group.

Card-Stacking

Card-stacking is a propaganda technique where certain facts (or perceived facts) are used while other facts are not used in order to build a narrative. For instance, proponents of abortion will say things like, “It’s my body, my choice. All an abortion does is remove a clump of cells.”

On some level, these statements are facts, but they are far from the whole picture, and further information would jeopardize this narrative. The mother’s body is certainly going to play a part in either growing or killing the preborn baby. However, it is not only her body that will be affected during an abortion as the preborn baby will be murdered in the process. Furthermore, the preborn baby does not get a say in its execution, so it’s absolutely the mother’s choice. Referring to the preborn baby as a “clump of cells” is often used by pro-abortionists to dehumanize a human life still in the womb and gives a sense of justification in the killing. However, all humans, whether inside the womb or outside, are technically a “clump of cells.” So, stating an abortion “removes a clump of cells” isn’t technically wrong, but it does not tell the whole reality of the situation as it ignores certain scientific facts for the narrative.

Urgency

Urgency propaganda is used to make people feel like they must act fast. There’s no time to step back and think about best practices because not doing something right away would be detrimental. Climate change activists employ this tactic frequently. In the video below, one climate change activist is using this tactic as she gets carried away by police by declaring that any new oil would be a “death sentence to this planet,” giving people a sense of urgency to stop all things oil.

Plain Folks

Plain folks propaganda uses every day people to show that a specific person is just like anyone else. When AOC first ran for congress, she had an ad that masterfully employed this form of propaganda, even using the hashtag #OneOfUs

Bandwagon

Bandwagon propaganda is meant to encourage a person to do something because “everyone else is doing it.” This could be voting for a candidate, buying a product, or joining a group. You are encouraged to do something because you don’t want to be left behind or maybe because a particular candidate is “going to win anyway.”

Testimonials

Testimonials were key in pushing the oppression of the people through government lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people looked to the testimonies of those of great status such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, government leaders, and media personalities for direction. When a person of high status says they are for or against something, it is powerful as people look to these high status people as authorities of truth. If they are for something, other people think they should be for that same thing. If they are against something, other people believe they should be against that thing as well. It is a sort of shepherd and sheep mentality that the masses fall into frequently.

Many on the right fell into the idea that former President Trump was pro-Second Amendment, and media outlets on the right echoed this to be true. However, actually looking at the facts shows he was bad for the Second Amendment. The reality is he was in favor of raising the minimum age to purchase any firearm to 21 years. He’s said things like, “Take the guns first, go through due process second,” and he imposed a ban on bump stocks. However, Trump, and the media his supporters often follow, frequently painted him as a champion of the Second Amendment, and they believed those testimonials.

Conclusion

We come in contact with propaganda every day. It is often meant to make us do something, believe something, or buy something. Being able to recognize propaganda is everyone’s first line of defense from being manipulated by propaganda. However, it takes more than just recognizing propaganda to properly defend yourself from it. Once you recognize it, you must get the facts and weigh them against the purpose of the propaganda as well as the technique. When looking at propaganda, it is important to get as many views as possible. This is why I, as a political journalist, always encourage my readers to never rely on my work alone when looking into a story. It is important to get all sides. If you do not, you are not truly educated on a subject, and you may very well be getting manipulated.

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