In general, a message designed to persuade its intended audience to think and behave in a certain manner. Thus advertising is commercial propaganda. In specific, institutionalized and systematic spreading of information and/or disinformation, usually to promote a narrow political or religious viewpoint. Originally, propaganda meant an arm of the Roman Catholic church responsible for 'de propaganda fidei,' propagation of the faith. It acquired negative connotations in the 20th century when totalitarian regimes (principally the Nazi Germany) used every means to distort facts and spread total falsehoods.
--thebusinessdictionary.com
Understanding (in) the Age of Propaganda Essay #3 |
Background We "think for ourselves" when we draw logical conclusions from what we understand, using good judgement, to be reliable evidence. The problem is that in what is called "the Information Age" it is difficult to find information that is not driven by the agendas of narrow interests, too frequently those who seek advantage for themselves at the expense of the vulnerable. When we, as consumers of information, aren't in control of the facts or we are unprepared to exercise good judgment, we risk that "others will think for us" and potentially mislead us into behaving irrationally, to give up our personal power and to act against our values. We live in a world defined by a war of competing agendas, and our minds are the territory the warring factions seek control over. Their weapons, the highly sophisticated techniques of propaganda, are targeted directly at our ability to think for ourselves. We have responsibility ourselves and to others to seek out and understand the facts. To do this, we must understand the techniques of the propagandists and learn how to discern reliable information from that designed to advance an agenda, manipulate us by playing on our emotions, and distort reality. As analysts of propaganda we enable ourselves to recognize our enemies and our friends, either of whom might be propagandists. At stake is democracy itself.
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Essay #3
4-6 Pages
MLA Style for Documentation
Observe all formatting requirements (in syllabus)
- Use the 12-Step Program
- Consider WASPS as you prewrite and write
- summarize, paraphrase, and quote effectively
- Explain your quotations thoroughly
- Title your essay
- Choose a clear organizational strategy (escape the 5-paragraph prison)
- Define key terms (such as, “propaganda” and “critical thinking”)
- Write clear, unified, and coherent paragraphs
- Use clear transitions
- Use MLA style correctly
- Focus your sentences
- Use the active voice wherever possible
- Avoid the 2nd Person address to refer to your audience
- Double-space,
- Slay all fragments and comma splices
- Use images if you choose
What to Do
Using the handout on propaganda techniques, fully analyze a particular example of propaganda, explaining both the rational argument that is NOT being made (or that is being de-emphasized or disguised) and the skewed/biased/propagandistic one, exposing the agenda of the propagandists for what it is and making a clear-headed judgment about it.
For example, in the Abercrombie and Fitch clip shown in class featuring an attractive couple playing on a sunny day at the beach, the advertisers imply the claim that clothes with the A and F brand are in some way associated with the feelings inspired by the models, the music, the story, and other elements of the video. In other words,"you should buy A and F clothes (claim) NOT because they are affordable, well made, interestingly styled, innovative, or functional (rational argument to which there are as many counter-arguments) BUT because they will make you feel the way you might if you were at leisure, healthy, fit, traditionally attractive, white, wealthy, young, unmarried, sexually active, socially well adjusted, etc. (propagandistic argument)." This is clearly a distraction from any rational argument for why you should invest in these clothes and not in those from some other manufacturer even if they might be better. While the company's intent is obviously to make a profit, in what ways is it exploiting vulnerabilities of the target audience in order to do so, and, in your view, is this an abuse or a service to society at large?
How to Write the Essay
Your third essay for this course will be a written paper of 4-6 pages in length
You will need to:
assert a strong, specific thesis sentence, consisting of three clauses
support your ideas with outside research ONLY to find FACTS not to replace your own analysis of the propagana
use PIE paragraphing, employing a variety of strategies
Provide detailed analysis
cite all sources using MLA style.
quote accurately and provide sufficient context for quotations
cite any paraphrasing you might do
develop an outline in advance of writing your first draft
provide a bibliography
Except when absolutely necessary you won't need to use the first-person "I" or second=person "you" in this paper
You may wish to:
provide visual illustrations (though not as substitute for specific written description of the evidence)