.PDF DOWNLOADABLE PROPAGANDA NOTES (CLICK HERE)
Propaganda
Biased or misleading information used to promote or publicize a particular (political) cause or point of view.
Bandwagon
Most people have this or are doing this so you should too.
EX:
Buy two tickets to the annual Father and Daughter Dance, and join the hundreds of fathers who have already brightened their daughters’ lives.
Plain Folk
*** The Average American
Using ordinary people or trying to sound ordinary to sell something or persuade you to vote or support an idea. *** The Average American
EX:
Gem Star Toy Company’s challenging game, Vacation Generation, is the board game designed for families just like yours.
Loaded Words
Using words that have strong emotions.
Examples: peace, war, patriotism, freedom, hope.
EX:
Love is a very special feeling, and people who care deeply should send Fare-Thee-Well greeting cards.
Generalization
Employ vague, sweeping statements using language associated with values and beliefs deeply held by the audience without providing supporting information or reason. They appeal to such notions as honor, glory, love of country, desire for peace, freedom, and family values.
Vague statements without support.
EX:
Family Feelings is the most powerful and moving book ever written about family relationships.
EX:
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with the greatest pleasure that I welcome you to this most auspicious of occasions. We are gathered here on the brink of a challenge to which we must all rise in concert, for not to do so would be to accept despair, which I will never do and I know you will never accept.
Testimonial or Endorsement
Using an expert or celebrity to sell or support.
EX:
Film star Alan Day says that when it comes to buying birthday gifts for his children, he always chooses books from Ladbroke Publishers catalog of fine publications.
Transfer
A technique used to carry over the authority and approval of something (usually through images) we respect and revere to something the propagandist would have us accept.
Propagandists often employ symbols (e.g., waving the flag) to stir our emotions and win our approval.
EX:
Name Calling
Saying bad things about your competitor.
EX:
People who oppose the funding for a new family recreation center are simply stubborn and narrow minded.
Circular Reasoning
Uses its own conclusion as one of its stated or unstated premises. Instead of offering proof, it simply asserts the conclusion in another form, thereby inviting the listener to accept it as settled when, in fact, it has not been settled.
A sentence or argument that restates rather than proves.
EX: A satisfied citizen says: “Richardson is the most successful mayor the town has ever had because he’s the best mayor of our history.”
EX: A confused student argues: “You can’t give me a C. I’m an A student!”
EX: An obvious non-smoker blurts: “Can a person quit smoking? Of course — as long as he has sufficient willpower and really wants to quit.”
Snob Appeal:
The purpose of snob appeal is to persuade a consumer to purchase a product or service by convincing him or her that the purchase will elevate their status.
EX:
Perfume advertisement that features a woman dressed in fancy clothes and very expensive jewelry appeals to the “inner snob” by implying that a woman who wears that perfume will be equally as exquisite in appearance.
EX:
Cigarette ads with big and tough guys smoking cigarettes makes it seem that the consumer, too, could be amongst the elite hearty men who smoke cigarettes.