Propaganda Techniques 1949

near perhaps I can help you prop often persuades us to help our fellow men the products of our factories are also known around the world through propaganda in the form of advertising and salesmanship the study of history reveals a great deal of propaganda that has been used to fight Wars and win Wars propaganda can also be used for Peace So you see Chuck propaganda is important well worth any time you give study I see that but how can you study it well you can begin by investigating the techniques of propaganda here I've listed some of the main ones glittering generalities transfer name calling card stacking testimonial plane folks and bandwagon you'll find these techniques used in many places in many ways for many different purposes your job is to recognize them when you see them my first job is to understand what they mean what is a glittering generality well let me see that headline you were quoting a victory for good government good government is a phrase we use many times during the campaign we said the mayor stood for good government and promised good government but it's true isn't it what's true what does good government mean is the mayor's idea of good government the same as yours I see it's a glittering generality one of the best there's another yeah and why do you suppose our opponents chose that phrase I guess because everybody likes a real American right and they wanted to transfer that liking for a real American to Mr Butler and that's what you mean by the technique of transfer that's it now let's see if you can recognize another technique a day or so after that poster came out I said in one of my campaign speeches our opponent advertises himself as a real American I say he is unreal unrealistic he is a Visionary a theorist a dreamer he is so thirsty for public office that like a weary traveler in the desert he sees a mirage and he is trying to sell it to you as real there now what would you call that that's name calling Visionary theist dreamer that's right and those are very polite names but now I want you to listen to something else for my collection of propaganda materials I've made a special record of part of one of Mr Butler's radio speeches mayor Cooper asks that he be judged by his performance in office very well let's ask him who was mayor when the municipal Waterworks fell into such a state of disrepair that the whole town was without water for 2 days let's ask him but no let's not it might embarrass him you recognize the technique no I don't it's a tricky one is it true about the Waterworks partly true that's what we call card stacking Cooper was mayor when the pumping station broke down but it was the men in office before him who allowed it to get into such a rundown condition and it finally gave way before he could get anything done I see and card stacking is choosing some facts and leaving out others and arranging them to suit your purpose that's the idea now did you see our little Campaign movie Yes a couple of times well let's look at it again as an example of propaganda techniques it was a testimonial wasn't it yes we used other techniques too see if you can spot them will you get the light please [Music] L sakes a body hardly has time enough the house to clean the washing to do and the men folks to feed they like their chocolate cakes too but I do want to take time to tell you that I've known dick Cooper ever since he was KN High to a grasshopper he comes of a good respectable family just as honest as the day is long he knows our town he's one of us that's why I'm going to vote for mayor Cooper and all my friends are going to vote for him too well stop a minute Chuck recognize the technique that must be what you call plain folks that's right you'll find many versions of the appeal based on the common man the man on the street Lord cabin to president now let's look at the rest of the movie Yes Mrs Hamline is voting for mayor Cooper her friends are voting for mayor Cooper your friends are voting for mayor Cooper the people know what they want and what they want is Mayor Cooper don't you be left behind get on board the victory special vote for mayor Cooper and ride with him to Victory [Music] that ending is easy to spot it's the bandwagon yes the propaganda we've been talking about is easy to detect but a great deal of propaganda is much more hidden much harder to detect that's what's bothering me even in a small local election there's so much propaganda that poster a real American he uses a transferred device does that mean it isn't true not necessarily evaluating propaganda isn't that simple recognizing the technique is one step another step is to know the purpose what is the purpose here that's easy to get people to vote for Butler yes to persuade people that Butler is the better man to move them to vote for him in short to sell Mr Butler to the voters you'll find that the purpose of most propaganda is to persuade people to believe something to do something or to buy something all right but it still doesn't answer my question no your next step and it's a big one is to get the facts well is he a real American Howard Butler was born in this country he obeys its laws he's a good citizen yes he is a real American the same can be said for Richard Cooper so ask yourself whether the facts support the purpose do they support the transfer of feeling from Real American to Mr Butler over Mr Cooper no I guess not well that's your fourth step weigh the facts against the purpose and the technique I think I understand to know whether propaganda is good or not whether it's true or not I should know the purpose recognize the technique get the facts and judge the purpose and technique by the facts but when you want the facts about live politic battle don't come to a campaign manager I might do it at that but I will also go and see your opposition well that's all right whenever you're tracking down propaganda get as many different points of view as you can do you know something what I think that it might be interesting to make a really serious study of propaganda I find it interesting and there's plenty to study here I have just a few of the many books on the subject you can read them you can keep your eyes and ears open for little bits of propaganda and of course you can study whole propaganda campaigns here are a few on which I've been Gathering material Hitler and Nazi Germany had a campaign of propaganda that ran over many years then there's a wealth of propaganda to study on the subject of Russia and communism there's propaganda to study in our own American elections National as well as local and in many of the major issues on which elections often hinge well if I don't learn about propaganda it won't be because there's no way to study it that's right Chuck remember the techniques of propaganda and use the procedure we out is a powerful force so powerful that your study your study of propaganda is important not only to you but to me and to the world