Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion - Essay Example

Propaganda works for and around human emotions. Without the role of emotions and their direct or indirect influence over the process of opinion-making, the use of propaganda would be meaningless. According to Webster’s Third International Dictionary (1960), the dissemination of ideas, rumors, or information with the intention of helping or injuring an institution, a person, or a cause can be identified as propaganda. Furthermore, propaganda can only be an interactive way to achieve certain purposes. As a result, propaganda is defined as a systematic way to influence certain behaviors, and attitudes for attaining the desired response (Jowett and O’Donnell, 1999)

Historically as well as currently, propaganda is associated with the enemy talking lies (Marlin, 2002). Or it is being associated with something that is identified as wrong or incorrect. However, in certain Latin countries, such association is rare rather propaganda is linked with the term advertising. However, in both world wars, both sides heavily used the tool of propaganda against each other openly terming their actions something deceptive or something that cannot be trusted. Additionally, the intent is a necessary condition for the purpose of propaganda (Cunningham, 2002).

 Propaganda is based on certain characteristics- such as time, total, truth, trust, and trigger. Each element of propaganda is separately usable both in wartime as well as in peacetime. Basically, propaganda is a type of persuasion determined and implemented to keep a targeted audience thinking in the required way. And it is used to target the emotional side of the targeted audience rather than the logical and argumentative side. As most of the time propaganda does not look logical, some propaganda techniques are used to do so. First, the trigger is used like a bandwagon appeal. In which, the audience is emotionally molded in a way to do something because everybody else is having and doing it. It is based on the concept of molding an aggregate behavior and action. Consequently, the audience is asked to follow the trend. Additionally, a stereotype or total concept of propaganda is based on a fixed idea relating to all members of a group.  As a result, the actions of all group members are observed with only one single but total idea and on the basis of it, the members of the group cannot be separately identified.  Additionally, trust is established when a testimonial comes from a personal recommendation of a famous or renowned personality or one who can be trusted because of their position or bearing on the topic. It can be a personality, institution, or anything else to which mostly creditability is attached. As a result, trust is established and used. It can be used for either negative or positive propaganda. However, most of the time, in advertising campaigns such characteristics of propaganda are used to achieve the desired outcomes.  

In the given picture, non-verbal propaganda may be used with integration propaganda. Integration propaganda is defined as an attempt to depict the interests and positions represented by officials, who support a particular propaganda message. It is an American flag carrying the words “Thank you.” Now, nothing is appearing anything suggesting being a part of propaganda. There is no extra message written on it. It would have been a propaganda message if it had certain words or sentences like the ones mentioned at website-civilization.ca, where certain historical posters are provided on which a flag with additional words or sentences are written in a way to propagate certain information such as “HELP THE BOYS TO KEEP THEM RUNNING” (Civilization. Ca, n.d). Additionally, the above-mentioned sentence is not only provided with some soldiers but also it is being shown that they are in trouble, they are being fired on by the enemy forces and they must be helped. Such propaganda posters represent the way propaganda should take place as they have certain emotional attachments and emotional appeal as well. On the other hand, the given picture holds nothing anything like that. However, it can be used for the purpose of propaganda by using integration propaganda. For example, in an American election, a presidential candidate may use this kind of flag to propagate his ideas. For that purpose, he or she has to integrate her ideas needed to be integrated with the concept of patriotism. For example, the presidential candidate may want to expand relations with the Russian Federation. In its election campaign, the presidential candidate argues that it is in the interest of the United States of America to extend relations with Russia. In return to it, the audience welcomes this statement and agrees with it. And this flag is attached near to the rostrum saying “Thank you “for your support for this cause. Indirectly, the presence of this flag authenticates the use of integration propaganda.