Propaganda Notes

• Propaganda: Technique used to promote a one-sided argument aimed at winning people over to a cause, such as a political movement.

• Bias:Information that is slanted toward a particular opinion. A member of a particular political party would be biased toward promoting their party as superior.

Propaganda Techniques

• Loaded Words:Words that cause an instant, subconscious positive or negative reaction. Ex: free, liberty, slum

• Name Calling:Attaching a loaded word to a person.Ex: Yuppie, terrorist

• Euphemisms:Substitution of soft words/phrases for harsh ones.Ex: “used car” “pre-owned car”

• “Bandwagon”:Join a movement because everyone else is.Ex: “If your neighbor uses our landscaping specialists, why shouldn’t you?”

• Testimonial:Using someone to make a claim seem more reliable.Ex: “My doctor told me…” or “The president says…”

• Bad Logic:An argument based on false premises. Ex: “All cats are smart. Mittens is a cat. Therefore, Mittens is smart”

• Fear:A warning that disaster may occur if a person does not follow a given course of action. Ex: “Use a tic tac or suffer the embarrassment of having bad breath”

• Stereotyping:Lumping all members of a group together without recognizing individuals.Ex: “All immigrants are dirty.”