The Making of a Dystopian Society 1984 and Brave New World

What is surveillance? Close observation of a person or a group

The Panopticon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVTKHI5ovyc

Questions to Think About What are some advantages of a panopticon society? Would you behave differently if you knew someone was watching you 24/7?

Censorship, Surveillance, Propaganda All three work together to create a perfect society for the Party to have complete control over the citizens of Ocenia. What is used to control the citizens in Brave New World?

Technology!! Rigid control of reproduction through technological and medical intervention including: 1)surgical removal of ovaries, 2) the Bokanovsky Process 3) hypnopaedic conditioning Complicated entertainment machines Soma!!

The Results for both Societies 1984 complete government control = government surveillance + secret police + torture Brave New World complete government control = technological interventions that start before birth and last until death that change what people want

What is propaganda? Information used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view; can be biased or misleading

Propaganda vs. Argument vs. Persuasion Argument: promotes the truth Persuasion: promotes a particular opinion that is rooted in truth

Examples of Persuasive Posters

Nazi Propaganda One people, one government, one leader!"

What’s your reaction to the following quote? “[Propagandists must have] a fine and sure instinct for the often changeable feelings of the people. They must be able to reach into the world of the broad masses and draw out their wishes and hopes… Good propaganda does not need to lie, indeed it may not lie. It is a mistake to believe that people cannot take the truth. They can. It is only a matter of presenting the truth to people in a way that they will be able to understand.” -Joseph Goebbels

How do writers present the truth in a persuasive manner? They play on the “changeable feelings of the people” Emotional language Choosing words to create an emotional response (fear, anger, joy, nationalism) Scape-goating Blaming Jews/Blaming other countries (plays on the people’s fears) Connotation A words implicit meaning “cheap” versus “inexpensive” Through precise word choice, writers are able to “draw out [the audiences] wishes and hopes”

Persuasive Techinques “Good propaganda does not need to lie, indeed it may not lie” Lying decreases the speakers credibility However, “…presenting the truth to people in a way that they will be able to understand” is a useful tool for persuasive writers Semantic slanting Deliberately choosing words/ideas/facts to create a specific response 75% fat free versus 25% fat

So why did the Nazis use propaganda?

Two Purposes To create a positive image of Hitler and the Nazi Party To create a negative view of those considered to be enemies, particularly Jews

Hitler’s Propaganda Methods Present simple themes in a repetitive manner Appeal to emotion rather than intellect Have broad appeal to the masses Focus mainly on one enemy - Claim that this enemy is at the root of all problems

Propaganda: Pervasive in Nazi Germany Images – Posters, Book and Newspaper Illustrations Spoken Word – Nazi Speeches and Radio broadcasts; Songs and slogans Printed Word – “Der Sturmer” ; Academic publications; School curricula Dramatic - cinema (i.e. Triumph of the Will; The Eternal Jew; Jud Suss); Party Rallies

Hitler as the Heroic Leader

Hitler Brings Unity

Appeals to Traditional Values Motherhood “German Women Think of Your Children Vote Hitler”

Youthful Idealism

Goals of Anti-Jewish Propaganda To connect Jews to every problem facing Germany and every other group seen as opponents To reinforce traditional negative stereotypes about Jews To create a climate of contempt toward Jews To dehumanize the image of Jews (to facilitate discrimination, segregation, exile, and murder)

The Jew as Eugenic Threat “With satanic joy in his face, the black-haired Jewish youth lurks in wait for the unsuspecting girl whom he defiles with his blood, thus stealing her from her people. With every means he tries to destroy the racial foundations of the people he has set out to subjugate.” Adolf Hitler - Mein Kampf

Nazi propaganda poster blaming Jews for the war

The Jew as Communist From the cover of the book The Eternal Jew

From an advertising poster for a movie The Jew as demonic From an advertising poster for a movie

Jews portrayed as vermin Dehumanizing Images: Jews portrayed as vermin

Overrun by Inferior Peoples Other groups such as the "Gypsies" and Africans were also inferior according to Hitler.  He played on fears that Germans would one day be outnumbered by the "inferior peoples."

Results of Propaganda “True Believers” are empowered by propaganda to engage in behavior that would otherwise be forbidden. Propaganda shifts the “frame of reference” regarding the subject. Formerly extreme ideas enter legitimate discussion. The “piling on” effect mutes opposition.

And how to deal with other countries?? And since other countries were doing the same thing, Germany warned its own citizens how to deal with enemy propaganda: "Warning! Enemy Propaganda!  In modern warfare, weapons, the economy, physical resources and organization play a role. So too do spirit and soul. A new and sinister weapon is used against a nation's spiritual strength: Propaganda!“ Listening to enemy broadcasts was strictly forbidden.

But what about the US? Were they creating propaganda too? Check it out… https://youtu.be/kmDYgL17thk

Lessons for Today Learn to recognize and interpret propaganda and to distinguish it from legitimate attempts to inform. Recognize distortions embedded in public communication (i.e. - stereotypes, misuse of statistics, over-generalization, guilt by association, etc..) Recognize that images and words are important because they create the social climate – which will tend either toward respect or contempt.