Propaganda & Rhetoric

Who is this? What is he trying to sell you?

Remember Rhetoric? Rhetoric (n) - the art of speaking or writing effectively. Persuasion is achieved through three persuasive appeals: 1.Ethos—character/credibility 2.Logos—reason 3.Pathos—emotion(s)

Propaganda defined 1.Information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc. 2.The deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc. 3.The particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization or movement. 4.Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist. —Garth S. Jowett and Victoria O'Donnell, Propaganda and Persuasion

Name Calling Links a person, or idea to a negative symbol. Hope that the audience will reject the person or idea based on the negative symbol, instead of looking at the available evidence Examples: “commie”, “fascist”, “pig”, “yuppie”, “bum”, “terrorist”

Glittering Generalities Seeks to make us approve and accept without examining the evidence Words such as: civilization, Christianity, good, proper, right, democracy, patriotism, motherhood, fatherhood, science, medicine, health and love Examples: McDonald’s “Happy Meal”, Dallas Cowboys are “America’s Team”, KFC is “finger-lickin’ good”

Testimonial Using someone or something famous to promote a product. Individuals may not have any idea what they are promoting, or even use the product. Examples: Bono supporting AIDS education, Oprah’s book club, Tiger Woods w/ Nike, etc.

Bandwagon “everyone else is doing it…” Emotional effort to push or pull you along with the group. Example: TV Ad: “Four out of five dentists surveyed preferred Crest toothpaste.”

Fear plays on deep-seated fears; warns the audience that disaster will result if they do not follow

Logical Fallacies Drawing conclusions based on logical premises. Ex: 2= a number, 1= a number, therefore 2=1 Ex: Christians believe in God, and Muslims believe in God, therefore Christians and Muslims are the same

Plain Folks Appeal an attempt by the propagandist to convince the public that his views reflect those of the common person and that they are also working for the benefit of the common person.

Transfer Transfer is often used in politics and during wartime. It is an attempt to make the subject view a certain item in the same way as they view another item, to link the two in the subjects mind. Using symbols such as the flag, prayer, a cross, etc

Card Stacking only presenting information that is positive to an idea or proposal and omitting information contrary to it.

Humor Jokes, cartoons, and/or images that are used to make the consumer laugh and likely think favorably about a product

Sex Appeal Using sexuality and/or sexual innuendo to cause the consumer to look favorably upon a product

Euphemism Substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit or a kinder, gentler way of expressing something bad or negative Examples: wardrobe malfunction, pre-owned cars, passed away

Task #1: Analyzing Propaganda Techniques in Print Advertisements View each of the following: content/uploads/2008/02/obama_endorsement.jpghttp://blog.factor1studios.com/wp- content/uploads/2008/02/obama_endorsement.jpg 7. ad-commercial.jpghttp://inventorspot.com/files/images/superman-got-milk- ad-commercial.jpg

Task #2: Analyzing Rhetoric & Propaganda Directions: Go to the following website: Using the handout provided, analyze the following political ads: National Rifle Association- "Hunter"- Sept. 22, 2008 Obama- "Low Road"- July 30, 2008 McCain- "Original Maverick"- Sept. 7, 2008 Obama- "Original"- Aug. 6, 2008 McCain- "Celeb"- July 30, 2008 Obama- "Don't Know Much"- Aug. 22, 2008