"Thanks to the clever and persistent use of advertising, even paradise can be portrayed as hell for people and, on the contrary, as a miserable life like paradise." ADOLF HITLER, MY FIGHT.
With the development of the media, from print media to telephone, radio, television and the Internet, the flow of compelling news has accelerated dramatically. This revolution in communication has resulted in an information overload as people are inundated with countless messages from all corners. Many respond to this pressure by absorbing and accepting messages faster without questioning or analyzing them.
The seasoned propagandist likes these acronyms, especially those that bypass rational thinking. Advertising promotes this by evoking emotions, exploring uncertainties, using the ambiguity of language, and bypassing the rules of logic. As history shows, this tactic can be too effective.
A propaganda story
Today the word "propaganda" has a negative connotation, suggesting dishonest tactics, but that was not the original meaning of the term. "Propaganda" apparently comes from the Latin name of a group of Roman Catholic cardinals, the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide (Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith). This committee, called Propaganda for short, was founded in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV. Established to oversee missionaries. Gradually, "propaganda" has become an effort to spread a belief.
However, the concept of advertising wasn't born in the 17th century. Since ancient times, people have used whatever means available to spread ideologies or to improve fame and power. For example, art has been used for propaganda purposes since the time of the Egyptian pharaohs. These kings designed their pyramids to convey an image of power and sustainability. The architecture of the Romans also had a political goal: the glorification of the state. The term "propaganda" acquired a generally negative connotation during World War I when governments began to take an active role in shaping the war information to be disseminated by the media. During the Second World War, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels proved to be great propagandists.
After World War II, propaganda became an increasingly important tool in promoting national politics. The western and eastern blocs have campaigned tirelessly to win over the great mass of the uncommitted people on their side. All aspects of national life and politics were examined for propaganda purposes. In recent years, the increasing sophistication of advertising techniques has manifested itself in both election campaigns and advertising for tobacco companies. So-called experts and other leaders have portrayed smoking as glamorous and healthy rather than the public health threat that it really is.
Lying!
The propagandist's most useful trick is surely the use of lies. Take, for example, the lies that Martin Luther wrote about the Jews of Europe in 1543: “They poisoned wells, they committed murders, they kidnapped children. . . They are poisonous, bitter, vengeful, deceitful, murderous and the devil's snake children who sting and hurt. His admonition to so-called Christians? “They set fire to their synagogues or schools. . . Their homes must also be destroyed and destroyed. ""
A government and social science professor who was studying this time said, "Anti-Semitism has basically nothing to do with the actions of Jews, and therefore has nothing to do with knowing the nature of a person. Anti-Semitic Jews. He also notes," The Jews defended everything that was wrong, and so the reflexive response to some natural or social evil has been to resort to so-called Jewish sources. "
Make generalizations
Another very successful advertising tactic is generalization. Generalizations tend to hide important facts about real-world problems and are often used to downgrade entire groups of people. For example, "Gypsies [or immigrants] are thieves" is a phrase that is common in some European countries. But is that true?
Richardos Someritis, a columnist, says these perceptions caused a kind of "xenophobic and often racist madness" against foreigners in one country. However, it has been shown that the guilty party of crime in this country is equally likely to be local or foreign. For example, Someritis notes that research shows that in Greece "96 out of 100 crimes are committed by [Greeks]". "The causes of criminal activity are economic and social," he notes, "not" racist. "He accuses the media of" systematically cultivating xenophobia and racism "by reporting biased crime.
insult
Some people offend those who disagree with them by questioning their character or motives instead of focusing on the facts. When naming names, a negative, easy-to-remember label is put on a person, group, or idea. The caller expects the label to stick. If people reject the person or idea based on negative labels instead of weighing the evidence themselves, the caller's strategy worked.
In recent years, for example, a strong anti-cult mood has spread in many European countries and beyond. This trend provoked emotions, created the image of an enemy and reinforced existing prejudices against religious minorities. "Sect" is often the motto. "'Sect' is another word for 'heretic', wrote the German professor Martin Kriele in 1993," and a heretic in Germany is today as in other times [doomed to extermination], if not by fire. . . , then for character murder, isolation, and economic destruction ”.
The Institute for Propaganda Analysis states that “Bad names have played an extremely important role in world history and in our individual development. You ruined your reputation. . . He sent [the people] to the prison cells and drove the men crazy enough to go into battle and kill those around them. ""
Play with emotions
Although feelings are irrelevant to factual statements or the logic of an argument, they play a crucial role in persuasion. Emotional connections are made by seasoned advertisers who touch emotions with the same skill that a virtuoso plays the piano with.
For example, fear is an emotion that can obscure judgment. And as with envy, you can play with fear. The Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail reported from Moscow on February 15, 1999: "When three girls committed suicide in Moscow last week, the Russian media immediately suggested that they were fanatical supporters of Jehovah's Witnesses." Notice the word "fanatic". Of course, people would be afraid of a fanatical religious organization leading young people to suicide. Were these unhappy girls really related to Jehovah's Witnesses in any way?
O Globo continued, “The police later admitted that the girls had nothing to do with [Jehovah's Witnesses]. By then, a Moscow television station had already launched a new attack on the sect, telling viewers that the Jehovah's Witnesses had collaborated with Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, despite historical evidence that thousands of ses “in the minds of the uninformed public and maybe afraid, Jehovah's Witnesses were suicide cult or Nazi collaborators!
Hate is a powerful emotion that propagandists take advantage of. The charged language triggers them particularly effectively. There seem to be an almost infinite number of uncomfortable words that encourage and exploit hatred against certain racial, ethnic or religious groups.
Some propagandists play with pride. We can often identify links of pride by looking for keywords like, "Every intelligent person knows that. . "or" Someone with your education cannot miss this. . . “A reverse call to pride plays with our fear of looking stupid. Persuasion professionals know this very well.
Slogans and symbols
Slogans are vague statements that are often used to express positions or goals. Their inaccuracy makes them easy to agree with.
In times of crisis or conflict, demagogues can use slogans such as "My country, true or false", "Fatherland, religion, family" or "Freedom or death". But do most people carefully analyze the real problems of a crisis or conflict? Or do they just accept what they are told?
Winston Churchill wrote of World War I: “It only takes one sign to turn this multitude of peasants and peaceful workers into powerful hosts who will part ways. In addition, he noticed that most people, without receiving instructions, reacted without thinking.
The propagandist also has a variety of symbols and signs to convey his message: a 21-gun salute, a military salute, a flag. Parents' love can also be exploited. Symbols such as home, home or the mother church are therefore valuable tools in the hands of discerning convincers.
The artistic art of advertising can paralyze thinking, prevent clear thinking and perception, and induce individuals to act en masse. How can you protect yourself?