[July 09, 2014] As a teenager, my friends and I were lukewarm to high school learning … it was something we simply had to do. Yet, I do fondly remember our track coach teaching us about “leadership and propaganda”. His message was prophetic – you will be consumed by propaganda unless you are taught the leadership and knowledge to recognize it. We began by reading George Orwell’s book Animal Farm1; a tool to teach and remember about leadership and propaganda.
“Four legs good, two legs bad.” – The sheep in Animal Farm
The book Animal Farm is a satirical tale against the brutal dictator Joseph Stalin and the USSR. It warns us about government that gains too much power. In the book, the animals take over the farm from farmer Jones and begin a way of thinking called Animalism – the techniques used to teach and attract the animals to it, are various forms of propaganda. Animalism teaches that all animals are good and all humans are bad (Four legs good, two legs bad.).
Leadership means being aware of propaganda, having the thinking and analytical ability to recognize it and not be unduly influenced by it. Leadership also means ensuring that those you lead have the same abilities. What is difficult for the leader is to be clear on propaganda, something not always defined well. Below are seven of many accepted propaganda types:
- Bandwagon – To convince the audience to do or believe something because everyone else is doing it.
- Plain Folks – Suggesting something is practical and a good value for ordinary people.
- Glittering Generality – Using words so strongly positive in emotional content that just hearing them makes you feel good. The words express a positive meaning without actually giving a guarantee.
- Transfer – Transferring good looks, feelings, or ideas to the person who the propaganda is meant to influence. Suggests the positive qualities to be associated with the product and the user.
- Testimonial – Using a famous person to endorse the product.
- Repetition – Using the product name or a keyword or phrase over and over.
- Name Calling- Using harsh/kind words to make a point effective.
“One cannot wage war under present conditions without the support of public opinion, which is tremendously molded by the press and other forms of propaganda.” – Douglas MacArthur
In short, propaganda is all around us … but it is the most insidious forms, those forms that pose the most danger to us, of those we must be aware.
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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm