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1-Page Summary of Propaganda
Overview
Propaganda is all around us. It convinces us to buy things we don’t need and vote for people who only care about themselves. Fortunately, we can fight it by identifying the techniques that are used in propaganda and understanding how they work.
In the past, leaders had to use force and power to get their way. Nowadays, they have a more subtle approach called persuasion. They influence people’s opinions by controlling what they see and hear so that it aligns with the leader’s agenda.
However, persuasion and propaganda aren’t limited to politics. In fact, we are constantly subject to it from companies and other organizations that want us to buy things against our better judgment or join their cults.
The good news is that we can learn to recognize propaganda and understand how it’s used. This will help us make better decisions in our lives.
In this article, you will learn the difference between persuasion and propaganda. You’ll also discover how Rush Limbaugh refers to his supporters as “dittoheads” and why it’s important to protect your kids from propaganda.
Big Idea #1: Persuasion is the result of logical thinking and considering different viewpoints.
Persuasion is common in today’s society. There are people who use persuasion techniques to sway others’ decisions, but this isn’t always bad. They’re trying to offer us the opportunity to make informed choices grounded in facts and information. A typical persuasive technique is to state both an argument and a counterargument, only to immediately disprove the counterargument based on facts that support one’s case.
Persuasion often occurs through long discussions in which one person’s opinion is changed by another person’s argument. The persuaded person clearly recognizes that his opinion has been changed, and he accepts it. This type of persuasion is based on the central route of information processing, which transfers information through detailed argumentation and is crucial to successful persuasion.
Persuasion is the ability to change someone’s mind or attitude. People who are persuaded centrally focus on gathering information before making a decision, and they’re not easily swayed by superficial factors. They can think for themselves and weigh different sides of an argument. Because of this, people who are persuadable central tend to make educated decisions based on their own research rather than following others blindly.
However, not all arguments are so straightforward. In the following, you’ll learn about a specific technique of persuasion that’s used in politics and business; it’s called propaganda. You can find this everywhere as well.
Big Idea #2: Propaganda is used to confuse people and get them to believe something without realizing it.
Propaganda is different from persuasion. Propaganda isn’t intended to make people think about the issue, but rather it’s aimed at influencing their opinions without them realizing it.
To persuade people, propagandists use language that’s positive and framed in a way that makes it appear attractive. This distracts the audience from thinking about whether or not what is being said is true.
For example, consumers are more likely to buy products that have a lower fat content. They like the idea of buying something with less fat than normal. For instance, people prefer to buy ground beef if it’s labeled as 75% lean instead of 25% fat. Similarly, gas stations advertise discounts on cash purchases because they don’t want credit card surcharges (which is actually what causes the discount).
Persuasion relies on a consumer’s ability to think critically and evaluate the arguments being made. Propaganda, however, is more about distracting consumers from thinking critically by making them too tired or distracted to pay attention. For example, advertisers selling products rarely provide compelling reasons why people should buy their product; they rely instead on gimmicks that are hard for people to analyze.
