Analyzing Intention of Words or Expressions Used in Propaganda Techniques

Propaganda is a form of communication which is intended to manipulate, mislead,

distort, and influence the attitude and the way of thinking of people toward an
issue.

In listening to propaganda, you should know how to discern and make critical
judgments to help you see if the propaganda is truthful or factual, or if they are
flawed or merely opinions.

To know how propaganda manipulates and distorts truth, here are some devices or
techniques which are commonly used to covertly control or persuade people.

1. Bandwagon – a kind of propaganda device which entices everyone to come and join
since everyone else is doing it already. This device is very common in food,
shampoo, and soft drink commercials or advertisements.

2. Glittering Generalities – this is a propaganda device that uses strong emotional

words or highly valued concepts such as love, freedom, and honor to arouse
passionate emotions. Though the concepts are vague, they have positive and moral
connotations which are intended to arouse trust and confidence among audiences and
readers.
(For example: Make America Great Again!)

3. Testimonials – this is a propaganda device where a public figure or a celebrity

promotes or endorses a product or a political candidate. The intention of using
this technique is for the people to identify themselves with the celebrity endorser
and to make the celebrity’s opinion and beliefs as their own.

4. Name-Calling – This is a propaganda device that makes people form judgments

without benefit of evidence on which the judgment should be based. The intention of
this propaganda is to incite or invoke fear and to arouse prejudices.
Ex: “My opponents in the presidential race are cowards.”
“This is why a woman shouldn’t do a man's job.”

5. Plain Folks – this device is used to present wealthy and powerful as common or
ordinary people. The purpose of using this technique is to win people’s trust and
confidence.

6. Stereotyping – in this propaganda device, people hold negative judgment or

unpleasant public belief about a certain group of people or individual who do not
belong to their class or level. Their attitude stems from a generalization which
leads to inaccuracies. Like name- calling, the purpose of using this type of
propaganda is to arouse the prejudices of an audience. The most widespread
categories of stereotyping are race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and
physical ability.
Ex: “All trans people are mentally ill.”