The Fine Art of Propaganda

This book was originally published in 1939, although it was reprinted in 1972. It's a very interesting analysis of propaganda, using a priest named Father Coughlin who had a radio show during the time, and who was basically a Facist.

The book discusses the various facets of what propaganda is and how those facets are used, and then analyzes a speech by Father Coughlin, showing how he used the various facets in his speech.

It's an interesting book, and the material on propaganda still holds. I don't know, though, why it was reprinted in 1972, as the entire book is geared around Father Coughlin who was no longer relevant in 1972.

The author writes that "Never before has there been so much propaganda."" Fortunately, he gives us a definition of the term from the Institute for Propaganda Analysis. They define propaganda as:

"..expression of opinion or action by individuals or groups deliberately designed to influence opinions or actions of other individuals or groups with reference to predetermined ends."

The author then establishes the ABC's of Propaganda Analysis, to help people analyze the things that are told to them that are really propaganda.

ASCERTAIN: the conflict element in the propaganda you are analyzing. All propaganda contains a conflict element in some form or other-either as cause, or as effect, or as both cause and effect.

BEHOLD: your own reacton to this conflict element. It is always necessary to know and to take into consideration our own opinions with regard to a conflict situation about which we feel strongly, on which we are prone to take sides. This information permits us to become more objective in our analysis.”

CONCERN: yourself with today's propagandas associated with today's conflicts. These are the ones that affect directly our income, business, working conditions, health, education, and religious, political, and social responsibilities. It is all too easy to analyze some old example of propaganda, now having little relation to vital issues.”

Doubt: that your opinions are 'your very own.' They usually aren't. Our opinions, even with respect to today's propagandas, have been largely determined for us by inheritance and environment. The author says we are born into a race; we are born into a religion; we are born into an ethnic class, an economic class, and even a general location. All of that will influence what we are told by others is true.

“Evaluate, therefore, with the greatest care, your own propaganda. We must learn clearly why we act and believe as we do with respect to various conflicts and issues-political, economic, social, and religious.”

"Find the Facts before you come to any conclusion. There is usually plenty of time to form a conclusion and believe in it later on."

"Guard, always, finally, against omnibus words. They are the words that make us the easy dupes of propagandists. Omnibus or carryall words are words that are extraordinarily difficult to define. They carry all sorts of meanings to the various sorts of men. Therefore, the best test for the truth or falsity of propaganda lies in specific and concrete definitions of the words and symbols used by the propagandist."

The author then brings up the various tricks used by propagandists.

1. Name Calling-giving an idea a bad label is used to make us reject and condemn the idea without examining the evidence.

2. Glittering Generality-associating something with a 'virtue word'-is used to make us accept and approve the thing without examining the evidence.

3. Transfer carries the authority, sanction, and prestige of something respected and revered over to something else in order to make the latter acceptable; or it carries authority, sanction, and disapproval to cause us to reject and disapprove something the propagandist would have us reject and disapprove.

4. Testimonial consists in having some respected or hated person say that a given idea or program or product or person is good or bad.

5. The Plain Folks is the method by which a speaker attempts to convince his audience that he and his ideas are good because they are 'of the people,' the 'plain folks.'

6. Card Stacking involves the selection and use of facts or falsehoods, illustrations or distractions, and logical or illogical statements in order to give the best or the worst possible case for an idea, program, person, or product.

7. Band Wagon has as its theme, 'Everybody-at least all of us-is doing it'; with it, the propagandist attempts to convince us that all members of a group to which we belong are accepting his program and that we must therefore follow out crowed and 'jump on the band wagon.'

The author has something very interesting to say about religion and government.

'Our ancestors who rebelled against the dictation of their religious beliefs by a political regime wanted to make certain that in the United States religion would be a personal and not a national affair. If we should begin to narrow our definition of religion, we might once again reach the stage where only Presbyterians, Methodists, Catholics, or some other faith would be called 'religious,' and all others would be classed as 'atheists,' 'heretics,' or 'pagans.' In the history of all too many of our faiths are the records of the stake, the rack, the pillory, and the ducking stool, the prices the faithful have paid at other times or in other countries for disagreement with an established religion.'

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