Propaganda - The Crucible
Terve!
We will be continuing the discussion of bias in society and how propaganda has the potential to lead to a human rights violation similar to The Salem witch hunts and McCarthyism.
Probably every conflict is fought on at least two grounds: the battlefield and the minds of the people via propaganda. The
In democracies, people like to believe that they and their countries are generally good, for if it was any other way then it brings into moral question all they know and hold dear. The histories of some nations may have involved overcoming adversaries for legitimate reasons (e.g. the American war to gain its independence and freedom from the British Empire was one based on strong moral grounds of freedom from the imperial rule). Such important history is often recounted and remembered as part of the collective culture of the country and those same values are projected into modern times. Propaganda sometimes works by creating the fear of losing such cherished values. As Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy based his entire cross-examination and publicity towards McCarthyism on fear.
McCarthyism, the name was given to the period of time in American history produced a series of investigations and hearings during the 1950s in an effort to expose supposed communist infiltration of various areas of the U.S. government.
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, people were being accused of witchcraft, and during the Red Scare people were being accused of communism. The people who were a victim of any of these false accusations faced crude punishments. The downfall of the Salem Witch Trials, in The Crucible, and the Red Scare was when the accusers were pointing their fingers at people who weren’t enemies. In The Crucible the Puritans started accusing people who have never committed a crime in their life and who are harmless. During the Red Scare, McCarthy started accusing allies, and that’s when people stop believing his accusations. When people realized these accusations were false, the Salem Witch Trial and The Red Scare lost their supporters very quickly. Without the support of the people, the accusers were powerless and lost control. The loss of power inevitably led to the downfall of the Salem Witch Trials and The Red Scare.
"We must remember that in time of war what is said on the enemy’s side of the front is always propaganda, and what is said on our side of the front is truth and righteousness, the cause of humanity and a crusade for peace."
- Walter Lippmann
We will be continuing the discussion of bias in society and how propaganda has the potential to lead to a human rights violation similar to The Salem witch hunts and McCarthyism.
Probably every conflict is fought on at least two grounds: the battlefield and the minds of the people via propaganda. The
good guysand the
bad guyscan often both be guilty of misleading their people with distortions, exaggerations, subjectivity, inaccuracy and even fabrications, in order to receive support and a sense of legitimacy. Propaganda can serve to rally people behind a cause, but often at the cost of exaggerating, misrepresenting, or even lying about the issues in order to gain that support. While the issue of propaganda often is discussed in the context of militarism, war, and war-mongering, it is around us in all aspects of life. For instance, the mainstream media typically interview retired military personnel for many conflict-related issues, or treat official government sources as fact, rather than just one perspective that needs to be verified and researched.
In democracies, people like to believe that they and their countries are generally good, for if it was any other way then it brings into moral question all they know and hold dear. The histories of some nations may have involved overcoming adversaries for legitimate reasons (e.g. the American war to gain its independence and freedom from the British Empire was one based on strong moral grounds of freedom from the imperial rule). Such important history is often recounted and remembered as part of the collective culture of the country and those same values are projected into modern times. Propaganda sometimes works by creating the fear of losing such cherished values. As Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy based his entire cross-examination and publicity towards McCarthyism on fear.
McCarthyism, the name was given to the period of time in American history produced a series of investigations and hearings during the 1950s in an effort to expose supposed communist infiltration of various areas of the U.S. government.
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, people were being accused of witchcraft, and during the Red Scare people were being accused of communism. The people who were a victim of any of these false accusations faced crude punishments. The downfall of the Salem Witch Trials, in The Crucible, and the Red Scare was when the accusers were pointing their fingers at people who weren’t enemies. In The Crucible the Puritans started accusing people who have never committed a crime in their life and who are harmless. During the Red Scare, McCarthy started accusing allies, and that’s when people stop believing his accusations. When people realized these accusations were false, the Salem Witch Trial and The Red Scare lost their supporters very quickly. Without the support of the people, the accusers were powerless and lost control. The loss of power inevitably led to the downfall of the Salem Witch Trials and The Red Scare.
Why Foreign Propaganda Is More Dangerous Now by Samatha Power is an article depicting modern propaganda on a larger scale. The article speaks of the 2016 election in the United States, referencing to George Washington's Farewell Address in 1796 that urged the people not to be influenced. The author connects this to the meddling that occurred in the recent presidential election. As there have been debates about democracy regarding strengthening cybersecurity, voting platforms, and not to be overall disrupted by falsehoods. Power touches upon tampering that was tried to be done by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. As their main objective at the time was to make sure Ronald Reagan didn't get re-elected, they pushed there to be anti-Reagan propaganda into Western media. Though connecting this to the threats of present-day, the author indicates the spread of fake news on social media platforms such as Facebooks. There's also mention of how foreign countries may take advantage of this.
There is the illustration of the consequences of propaganda and the international harm it can create.
In this piece of propaganda, Is This Tomorrow: America Under Communism was the cover of a comic book by Kari Therrian. It shows what tomorrow ‘could’ look like for Americans if the United States became a Communist country. It shows the flag in flames, and innocent citizens being abused by Communists.
Then was a poster commissioned by the Communist Party of New Zealand in the 1940s. The slogan, “This Way To Progress”, and the designers choice of having every element in the poster directed to the right-hand side of the page, combine to represent the notion that communism is the answer to take the world forward.
The propaganda connects to those used during the Red Scare, which was a 1940s-50s promotion of widespread fear and hysteria over the perceived threat posed by Communists in the U.S. and The Crucible by a working definition of propaganda might be in order: "the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person." Certainly, this definition would apply to Abigail. Her histrionics at dinner that evening and the idea that since Elizabeth owns a poppet, given to her by Mary, she must be responsible for Abigail's supposed pain is an example of propaganda. It is propaganda because it is rooted in the spreading of a rumor in the hopes of making Elizabeth seem as a witch, causing her both a lack of reputation and her imprisonment along with eventual death so that she can get John Proctor to herself. In Act II, Abigail has mastered the ability to peddle her propaganda to discredit those who she perceives as an enemy. For Abigail, the injury to people like Elizabeth is the most important end. Her use of propaganda in the form of rumor and insinuation to accomplish this is evident in Act II, scene 4.
In What Radicalizes Young Men? This Show Tells You via Whatsapp by Andrzej Lukowski, it focuses on the harm that propaganda can promote especially with young men in the modern world. There is also a propagandized interest to the article itself, the author is assuming that young men are being radicalized and specifically give a somewhat promotional appeal towards Whatsapp.
"The Believers Are But Brothers", which goes towards the excessive use of gaming and social media with the younger generation. The author believes that it explores a world in which the Taliban and the United States Army trade insults on Twitter, in which young people watch horrifying propaganda videos for entertainment and in which “becoming radicalized” can be no more (or less) meaningful than a game of Call of Duty. Though it does exhibit another side such as Javaad Alipoor who first hand understood the radicalization of others and decided to show others the suffering Syrian children go through because of it. As these Believers aren't truly about ideology like other extreme groups but technology and its impact on masculinity. It appears that technology and the branding of social media as well as video games because of how dangerous they're becoming.
This article goes to show that the impacts of public relations cannot be underestimated. In the commercial world, marketing and advertising are typically needed to make people aware of products. There are many issues in that area alone (which is looked at in this site’s section on corporate media.) When it comes to propaganda for purposes of war, for example, professional public relations firms can often be involved to help sell a war. In cases where a war is questionable, the PR firms are indirectly contributing to the eventual and therefore unavoidable casualties. Media management may also be used to promote certain political policies and ideologies. Where this is problematic for the citizenry is when media reports on various issues do not attribute their sources properly.
This is an issue because it affects American society by doing this it creates an atmosphere of fear and distrust amongst one another. As the US and Russia have had confliction in the past and one of America's direct strikes against them have been the Red Scare in the late 1940-50s during the Cold War. In the first article, it appears that this tension is rising once again, especially with Russia's meddling in the presidential election. Then in the second article is pertains to the dangers of young men in society becoming hostile and the cause of that being the internet.
This possesses a global effect because the battle of narratives has become the bedrock of international politics, and social media a powerful tool to fight this battle. The unique characteristic of social media is that it empowers and enables individuals to engage in ways unseen before.
There is the illustration of the consequences of propaganda and the international harm it can create.
In this piece of propaganda, Is This Tomorrow: America Under Communism was the cover of a comic book by Kari Therrian. It shows what tomorrow ‘could’ look like for Americans if the United States became a Communist country. It shows the flag in flames, and innocent citizens being abused by Communists.
Then was a poster commissioned by the Communist Party of New Zealand in the 1940s. The slogan, “This Way To Progress”, and the designers choice of having every element in the poster directed to the right-hand side of the page, combine to represent the notion that communism is the answer to take the world forward.
The propaganda connects to those used during the Red Scare, which was a 1940s-50s promotion of widespread fear and hysteria over the perceived threat posed by Communists in the U.S. and The Crucible by a working definition of propaganda might be in order: "the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person." Certainly, this definition would apply to Abigail. Her histrionics at dinner that evening and the idea that since Elizabeth owns a poppet, given to her by Mary, she must be responsible for Abigail's supposed pain is an example of propaganda. It is propaganda because it is rooted in the spreading of a rumor in the hopes of making Elizabeth seem as a witch, causing her both a lack of reputation and her imprisonment along with eventual death so that she can get John Proctor to herself. In Act II, Abigail has mastered the ability to peddle her propaganda to discredit those who she perceives as an enemy. For Abigail, the injury to people like Elizabeth is the most important end. Her use of propaganda in the form of rumor and insinuation to accomplish this is evident in Act II, scene 4.In What Radicalizes Young Men? This Show Tells You via Whatsapp by Andrzej Lukowski, it focuses on the harm that propaganda can promote especially with young men in the modern world. There is also a propagandized interest to the article itself, the author is assuming that young men are being radicalized and specifically give a somewhat promotional appeal towards Whatsapp.
"The Believers Are But Brothers", which goes towards the excessive use of gaming and social media with the younger generation. The author believes that it explores a world in which the Taliban and the United States Army trade insults on Twitter, in which young people watch horrifying propaganda videos for entertainment and in which “becoming radicalized” can be no more (or less) meaningful than a game of Call of Duty. Though it does exhibit another side such as Javaad Alipoor who first hand understood the radicalization of others and decided to show others the suffering Syrian children go through because of it. As these Believers aren't truly about ideology like other extreme groups but technology and its impact on masculinity. It appears that technology and the branding of social media as well as video games because of how dangerous they're becoming.
This article goes to show that the impacts of public relations cannot be underestimated. In the commercial world, marketing and advertising are typically needed to make people aware of products. There are many issues in that area alone (which is looked at in this site’s section on corporate media.) When it comes to propaganda for purposes of war, for example, professional public relations firms can often be involved to help sell a war. In cases where a war is questionable, the PR firms are indirectly contributing to the eventual and therefore unavoidable casualties. Media management may also be used to promote certain political policies and ideologies. Where this is problematic for the citizenry is when media reports on various issues do not attribute their sources properly.
This is an issue because it affects American society by doing this it creates an atmosphere of fear and distrust amongst one another. As the US and Russia have had confliction in the past and one of America's direct strikes against them have been the Red Scare in the late 1940-50s during the Cold War. In the first article, it appears that this tension is rising once again, especially with Russia's meddling in the presidential election. Then in the second article is pertains to the dangers of young men in society becoming hostile and the cause of that being the internet.
This possesses a global effect because the battle of narratives has become the bedrock of international politics, and social media a powerful tool to fight this battle. The unique characteristic of social media is that it empowers and enables individuals to engage in ways unseen before.
All Love, Aya ♥
works
- Power, Samantha. “Samantha Power: Why Foreign Propaganda Is More Dangerous Now.” The New York Times, World Review, 19 Sept. 2017.
- Jordan, Caitlin. “50 Powerful Examples Of Visual Propaganda And The Meanings Behind Them.” Learn, Canva, 6 Oct. 2015.
- Lukowski, Andrzej. “What Radicalizes Young Men? This Show Tells You via WhatsApp.” The New York Times, Theater, 30 Jan. 2018.
- Power, Samantha. “Samantha Power: Why Foreign Propaganda Is More Dangerous Now.” The New York Times, World Review, 19 Sept. 2017.
- Jordan, Caitlin. “50 Powerful Examples Of Visual Propaganda And The Meanings Behind Them.” Learn, Canva, 6 Oct. 2015.
- Lukowski, Andrzej. “What Radicalizes Young Men? This Show Tells You via WhatsApp.” The New York Times, Theater, 30 Jan. 2018.
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