“Good” Propaganda

Exploring The Nature Of Propaganda

T. G. George

AS ENTERTAINING AS MRS MANSFIELD’S HISTORY CLASSES ARE, occasionally the unorthodox nature of the militaristic rise to dictatorship in interwar Japan does not stimulate my scurrying mind. Then I find myself peering over to the masses of propaganda littered across Ma’ams wall. You’d think the Domino Effect is live and well, being fuelled out of Shore school. A threatening array of angry communists look down upon you, epitomised by a solemn quote “WE SMITE THE LAZY WORKERS”. A potentially archaic, but effective way of making students do work. Thankfully, when I questioned her communist allegiance, she simply said, “I just like good propaganda”.

We Smite the Lazy Workers

So, what is good propaganda?

Propaganda is communication that is designed to persuade an audience to a further agenda. Although cynical, in this case the connotations of good are reversed. The more you can manipulate civilians to glorify inhumane ideologies and practices, the better. It has been a tool of deception for hundreds of years. It can come in forms of speeches, rallies, films, but I will focus on posters. 

You may know the classics, such as Uncle Sam pointing and saying, “I want YOU for U.S. Army”. But it doesn’t need to be so pronounced, as it varies based on its target audience. In Italy’s Fascists’ rise to dictatorship, images began circulating of Mussolini… often shirtless. Apparently, an old man’s physique would appeal to the masses encouraging them to help fix the ailing Italian economy. Suit yourself, I have Sam Sulek.

Some of the most influential and dramatic propaganda comes from the Soviet Union. The spirited use of vigorous red evoked the heroism and pride that the communists wanted civilians to express. They opposed the greed of capitalism, and encouraged commitment and contribution to the state. This artists attempted to mask the reality of communist rule and instead extolled the supposed benefits of communism.

Yet do not think for a second it is just the Fascist and Communist extremists that disseminate propaganda. Australia, the United States, and Britain have been prominent sources of some powerful, and occasionally displeasing, propaganda. For all the United Kingdom’s strength and courage during World War II, it is unlikely it came from Winston Churchill morphed into a British bulldog, “Holding the Line”.

Propaganda, whether attempting to convince civilians to join the Volksgemeinschaft, or enlist in the Australian army, uses a common technique. Appeal to feelings, not logic. A frightening reality, that we humans can have our emotions wired in such a way that we may charge into battle, or dig our own graves for the motherland.

If there is a formula for compelling propaganda, it would be something like this; use simplistic generalities and stereotypes, name-call, and exaggerate the benefits.

For example, if your enemy sinks a civilian ship, accentuate this atrocity! Use it for your own agenda, even if many of your actions in colonies like India have sometimes been problematic.

To conclude, I’d just like to say that WE WANT YOU to write for the Shore Weekly Record. Share your thoughts on pressing issues and sacrifice your time to build up the strength of the Shore men, to live a life of honour and dignity.