When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. - Hunter S. Thompson

29 November 2005

Propaganda 101

The Strategy Page, Information Warfare division, offers helpful hints on the best rhetorical techniques to use in propaganda.

(I devoutly wish that a good editor had given this article a once-over before posting, but the content is well worth reading nonetheless.)

Example, slightly reformatted and edited by me for ease of reading:
# 2. Backstroke: Systematically belittling the goals of the subject of the article as the goals are being listed. For every step forward for the subject, the propagandist pulls the reader back.

Example:

"This year, the political party's stated goal is to give the rally a warm atmosphere. We walked into the cave-like coliseum as the preparations for the rally were taking place. 'We're trying to create a family atmosphere,' said one representative of the party as he squinted into the harsh lights. 'There are the children's rides,' he said happily, pointing to where union workmen smashed open wooden crates with iron crowbars."
The Most Successful Propaganda Techniques (The Strategy Page)

Related resources:
Hat tip: Chapomatic

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