Runninghead:Advertising/Propaganda

Advertising/Propaganda
IvanJones
April29,2015
WestCareerandTechnicalAcademy

Advertising/Propaganda

Manypeopledonotrealizethesubliminalmessagesthatmanycommercialsontv
include,thatslippasttheviewersandplantthemselvesintheirheads.Propagandahasbeenused
innearlyeverywar.Citizensofsovietcountrieshavehadtodealwithpropagandabeingshoved
downtheirthroatsdayinanddayout.Somemayaskwhatispropaganda,andalthoughthereare
manydifferentanswerstothisquestion,mostpeoplebelievethatpropagandaisjustartworks
tryingtoconvinceitsaudienceofacertainpointandwhilethisisnotwrongpropagandaisso
muchmorethanthat,itisadvertisementsinthepaper,onthetelevision,andevenonradio
stations.Propagandahasbeenaroundlongerthanmanypeoplecanremember,Datingbackto
overacenturyago.

PropagandahasbeenusedsinceWorldWar1,itwasusedtoconvincepeopletohelp
supportthewar.Sincethenithasbeenanextremelyusefultoolinaidingthewarefforts.Many
famousexamplesofthisincludestheUncleSamposter,thisrepresentspatriotismandmakes
peoplebelievethattheyneedtojointheArmytoserveandprotecttheircountry.Hitlerisagood
example,heusedpropagandatoscarethepeopleofgermanyintoelectinghimasadictatorand
enlistingtoservegermanyandhelpgermanystandstronginthefaceoftheenemy.Many
communiststatesusedpropagandatomesmerizethecitizensintobelievinginthecause.Aldous
HuxleyportraysthisinBraveNewWorldbyusinghypnopaedicslogans.(2006)Peoplewho
havebeeninacommuniststatehavedescribedtheloudspeakersusedasEarSplitting,andSoul
Bruising.(NationalReview,2009)ThesehavebeenseeninmanydifferentplaceslikeVietnam
andRussiawhileitwasunderSovietcontrol.Artandpropagandaarecloselyrelatedandalmost
alwaysassociatedtogetherwhentalkedabout.

Advertising/Propaganda

WhenpeoplethinkofPropagandatheyassumeitisabadthing,butthatisnotalwaysthe
case.Propagandacanactuallybeusedforthebettermentofsociety.Forexample,ifaperson
wantedtoraiseawarenessforaspecificcausetheycouldcreateaPublicServiceAnnouncement
videoonthetopicinformingthegeneralpubliconthetopicathand.Thiscanhelpsocietyby
allowingeveryonetoworktogetherandbenefitingsocietyinapositiveway.Whilesomepeople
believethatthereisnogooduseforPropaganda,butwhattheydonotseeishowmuchpeople
seepropagandaonadaytodaybasis.Anexampleofthisiswhentheyarewatchingtelevision
andacarcompanycommercialcomesonadvertisingitselfasthebestcompany.Thisisan
exampleofhowpropagandaisusedinadvertising.

Thisisnottheonlywaypropagandaisusedinthemodernworld,whilesurfingthe
internetpeoplehavespecificadstargetedforthembasedonwhattheylookup.Onemight
predictthatinthefutureallpropagandawillbedigitallikethisandbedifferentbasedoneach
user,whileultimatelycontributingtothesameideaasawhole.Amajorproblemwith
propagandaisthatitcanbeusedtocontrolmassmedia,andifanyoneweretofigureouthowto
assumefullcontroltheycouldbecomeatyrantandcorruptthemindsofthoseundertheir
control.Beforepeoplecanmoveforwardwithpropaganda,governmentsneedtofigureouthow
theywouldcontrolitifitdidgetoutofhandoroutofcontrol.Thatcouldcauseamajorissue
andinstabilitytotheworldasawhole.JustasAldousHuxleypredictedinBraveNewWorld.

Advertising/Propaganda

ManywouldsaythatAldousHuxleywouldbecorrectinhisconcernabouthowthe
worldwouldturnoutinthefuture.WithinBraveNewWorldheuseshypnopaedicslogansto
controltheentiresocietytodowhatevertheywant.Everyoneworksforeveryoneelse.
(Huxley,1931)ThisquotefromBraveNewWorldisanexampleofoneoftheHypnopaedic
SlogansusedbyHuxleyinBraveNewWorld.Itrepresentshoweveryonebelongstoeveryone
else.AnotherexampleofthisinbravenewworldisWhentheindividualfeels,thecommunity
reelsThisquoteexplainshowHuxleyusedthedrugSomainrelationtothecommunity.
(Huxley,1931)ThisfinalquoteAndifever,bysomeunluckychance,anythingunpleasant
shouldsomehowhappen,why,theresalwayssomatogiveyouaholidayfromthefacts.And
theresalwayssomatocalmyouranger,toreconcileyoutoyourenemies,tomakeyoupatient
andlongsuffering.Inthepastyoucouldonlyaccomplishthesethingsbymakingagreateffort
andafteryearsofhardmoraltraining.Now,youswallowtwoorthreehalfgrammetablets,and
thereyouare.Anybodycanbevirtuousnow.Youcancarryatleasthalfyourmoralityaboutina
bottle.Christianitywithouttearsthatswhatsomais.(Huxley,1931)demonstrateshowreliant
thecitizensinBraveNewWorldare,theyareconditionedtocravesomaandtotakesoma
whenevertheyarefeelingdepressed.Thewaytheyaredoingthisisthoughhypnopaedicslogans,
whichisawaythattheyareabletoimplantthoughtsandsuggestionsintotheircitizensminds
whiletheyaresleeping.Manywouldviewthisasactionasimmoralandunjust,butHuxleysaw
thisasanopportunitytoexpandupontheideathateveryonehelpseveryone.

Advertising/Propaganda

Peoplemaynotrealizejusthowmuchpropagandaaffectstheireverydaylives.From
watchingTelevision,Browsingtheinternet,Listeningtotheradio,andevenwhattheyreadin
thenewspaper.InNorthKoreatodayitisrunbyacommunistdictatorwhobyusingpropaganda
hasconvincedhispeoplethattheyshouldworshiphimlikeagod.Thisiswhygettingto
understandpropagandaisextremelyusefulandanecessaryactioninthenearfutureifsocietyis
toadvance.ThisnewmodernworldwouldnotbeonethatAldousHuxleywouldwanttolivein,
Mostofhispredictionshavebecomeorarealmosttrue,andwithinthenextcoupleofyearsit
willbeinterestingtoseeifpropagandaadvancestowhereHuxleypredictedittobe.Onlytime
willtellwhatthefuturewillholdforsocietyasawhole.

Advertising/Propaganda

References
Howwasinformationshared?(n.d.).RetrievedApril13,2015,from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/0/ww1/25356306
Huxley,A.(1932/2006)BraveNewWorld.NewYork:HarperPerennial.
Joscelyn,T.(2015,January19).JihadComestoParisThelongarmofalQaeda.
TheWeekly
Standard
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(18).Retrievedfrom
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA397221956&v=2.1&u=las89135&it=r&
p=GPS&sw=w&asid=5b0410114f691b36d58131f9b568104e
OneofthemostaggravatingfeaturesofCommunistlifeistheloudspeakers:thebroadcastingof
propagandaoverloudspeakersinthestreets.(2009,June8).
NationalReview
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(10),12.
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p=GPS&sw=w&asid=7029427e89085051c4fca3a7e884eb00
Walker,J.(2003,August).Tocheersoftotalitarianart:someofitsgood,andtherestisripefor
mocking.
Reason
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(4),63+.Retrievedfrom
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p=GPS&sw=w&asid=c91b79e2e8e6f14d9565896a9123e86c