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| Thread: Propaganda: good or evil? |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 · NEXT» |
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Damacon_Ace
Famous Hero
Also known as Nobris Agni
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posted July 29, 2002 06:35 AM |
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Propaganda: good or evil?
Hello everyone again!
Now is the topic about propaganda.
Propaganda is a kind of art (either visual or literal) that persuades the people to think good about or bad about something, such as a group of people, an item, a certain ideology or idea, or a product. Propaganda has been used for both good and evil purposes. Sure, Hitler has used propaganda to encite racism and evil among his people, but some others use propaganda for virtuous purposes as well.
I would like to know what you say about propaganda. Is it a good thing or an evil thing? Respond now.
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No one knows my true nature here...
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Nivek
Adventuring Hero
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posted July 29, 2002 06:41 AM |
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I prefer looking at the facts and then having a stance on something than letting the media present a one-sided case for something in order to persuade me to believe it.
Do you have any specific examples of how propaganda is beneficial?
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Since when do you type signatures?
"This win by the Panthers in Week 1 bodes well for the rest of the season." - Me last year
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LydiaElf
Known Hero
me?
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posted July 29, 2002 02:35 PM |
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Well, I thing the word itself has a negative meaning*...
It's deliberate mind control, and that's something I hate, no matter what purposes it serves...
*"dissemination of information—facts, arguments, rumours, half-truths, or lies—to influence public opinion." (from Britannica)
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Fac ut gaudeam
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privatehudson
Responsible
Legendary Hero
The Ultimate Badass
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posted July 29, 2002 02:48 PM |
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Propaganda is rarely used for the better and is at worst mind control and therefore is bad.
Where is there an example of it being used for good?
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We're on an express elevator to Hell, goin' down!
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bort
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Discarded foreskin of morality
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posted July 29, 2002 02:53 PM |
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Quote:
Do you have any specific examples of how propaganda is beneficial?
How about anti-smoking ad campaigns? (Though not those freakin' "Truth" commercials they just make me want to get me a pack and light up).
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LydiaElf
Known Hero
me?
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posted July 29, 2002 03:17 PM |
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But that's a campaign against smoking... I don't take it as propaganda... They don't lie or hide a part of the truth there... But that's my opinion anyways...
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Fac ut gaudeam
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Cat
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Gonna Get Dirrty...
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posted July 29, 2002 03:43 PM |
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Propaganda comes in many forms, from advertising, to what we read in newspapers, see in films, on the news, and even learnin our classrooms.
Indeed, history itself has been called "The propaganda of the winners" more often than not. Propaganda of any sort generally contains an element of predjudice in some way or another, and an attempt at conviction.
It is impossible to say whether propaganda is good or evil as to do this we must define good and evil. Good and evil as concepts are subjective, but evil is used, in the most common form, as a thing, person or action which disagrees in an extream way to the norms of society, or the good.
Unless you are Plato, there is no cut-and-dried definition of good (the form of the Good has not been proven), and good is subjective, ie, in a war, both sides can be fighting for the "good".
It is therefore impossible to say if propaganda is good or evil, only how it appears to different people.
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 Diwethaf Gloau Sylw y Gymreag
http://aozos.com/phpBB2/index.php
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Athimus_Phaeni
Famous Hero
Final Fantasy Fan
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posted July 29, 2002 03:50 PM |
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The only good propaganda is the one that shows you what you were looking before seeing it. Like: "I wanna know where is the LUNCH HERE restaurant", and then you see something of it.
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But I won't be
Burned by the reflection
Of the fire in your eyes
As you're starying at the sun
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Juulcesaar
Adventuring Hero
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posted July 29, 2002 03:50 PM |
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Propaganda is bad. But search history and you'll see that EVERY country, lord, ruler, or even group has done it. Let's say it's a sort of information, but you tell the information on a way that it is most likely understood as you want it. It is a way to not upset the public opinion or to get them ready or warm for a war (PE against Iraq) or other otherwise not that popular things. See Hitler, he let his people believe he was going to end the economical crisis in his land. He let them believe the Jews were the fault of the crisis. He let them believe they were winning the war, and that there was no doubt that they would win.
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I do no longer exist...
Check 'reynaert' if you want to see me...
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Cat
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Gonna Get Dirrty...
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posted July 29, 2002 03:58 PM |
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It could be argued however, the propagnda is good (playing devils advocate lol) as it motivates people, in the way of the dig for victory campaigns.
anything which has that much power, however, should be used sparingly, and I still say it is neither as good and evil ar subjective.
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Diwethaf Gloau Sylw y Gymreag
http://aozos.com/phpBB2/index.php
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Bartrex
Adventuring Hero
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posted July 29, 2002 04:41 PM |
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Propaganda is necessary; Communication warfare is necessary, it’s very effective and essential at motivating towards a cause. That cause being anything from a football game to full blown wars. It can distort the truth, which is morally wrong, but it can preserve life, which is morally right. Radio, or communication, is the best weapon in the military. AWAC’s, the US planes with the huge radar, will drop radios and broadcast messages to area’s under control of the opposing regime. These messages could indicate supposed status of the opposing regime or other information. In Vietnam flyers were sent to US troops through various methods, these flyers directed towards minorities asking why they were fighting the white man’s war. During this time there was a lot going on in the states with civil rights movements and the North Vietnamese knew this. Nowadays old propaganda is profitable and collectable. Last summer the US “cartoon network” aired old WWII cartoons, everything from bugs bunny to popeye I believe. Communication warfare is almost required for victory. Look at how fast the US’s economy went from depression to explosion during WWII. Try to win a sports game with and unmotivated team, you’ll see what I mean.
“Remember the Alamo”
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 "In God we trust, all others bring data"
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privatehudson
Responsible
Legendary Hero
The Ultimate Badass
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posted July 29, 2002 04:48 PM |
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I remeber the alamo That was where 1000's of mexicans fought a few hundred Texans. What is funny though is that the alamo fell after only 1 assault!
By the way Santa Anna the Mexican commander was so stupid one of his armies was onced wiped out by an army of yanks, whilst they took a siesta less than 1 mile away from eachother!
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We're on an express elevator to Hell, goin' down!
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Bartrex
Adventuring Hero
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posted July 29, 2002 04:58 PM |
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Well point being it's now a legend practically and back then it became a battle cry. Inspiration can work wonders at driving someone to do something they normally wouldn't do.
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"In God we trust, all others bring data"
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bort
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Discarded foreskin of morality
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posted July 29, 2002 05:28 PM |
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Quote:
But that's a campaign against smoking... I don't take it as propaganda... They don't lie or hide a part of the truth there... But that's my opinion anyways...
Well, there's fact and then there's context. Don't get me wrong, I think that the tobacco companies are a bunch of sick twisted bastards (and I live in Virginia, so they ain't too far from home), but the smoking campaigns use (rightly) scare tactics. For instance, there's saying "smoking causes x number of deaths a year" (where x is a large number) and that's shocking, but if the context of "but heart disease causes y number of deaths a year" where y is larger than x and "and if you look worldwide, diarhhea causes z deaths a year," then the fact becomes less frightening. Similar to "Viagra causes a certain number of deaths from heart complications" sounds bad, but now when it's also mentioned that aspirin causes a good deal more deaths per year from heart complications.
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Sir_Stiven
Honorable
Legendary Hero
banned
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posted July 29, 2002 09:22 PM |
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Interesting debate...
I dont have much to add really, as i see it propaganda could be used for both purposes and as Catherine mentioned good/evil is subjective to each one of us. What you might think is completely wrong is something thats as perfect as it could get to another person. We live in different parts of the world and we all have different experiences, its these experiences you basicly make your perceptions from. And it kinda says itself that two people doesnt share the same experiences, even if two people have been through the same things they problably look at it different and therefor they still have different experiences from it.
But even if i concider that it could be used for both good/bad purposes id must say that when i hear of the word "propaganda" i think of people that need to make something look good even if it in my opinion doesnt have to be. I could take up several examples from swedish goverment which has used propaganda to first get our women to stay home instead of work (which off course led to shortage of workers) and when they then realised that they might need these women to work again they started to use propaganda for that. But as most propaganda its very clever hidden, it doesnt say "all women in this country has to work otherwise they are as good as horse sheit" (even if it could be implied at some cases)...its more like "at place X and Y some female workers has started to work and they really got things going again, its amazing what women can add to a workplace" which off course meant that all swedish women wanted to prove themselves at work. And at same time swedish goverment shows off what "brilliant day care" we have for children which both parents work... nice coincidence huh?...
But as mentioned, propaganda is everywhere...you could for example look at my post as it looks now as propaganda for the fact that propaganda is bad...kinda funny isnt it?
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SirDunco
Responsible
Supreme Hero
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posted July 29, 2002 10:33 PM |
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Prpaganda
is a very itneresting thing. Propaganda comes in different forms, everyday things, in fact just me posting here could be concidered propaganda. Andvertising is a from of propaganda. Yet most of us concider propaganda brainwashing or underminding. Propaganda well is most know by its dark sides..examples Hitler, Stalin and all his newspapares(Best know is Pravda), Fundamentalist ect. ect. But propaganda is a way of getting ur point across. So it is not either good or bad.
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Dingo
Responsible
Legendary Hero
God of Dark SPAM
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posted January 06, 2004 06:26 AM |
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Quote:
How about anti-smoking ad campaigns? (Though not those freakin' "Truth" commercials they just make me want to get me a pack and light up).
Those Truth commercials sometimes make no sense. I remember this one that said, "Death kills 5 out of 5 dead smokers." Who wrote that? It makes absolutely no sense.
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The Above Post/Thread/Idea Is CopyRighted by, The Dingo Corp.
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RedSoxFan3
Admirable
Legendary Hero
Fan of Red Sox
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posted January 12, 2004 03:57 PM |
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It's saying that the people who smoked and are dead, died of smoking not other diseases or old age.
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Go Red Sox!
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Lord_Woock
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Daddy Cool with a $90 smile
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posted January 12, 2004 05:17 PM |
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Quote:
Those Truth commercials sometimes make no sense. I remember this one that said, "Death kills 5 out of 5 dead smokers." Who wrote that? It makes absolutely no sense.
Quote:
It's saying that the people who smoked and are dead, died of smoking not other diseases or old age.
Actually, it seems to be saying that they died of death and not smoking. Hm.
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Yolk and God bless.
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My buddy's doing a webcomic and would certainly appreciate it if you checked it out!
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Asmodean
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Heroine at the weekend.
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posted January 12, 2004 09:09 PM |
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Propaganda in itself is not evil. It's what it's used for that makes it good or bad.
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To err is human, to arr is pirate.
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