Paper on propaganda-Review and analysis
Propaganda can be defined as an information or rumour that has been deliberately spread in order to cause harm to an institution, community or even a person. The attempt is deliberate, and it is based on particular principles or doctrines propagated by a powerful organization.
According to Garth Jawett and Victoria O’Donnel, “Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behaviour to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.”
The term “Advertising” refers to a marketing tactic that mainly involves the promotion of a service, product or cause. Advertisements mainly involve the promotional messages, and the ultimate purpose of advertising is to reach out to as many people as possible and influence their purchasing behaviour (Wertz, 2020). Advertising is somewhat different from propaganda because it involves the selling of a service or product. However, propaganda does not encourage product or service sale. It mainly influences public attitudes regarding a particular idea. Propaganda has a lasting effect, unlike advertising, and it may influence perceptions positively or negatively. Propaganda can be categorized into gray, black and white propaganda. The origin of white propaganda does not remain hidden, and it is different from black propaganda because its origin is distinguished. However, the word “propaganda” is often associated with a negative meaning due to its one-sided presentation. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
I have considered propaganda associated with politics. I have chosen the article, “How Canada’s far-right is using anti-Muslim propaganda to target Trudeau,” published in the “The Guardian” by Martin Patriquin, 2019. It is an example of Black propaganda. In this article, the journalist mentioned a video that shows Justin Trudeau’s efforts to make Canada a Muslim supporting country. The video shows Trudeau is sitting in a cross-legged manner to pray like the Muslim men. The video went viral on social media, and anti-Trudeau posts became famous on Facebook. The rival party has been making this claim and influencing the audience to judge Trudeau’s intentions before voting for him in the general elections. The propaganda has been successful in creating Trudeau as the subject of racism (Patriquin, 2019). The prime minister also became a part of Islamophobic theories of conspiracy.
Interestingly, this anti-Muslim propaganda has been spread by Canadians. For example, the Youtube video has been uploaded by Ontario-based anti-muslim activist. Thereafter, it was shared with the anti-Trudeau pages on Facebook. It reached 185,000 numbers of likes.
Usage of rhetorical devices of Aristotle
The writer of the article has used all the three rhetorical devices of Aristotle, namely ethos, pathos and logos. The writer is a journalist and possesses relevant experience in the field. He was able to connect with the audience and has managed to establish ethos with the text only. The writer has used various historical accounts and relevant examples that prove the accuracy, credibility and reliability of the written text. Secondly, pathos, in Greek, refers to “experience” or ‘suffering” that has been used (Garver, 2018). The writer has been able to engage the emotions of the audience and was successful in making an appeal. The audience felt connected because the writer has used the issue of racism, which audiences can connect with deeply. He speaks openly about the intention of anti-Trudeau activists residing in Canada. He is also open about the ill-effects of the video that accused Trudeau of supporting Islamic law in Canada. Lastly, the writer also used logos by clarifying the content of the article and using logic and a reasonable approach as well as appropriate details to connect with the audience. For instance, the writer has cited examples and drawn comparisons where US activists also alleged Barack Obama and claimed that the activists never considered Obama to be eligible for the office as he has links with the Muslim community.
Techniques used in the propaganda
The YouTube video has used a number of techniques. Among them, the “Transfer (Association)” technique is mostly prevalent. It is commonly used in political propaganda to transfer negative emotions for a person. The writer of the article claimed that the YouTube video has been created to build negative feelings for Trudeau as he is supportive of the implementation of Sharia law in the nation. Racist views and claims against Trudeau have gone viral, and some Canadians even claimed him as a “closeted Muslim. The video also uses the “scapegoating” or “pinpointing the enemy” technique as it shows Trudeau as one of the “enemy” of Canada. This technique has been targeted towards Canadian audiences just before the general elections so that they refrain from voting for Trudeau. Lastly, the “Glittering Generalities” technique is prominent as well because it makes individuals feel that they might vote for the undeserving candidate and for the sake of the nation, they must not take this step. It influenced the activists to act without thinking rationally.
The example used above to understand black propaganda and usage of propaganda techniques has enhanced my knowledge. I have learned to correct usage of the propaganda techniques by individuals and organizations based on relevant information. Surely, the general public has also realized that the motive of those activists was to spread racism and community war in Canada. Therefore, they refrained from believing the claims of the video.
References
Garver, E. (2018). Aristotle’s Rhetoric on rhetoric’s definition and limits. Revue internationale de philosophie, (4), 333-359.
Patriquin, M. (2019). How Canada’s far right is using anti-Muslim propaganda to target Trudeau. the Guardian. Retrieved 23 March 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/04/canada-far-right-anti-muslim-propaganda-targeting-trudeau