"Think like us!"

Persuasion is nothing new to any of us at this point.  We know it is everywhere and we even use it ourselves from time to time.  From companies trying to sell us their latest and greatest products to teens trying to convince their parents to let them go to a rock concert, persuasion is a big part of our world.

But does persuasion ever go too far?

Everyone has beliefs, and in a perfect world we would all have the same ones, but unfortunately this is not a perfect world.

Consider this situation:

Mary is 24 years old and in medical school.  She is ambitious and determined, and is doing fantastic in her studies.  She's never dated much, but she recently started seeing a man she met at her school.  They go on dates and have spent the night with each other a few times, but are not what you'd consider "serious."  In fact, Mary does not want a serious relationship at this point because she is so focused on becoming a doctor.

 A few days ago, Mary found out she is pregnant.  She is upset because she is not in a good position financially or emotionally to have a child.  Not only that, she is certain it would ruin her chance of becoming a doctor since there is no way she'd be able to successfully finish medical school while taking care of a baby.  Mary feels her only option is to have an abortion.

Mary did not grow up in a very religious environment.   Her parents taught her about God, but she never really went to church.  Her parents were also liberal in their beliefs, and although the topic never really came up, she knew they were pro-choice and she always considered herself the same.  Still, for some reason she feels guilty about considering abortion as a way out of her dilemma.  She doesn't understand why.

While driving home after school Mary begins to notice all the pro-life billboards she passes on her route.  She stops at a convenience store near her apartment to pick up a half gallon of milk and for the first time notices a poster on the window out front that reads: "A baby's heartbeat begins after only 18 days of conception. Don't kill your baby!"  Mary's stomach sinks.

Mary is now wondering if she is making the right decision putting herself and her future first.  She feels like such a terrible person for even considering abortion and wonders how she'll be able to go through with it.

The advertisements are working on Mary.  She had no preconceived notions regarding abortion, via religious preference or otherwise, yet Pro-life propagandists are able to make Mary feel guilty about putting herself first in this case by using  propaganda to convince her she is making a bad, evil decision. Since she is now having second thoughts, they have achieved their goal.

Graphic pro-life poster shown on the side of a truck

". . .The word propaganda has. . .evolved to mean mass 'suggestion' or influence through the manipulation of symbols and the psychology of the individual. Propaganda is the communication of a point of view with the ultimate goal of having the recipient come to 'voluntarily' accept the position as if it were his or her own" (Gass & Seiter, 2011).

"Propaganda has a strong ideological bent. Most scholars agree that propaganda does not serve a purely informational function. Propaganda typically embodies a strong bias, such as that of a 'left-wing' or 'right-wing' agenda. The campaign of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to promote animal rights would fall into this category, as would the Army of God’s efforts to ban abortion. Propagandists aren’t trying to be neutral or objective. They are working a specific agenda" (Gass & Seiter, 2011).

As you can see, propaganda is a form of persuasion that is commonly used as a tool in social movements and is often political and/or religious in nature.  It targets a large audience and tries to influence them to think a certain way about something in particular.  In this case, propagandists want to make the people in their community believe that abortion is wrong and should not be done.

But what's wrong with that?

Propaganda is used to try to convince communities to adopt a certain belief based on a one-sided argument.  The argument itself is often disproportionate and hinged on an extreme political or religious view.  Propagandists often use  logical fallacies, or reasoning errors, to persuade the unsophisticated, and some messages are more extreme than others.

One famous use of compliance gaining propaganda was by Nazi Germany to defend the Holocaust.

Anti-Jew propaganda poster
"The Jew Warmongers"

          "'Propaganda,' Adolf Hitler wrote in 1924, 'is a truly terrible weapon in the hands of an expert.' [The] Nazi Party used posters, newspapers, rallies, and the new technologies of radio and film to sway millions with its vision for a new Germany-reinforced by fear-mongering images of state 'enemies.' These images promoted indifference toward the suffering of neighbors, disguised the regime's genocidal actions, and insidiously incited ordinary people to carry out or tolerate mass violence. It is hoped that a deeper understanding of the complexities of the past may help us respond more effectively to today's propaganda campaigns and biased messages" (Luckert, 2001).

Anti-Jew propaganda poster
"The Jews are Our Misfortune"

This is a good example of how powerful propaganda and persuasion can be when employed by the right individual or group.  Social groups have been using these techniques for many years to get what they want, or to gain the compliance others.

Propaganda is created to play on people's emotions, so it generally has strong psychological appeal.  It is usually simple enough that even the most uneducated can understand the message, and the message on its face is usually logical enough to be accepted.   Successful propaganda is also very repetitive (to ensure it is seen many times) so it can be effectively "planted" in people's minds and stay there.  

But is all propaganda bad?

Although the word propaganda, much like the word persuasion, seems to have a negative connotation to it, it is not inherently good or bad.  "Propaganda" is simply using one side of an argument to gain the compliance of a mass of people.  Whether the message is good or bad will also depend on who is reading it.  To Mary and the Jews in Nazi Germany in the early 1930s and 1940s, the messages and their effects were indeed negative, but individuals who believe a propagandic message to be true would likely have no ill feelings towards it and might even support it.

Therefore, in a sense,  propaganda is in the eye of the beholder,  but its power should not be underestimated, especially when being used for compliance gaining in social movements.

Works Cited:

Gass, R. H., & Seiter, J. S. (2011). Persuasion, social 

influence, and compliance gaining. (4th ed., pp. 13-14). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Luckert, S. (2001). Retrieved from 

 http://web.ushmm.org/site/apps/ka/ec/product.asp?            c=ftILI5PMKoG&b=2264499&en=6pJBKLMnG5LKJVOqH4JGKXOHIgKNK2PBJhLLJYNIKtH&Pr oductID=656693