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> a Chinese propaganda slogan stuck with me: “If you want to get rich, build roads first; have fewer children, plant more trees.” Why call it propaganda though
by devsda 11mo ago
> a Chinese propaganda slogan stuck with me: “If you want to get rich, build roads first; have fewer children, plant more trees.”
Why call it propaganda though ? That doesn't sound like a biased, deceptive or misleading policy.
It hasn't been thought through much which is universally common for some govt policies everywhere, but it results have been positive for the most part ?
- MangoToupe 11mo ago> That doesn't sound like a biased, deceptive or misleading policy. Propaganda doesn't imply any of these things; it just implies a polemic.
- londons_explore 11mo agoNot all propaganda is deceptive. The best propaganda is 100% true and still achieves it's goal.
- devsda 11mo agoSo, the term is mainly used to convey an author's opinion on the subject of the topic and not necessarily related to the topic itself ?
- steve_adams_86 11mo agoPropaganda is deceptive or misleading by definition.
- nextaccountic 11mo agoYou can deceive while telling the truth, like this ad from a Brazilian newspaper (dubbed in English) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PShbxd42JN8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PShbxd42JN8 Truth needs to be put in context. Truth needs to be interpreted. There is no such thing as objective truth. Effective propaganda is like a filter that is everywhere you look. You don't know it's there because you never see the world without it.
- msl 11mo agoWhat definition is that? Merriam-Webster: "the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person" and "ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause" [1] Cambridge Dictionary: "information, ideas, opinions, or images, often only giving one part of an argument, that are broadcast, published, or in some other way spread with the intention of influencing people's opinions" [2] Wikipedia (quoting Encyclopedia Britannica): "Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded language to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information that is being presented." [3] Wikipedia further quotes NATO's 2011 guidance for military public affairs definition: "information, ideas, doctrines, or special appeals disseminated to influence the opinion, emotions, attitudes, or behaviour of any specified group in order to benefit the sponsor, either directly or indirectly" [4] I think that OP's use of the word is well in line with each of those definitions. [1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propaganda https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propaganda [2] https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/propaganda https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/propagan... [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda#Definitions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda#Definitions
- steve_adams_86 11mo agoI stand corrected. I should have checked the definition before making that claim. Thanks for elucidating that for me. I've understood propaganda to be one thing for nearly 30 years somehow.
- Aunche 11mo agoEven deceptive propaganda isn't necessarily bad. Objectively speaking, the best thing to do for yourself would have been to dodge the draft in WWII for example.
- yanhangyhy 11mo agoI probably often use that term in a neutral sense.
- hunglee2 11mo agopropaganda is not necessarily a lie, it's more a call to action (which can sometimes be a lie)
- FooBarWidget 11mo agoNot all cultures/countries/languages have a negative connotation of the word "propaganda". In Chinese, in most contexts, the word is usually much more neutral, closer to "publicity".