380 – Chapter 12 / Language and Government: Political Wordplay prot Legitim other cls other of destruct or tax a double In # juring was creat crash its s ann con spd be fo in a 8 2 3 4 Doubts About Doublespeak William Lutz It has been said that the only sure things we cannot change are death and taxes. Well, that is not exactly right. We can call them "terminal living" and "revenue enhancement" to make people feel better about them. And that, in part, is the nature of what William Lutz rails against here: doublespeak. It is language in- tended not to reveal but to conceal, not to communicate but to obfuscate. In this essay, Lutz categorizes four kinds of doublespeak, distinguishing annoying though relatively harmless professional jargon from ruthlessly devious coinages such as "ethnic cleansing," which attempt to mask barbaric acts. Until his retirement in 2006, William Lutz was a professor of English at Rutgers University. He was also the editor of the Quarterly Review of Double- speak as well as author of Beyond Nineteen Eighty-Four: Doublespeak in a Post-Orwellian Age (1989) and Doublespeak: From Revenue Enhancement to Terminal Living (1990). "Doubts About Doublespeak" first appeared in State Government News in July 1993. 1 During the past year, we learned that we can shop at a "unique retail biosphere" instead of a farmers' market, where we can buy items made of “synthetic glass" instead of plastic, or purchase a “high velocity, multipurpose air circulator," or electric fan. A “waste-water conveyance facility” may "exceed the odor threshold" from time to time due to the presence of “regulated human nutrients," but that is not to be confused with a sewage plant that stinks up the neighborhood with sewage sludge. Nor should we confuse a "resource development park” with a dump. Thus does doublespeak continue to spread. Doublespeak is language which pretends to communicate but doesn't. It is lan- guage which makes the bad seem good, the negative seem positive, the unpleasant seem attractive, or at least tolerable. It is language which avoids, shifts or denies responsibility; language which is at variance with its real or purported meaning. It is language which conceals or prevents thought. Doublespeak is all around us. We are asked to check our packages at the desk "for our convenience" when it's not for our convenience at all but for some- one else's convenience. We see advertisements for “preowned,” “experienced" or “previously distinguished” cars, not used cars and for “genuine imitation leather," “virgin vinyl” or “real counterfeit diamonds." Television offers not reruns but "encore telecasts." There are no slums or ghettos, just the "inner city" or "substandard housing” where the "disadvantaged” or “economically nonaffluent” live and where there might be a problem with “substance abuse.” Nonprofit organizations don't make a profit, they have “negative deficits” or experience “revenue excesses.” With double- speak it's not dying but “terminal living” or “negative patient care outcome." There are four kinds of doublespeak. The first kind is the euphemism, a word or phrase designed to avoid a harsh or distasteful reality. Used to mislead or deceive, the euphemism becomes doublespeak. In 1984 the U.S. State Department's annual reports on the status of human rights around the world ceased using the word "killing.” Instead the State Department used the phrase "unlawful or arbitrary depri- vation of life,” thus avoiding the embarrassing situation of government-sanctioned killing in countries supported by the United States. Lutz / Doubts About Doublespeak 381 A second kind of doublespeak is jargon, the specialized language of a trade, or similar group, such as doctors, lawyers, plumbers or car mechanics. Legitimately used, jargon allows members of a group to communicate with each other clearly, efficiently and quickly. Lawyers and tax accountants speak to each destruction of property through theft, accident or condemnation. But when lawyers other of an "involuntary conversion" of property, a legal term that means the loss or or tax accountants use unfamiliar terms to speak to others, then the jargon becomes juring 21 others and destroying the airplane. The insured value of the airplane was greater than its book value, so the airline made a profit of $1.7 million, creating two problems: the airline didn't want to talk about one of its airplanes crashing, yet it had to account for that $1.7 million profit in its annual report to its stockholders. The airline solved both problems by inserting a footnote in its annual report which explained that the $1.7 million was due to “the involuntary A third kind of doublespeak is gobbledygook or bureaucratese. Such double- speak is simply a matter of overwhelming the audience with words——the more the better. Alan Greenspan, a polished practitioner of bureaucratese, once testified be- fore a Senate committee that "it is a tricky problem to find the particular calibration in timing that would be appropriate to stem the acceleration in risk premiums cre- ated by falling incomes without prematurely aborting the decline in the inflation- generated risk premiums." The fourth kind of doublespeak is inflated language, which is designed to make the ordinary seem extraordinary, to make everyday things seem impressive, to give an air of importance to people or situations, to make the simple seem complex. Thus do car mechanics become "automotive internists," elevator operators become "members of the vertical transportation corps," grocery store checkout clerks be- come "career asso ate scanning professionals," and smelling something becomes "organoleptic analysis." Doublespeak is not the product of careless language or sloppy thinking. Quite the opposite. Doublespeak is language carefully designed and constructed to ap- pear to communicate when in fact it doesn't. It is language designed not to lead but mislead. Thus, it's not a tax increase but "revenue enhancement" or "tax-base broadening." So how can you complain about higher taxes? Those aren't useless, billion dollar pork barrel projects; they're really “congressional projects of national significance," so don't complain about wasteful government spending. That isn't the Mafia in Atlantic City; those are just “members of a career-offender cartel," so don't worry about the influence of organized crime in the city. New doublespeak is created every day. The Environmental Protection Agency once called acid rain "poorly-buffered precipitation" then dropped that term in favor of "atmospheric deposition of anthropogenically-derived acidic substances," but recently decided that acid rain should be called “wet deposition.” The Pentagon, which has in the past given us such classic doublespeak as "hexiform rotatable sur- face compression unit” for steel nut , just published a pamphlet warning soldiers that exposure to nerve gas will lead to “immediate permanent incapacitation.” That's al- most as good as the Pentagon's official term "servicing the target," meaning to kill profession ** S. doublespeak. . + 6 evendi oublessee le Exterior conversion of a 727." 7 th Circulax? der til bud dump. Thes 8 an't lisa 2 unpleasani ts or denies meaning. I 9 siges at the for more riencel" n leather" erus / Ostandard IK WAVE winde 10 382 Chapter 12 / Language and Government: Political Wordplay the enemy. Meanwhile, the Department of Energy wants to establish a "monitored retrievable storage site," a place once known as a dump for spent nuclear fuel. Bad economic times give rise to lots of new doublespeak designed to avoid 11 12 delete some very unpleasant economic realities. As the contained depression" continues andoes the corporate policy of making up even more new terms to avoid the simple, restructure," "reshape," or "realign" the company and reduce duplication through release of resources" that involves a "permanent downsizing" or a "payroll adjust- ment" that results in a number of employees being "involuntarily terminated." Other countries regularly contribute to doublespeak. In Japan, where baldness is called “hair disadvantaged," the economy is undergoing a "severe adjustment pro- cess," while in Canada there is an "involuntary downward development” of the work force. For some government agencies in Canada, wastepaper baskets have become user friendly, space effective, flexible, deskside sortation units.” Politicians in Can- ada may engage in “reality augmentation," but they never lie. As part of their new freedom, the people of Moscow can visit "intimacy salons," or sex shops as they're known in other countries. When dealing with the bureaucracy in Russia, people know that they should show officials “normal gratitude," or give them a bribe. The worst doublespeak is the doublespeak of death. It is the language, wrote George Orwell in 1946, that is “largely the defense of the indefensible ... designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” In the doublespeak of death, Orwell continued, “defenseless villages are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the country- side, the cattle machine-gunned, the huts set on fire with incendiary bullets. This is called pacification. Millions of peasants are robbed of their farms and sent trudging along the roads with no more than they can carry. This is called transfer of popula- tion or rectification of frontiers.” Today, in a country once called Yugoslavia, this is 13 reti called “ethnic cleansing." 14 It's easy to laugh off doublespeak. After all, we all know what's going on, so what's the harm? But we don't always know what's going on, and when that hap- pens, doublespeak accomplishes its ends. It alters our perception of reality. It de- prives us of the tools we need to develop, advance and preserve our society, our culture, our civilization. It breeds suspicion, cynicism, distrust and, ultimately, hos- tility. It delivers us into the hands of those who do not have our interests at heart. As Samuel Johnson noted in 18th century England, even the devils in hell do not lie to one another, since the society of hell could not subsist without the truth, any more than any other society. THINKING CRITICALLY 1. What is doublespeak, according to Lutz? What is its purpose? 2. Lutz divides doublespeak into four types. What are they? Give some of your own examples of each type. As best you can, rank these four types according to which are most offensive or harmful. Explain your choices. 3. In paragraph 4, Lutz classifies euphemisms as a form of doublespeak. In your opinion, are there instances when euphemisms are useful? Explain your answer. Ne ьмage 383 4. Lutz says that "inflated language" is designed to make the ordinary seem extraordinary, as with elevated job titles. In your opinion, is there anything wrong with elevating job titles in this way? Why or why not? 5. In your opinion, is doublespeak as widespread as Lutz claims? Are its effects as serious as he perceives them to be? 6. Examine Lutz's introductory paragraph. How does this paragraph set the tone for the piece? Is it effective? 7. What is the opposing view in this piece? How does Lutz handle it in his argu- ment? Are there counterarguments that Lutz has missed in his essay? 8. Are there any places in the essay where Lutz employs doublespeak in his own writing? If so, what effect does this have on your reading? 9. Consider Lutz's voice in this article. Is he a reliable narrator? Does he provide adequate documentation for his assertions? Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers. eai Esi WRITING ASSIGNMENTS 1. Write an essay in which you examine instances of doublespeak in the media, a particular profession, or among your acquaintances. Make a case either for or against its usage. 2. Was there ever a time when doublespeak had an impact on your life? Write a personal narrative reflecting on the effect, positive or negative, that double- speak has had on your experience. You might consider having been swayed by advertising or political jargon. 3. Lutz defines doublespeak as "language which conceals or prevents thought" and "language which pretends to communicate but doesn't." Write an essay describing an experience wherein you used doublespeak. What was your goal in communicating as such? How was doublespeak useful to you in this situation? 4. Over the course of one day, record all the instances of doublespeak you encounter-from ads, TV shows, news articles, films, menus, and so on. (Whenever possible, photocopy these instances.) In a paper, try to classify the different kinds of doublespeak you found. Analyze the different functions of doublespeak and try to determine its effects on the intended audience. 5. Look through a newspaper or magazine for a short and clear discussion of an in- teresting topic. Then have some fun rewriting the piece entirely in doublespeak. Politics and the English Language George Orwell In the next essay, George Orwell explains how the language of politics, espe- cially what is known as “political rhetoric," is designed to cloud the public's per- ception of political issues. Like the propaganda examined in the previous essay, political rhetoric disguises real issues behind a mask of political mottos, charac- ter assassinations, and catchphrases, all designed to confuse the public. There cons to use such evasive tactics to garner support, to get votes, to 374 - Chapter 12 / Language and Government: Political you say it that distinguishes a successful speaker from a less memorable one. Then James T. Snyder, a speechwriter for former state governor Mario Cuomo, gives hin advice on how to write a great speech in "Writing a Great Campaign Speech. ) 0 Editorial cartoons have been a part of American life for more than a century. These cartoons are a mainstay feature on the editorial pages in most newspapers, often holding up a moment in the flow of familiar current events for scrutiny. In the last essay in this section, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Doug Marlette explains how cartoonists push the envelope to compel us to think critically about important social, cultural, and political moments. o Р L How to Detect Propaganda Institute for Propaganda Analysis During the late 1930s, like today, political propaganda was rife, both in the United Institute for Propaganda Analysis to expose propaganda circulating at the time. States and abroad. In 1937, Clyde R. Miller of Columbia University founded the With the backing of several prominent businesspeople, the institute continued its mission for nearly five years, publishing various pamphlets and monthly bulletins to reveal its findings. The following essay is a chapter from one of its pamphlets. It presents a specific definition of propaganda, with an analysis of seven common devices necessary to bend truth-and minds—to political causes. end opti 2 3 1 If American citizens are to have clear understanding of present-day conditions and what to do about them, they must be able to recognize propaganda, to analyze it. and to appraise it. But what is propaganda? As generally understood, propaganda is expression of opinion or action by in- dividuals or groups deliberately designed to influence opinions or actions of other individuals or groups with reference to predetermined ends. Thus propaganda dif- fers from scientific analysis. The propagandist is trying to put something across," good or bad, whereas the scientist is trying to discover truth and fact. Often the propagandist does not want careful scrutiny and criticism; he wants to bring about a specific action. Because the action may be socially beneficial or socially harmful to millions of people, it is necessary to focus upon the propagandist and his activities using the searchlight of scientific scrutiny. Socially desirable propaganda will not suffer from such examination, but the opposite type will be detected and revealed for what it is. We are fooled by propaganda chiefly because we don't recognize it when we see it. It may be fun to be fooled but, as the cigarette ads used to say, it is more fun to know. We can more easily recognize propaganda when we see it if we are famil- iar with the seven common propaganda devices. These are: 1. The Name Calling Device 2. The Glittering Generalities Device 3. The Transfer Device 4 Institute for Propaganda Analysis / How to Detect Propaganda 375 Nets 4. The Testimonial Device 5. The Plain Folks Device 6. The Card Stacking Device 7. The Band Wagon Device why are we fooled by these devices? Because they appeal to our emotions rather than to our reason. They make us believe and do something we would not believe or do if we thought about it calmly, dispassionately. In examining these devices, note that they work most effectively at those times when we are too lazy to think for ourselves; also, they tie into emotions which sway us to be "for" or "against" na- tions, races, religions, ideals, economic and political policies and practices, and so on through automobiles, cigarettes, radios, toothpastes, presidents, and wars. With our emotions stirred, it may be fun to be fooled by these propaganda devices, but it is more fun and infinitely more to our own interests to know how they work. Lincoln must have had in mind citizens who could balance their emotions with intelligence when he made this remark but you can't fool all of the people all ausen da cito la Universtyr he inside els ani om one 6 alysis sera of the time." causes 1-dars com ganda. 10 on or achte or actions of the us propaganda de something and nd fact . Often ik ts to bring ahal 8 -xcially harmider Name Calling "Name Calling" is a device to make us form a judgment without examining the evidence on which it should be based. Here the propagandist appeals to our hate and fear. He does this by giving "bad names” to those individuals, groups, nations, races, policies, practices, beliefs, and ideals which he would have us condemn and reject. For centuries the name "heretic" was bad. Thousands were oppressed, tortured, or put to death as heretics. Anybody who dissented from popu- lar or group belief or practice was in danger of being called a heretic. In the light of today's knowledge, some heresies were bad and some were good. Many of the pioneers of modern science were called heretics; witness the cases of Copernicus, Galileo, Bruno. Today's bad names include: Fascist, demagogue, dictator, Red, financial oligarchy, Communist, muckraker, alien, outside agitator, economic royalist, Utopian, rabble-rouser, trouble-maker, Tory, Constitution-wrecker. "Al" Smith called Roosevelt a Communist by implication when he said in his Liberty League speech, "There can be only one capital, Washington or Moscow." When "Al" Smith was running for the presidency many called him a tool of the Pope, saying in effect, “We must choose between Washington and Rome.” That implied that Mr. Smith, if elected President, would take his orders from the Pope. Likewise Mr. Justice Hugo Black has been associated with a bad name, Ku Klux Klan. In these cases some propagandists have tried to make us form judgments without examining essential evidence and implications. “Al Smith is a Catholic. He must never be President.” “Roosevelt is a Red. Defeat his program." "Hugo Black is or was a Klansman. Take him out of the Supreme Court." Use of "bad names” without presentation of their essential meaning, without all their pertinent implications, comprises perhaps the most common of all pro- paganda devices. Those who want to maintain the status quo apply bad names to those who would change it. Those who want to change the status quo apply and his accounts Trigande millor ed and events we were 9 the c Tran 376 Chapter 12/Language and Government: Political Wordplay bad names to those who would maintain it. For example, the Daily Worker and the American Guardian apply bad names to conservative Republicans and Democrats. Tes Th 01 015 F 11 Glittering Generalities 10 “Glittering Generalities" is a device by which the propagandist identifies his pro- gram with virtue by use of “virtue words." Here he appeals to our emotions of love, generosity, and brotherhood. He uses words like truth, freedom, honor, lib. erty, social justice, public service, the right to work, loyalty progress, democracy, the American way, Constitution-defender. These words suggest shining ideals. Ali persons of good will believe in these ideals. Hence the propagandist, by identifying his individual group, nation, race, policy, practice, or belief with such ideals, seeks to win us to his cause. As Name Calling is a device to make us form a judgment to reject and condemn without examining the evidence, Glittering Generalities is a device to make us accept and approve without examining the evidence. For example, use of the phrases, “the right to work" and "social justice," may be a device to make us accept programs for meeting labor-capital problems which if we examined them critically, we would not accept at all. In the Name Calling and Glittering Generalities devices, words are used to stir up our emotions and to befog our thinking. In one device "bad words” are used to make us mad; in the other "good words” are used to make us glad. The propagandist is most effective in the use of these devices when his words make us create devils to fight or gods to adore. By his use of the “bad words, we personify as a “devil" some nation, race, group, individual, policy, practice, or ideal; we are made fighting mad to destroy it. By use of "good words," we personify as a godlike idol some nation, race, group, etc. Words which are "bad" to some are "good" to others, or may be made so. Thus, to some the New Deal is “a prophecy of social salvation" while to others it is an omen of social disaster." From consideration of names, "bad" and "good," we pass to institutions and symbols, also "bad" and "good." We see these in the next device. 12 13 option 14 Transfer 15 “Transfer” is a device by which the propagandist carries over the authority, sanc- tion, and prestige of something we respect and revere to something he would have us accept. For example, most of us respect and revere our church and our nation. If the propagandist succeeds in getting church or nation to approve a campaign in behalf of some program, he thereby transfers its authority, sanction, and prestige to that program. Thus we may accept something which otherwise we might reject. In the Transfer device, symbols are constantly used. The cross represents the Christian Church. The flag represents the nation. Cartoons like Uncle Sam rep- resent a consensus of public opinion. Those symbols stir emotions. At their very sight, with the speed of light, is aroused the whole complex of feelings we have with respect to church or nation. A cartoonist by having Uncle Sam disapprove a budget for unemployment relief would have us feel that the whole United States disapproves relief costs. By drawing an Uncle Sam who approves the same budget, Institute for Propaganda Analysis / How to Detect Propaganda - 377 Ana Sex the cartoonist would have us feel that the American people approve it. Thus the Transfer device is used both for and against causes and ideas. Testimonial Ossol by identi lichideas, el orn a jak General 17 The "Testimonial" is a device to make us accept anything from a patent medicine use of testimonials. "When I feel tired, I smoke a Camel and get the grandest lift. ** or a cigarette to a program of national policy. In this device the propagandist makes "We believe the John L. Lewis plan of labor organization is splendid; C.1.0. should be supported. This device works in reverse also; counter-testimonials may be em- ployed. Seldom are these used against commercial products like patent medicines and cigarettes, but they are constantly employed in social, economic, and political issues. "We believe that the John L. Lewis plan of labor organization is bad: C.I.O. nice Tal justice Yoblems with should not be supported." Plain Folks are we As are well hensyn y, practice. ན we permet Wtosowe** "Plain Folks” is a device used by politicians, labor leaders, businessmen, and even by ministers and educators to win our confidence by appearing to be people like ourselves-- "just plain folks among the neighbors." In election years especially do candidates show their devotion to little children and the common, homey things of life. They have front porch campaigns. For the newspaper men they raid the kitchen cupboard, finding there some of the good wife's apple pie. They go to country picnics; they attend service at the old frame church, they pitch hay and go fish- ing: they show their belief in home and mother. In short, they would win our votes by showing that they're just as common as the rest of us— “just plain folks”— and, therefore, wise and good. Businessmen often are "plain folks” with the fac- tory hands. Even distillers use the device. “It's our family's whiskey, neighbor; and neighbor, it's your price." *a prophecy of stitutions and hority, sans- 78 he world rich and on ano? 1. IN Onze Card Stacking 19 "Card Stacking" is a device in which the propagandist employs all the arts of deception to win our support for himself, his group, nation, race, policy, practice, belief, or ideal. He stacks the cards against the truth. He uses under-emphasis and over-emphasis to dodge issues and evade facts. He resorts to lies, censorship, and distortion. He omits facts. He offers false testimony. He creates a smoke screen of clamor by raising a new issue when he wants an embarrassing matter forgot- ten. He draws a red herring across the trail to confuse and divert those in quest of facts he does not want revealed. He makes the unreal appear real and the real ap- pear unreal. He lets half-truth masquerade as truth. By the Card Stacking device, a mediocre candidate, through the "build-up," is made to appear an intellectual titan; an ordinary prize fighter, a probable world champion; a worthless patent medicine, a beneficent cure. By means of this device propagandists would convince us that a ruthless war of aggression is a crusade for righteousness. Some member nations of the Non-Intervention Committee send their troops to intervene in Spain. Card Stackino emplovs sham, hypocrisy, effrontery. 378 - Chapter 127 Language and Government: Political Wordplay The Band Wagon 20 The "Band Wagon" is a device to make us follow the crowd, to accept the propa- gandist's program en masse. Here his theme is: "Everybody's doing it." His tech- niques range from those of medicine show to dramatic spectacle. He hires a hall, most of us, to "follow the crowd." Because he wants us to "follow the crowd" in ors, music, movement, all the dramatic arts. He appeals to the desire, common to masses, he directs his appeal to groups held together by common ties of nationality, of the Nordic race or as Negroes; as farmers or as school teachers; as housewives > religion, race, environment , sex, vocation. Thus propagandists campaigning for or as miners. All the artifices of flattery are used to harness the fears and hatreds. prejudices, and biases, convictions and ideals common to the group; thus emotion is made to push and pull the group on to the Band Wagon. In newspaper articles and in the spoken word this device is also found. “Don't throw your vote away. Vote for our candidate. He's sure to win." Nearly every candidate wins in every election before the votes are in. option Propaganda and Emotion 21 Observe that in all these devices our emotion is the stuff with which propa- gandists work. Without it they are helpless; with it, harnessing it to their pur- poses, they can make us glow with pride or burn with hatred, they can make us zealots in behalf of the program they espouse. As we said at the beginning, propaganda as generally understood is expression of opinion or action by indi- viduals or groups with reference to predetermined ends. Without the appeal to our emotion—to our fears and to our courage, to our selfishness and unselfishness, to our loves and to our hates--propagandists would influence few opinions and few actions. To say this is not to condemn emotion, an essential part of life, or to assert that all predetermined ends of propagandists are "bad.” What we mean is that the intelligent citizen does not want propagandists to utilize his emotions, even to the attainment of “good” ends, without knowing what is going on. He does not want to be "used” in the attainment of ends he may later consider "bad." He does not want to be gullible. He does not want to be fooled. He does not want to be duped, even in a "good" cause. He wants to know the facts and among these is included the fact of the utilization [of] his emotions. 22 23 Keeping in mind the seven common propaganda devices, turn to today's news- papers and almost immediately you can spot examples of them all. At election time or during any campaign, Plain Folks and Band Wagon are common. Card Stacking is hardest to detect because it is adroitly executed or because we lack the informa- tion necessary to nail the lie. A little practice with the daily newspapers in detect- ing these propaganda devices soon enables us to detect them elsewhere—in radio, newsreel, books, magazines, and in expression[s] of labor unions, business groups, churches, schools, and political parties. Institute for Propaganda Analysis / How to Detect Propaganda - 379 > as SCAN Sise. SAS cs, Protestants, indidale WIS WA Wagon. In new sex video THINKING CRITICALLY 1. Look at the definition of the word propaganda in paragraph 3. How many sets of people are involved--how many parties does it take to make propaganda? What are the roles or functions of each set of people? 2. Supply an example of the way emotion overrides reason for each of the seven common propaganda devices the authors identify. 3. Can you supply "bad names from your own experience as a student? Some examples to get you started might include "geek," "nerd," and "teacher's pet" to refer to students; you can probably think of some generic terms for teachers as well . Compare these terms to the definition of propaganda. Do you think these terms qualify as propaganda? 4. How are name calling and glittering generalities similar devices? How are they different? What do the authors of the document say? What additional features SVOM STUSSUU can you find? - the stuff Willis it, harnessing it to the with hatred, they can be As we said at he 5. How do transfer, testimonial, and plain-folks devices all make use of power or prestige to influence our thinking? Can you think of something or someone you respect that could be used as a propaganda device--for example, a major sporting event, such the Super Bowl, or a football hero? 6. Give examples of times in your life when you have used the card stacking or band wagon devices to try to get something you wanted-such as permission from a parent or an excused absence from a teacher. Dk 7. What is the difference between the propagandist" and "the scientist" in para- graph 3? What is their relationship to "truth and fact"? What is their relationship to each other? What is their relationship to the language they use? 8. What is “socially desirable propaganda"? Can you give examples from your own experience? Do you think that socially desirable propaganda uses the same devices that the authors of this article identify? Consider the safe-sex campaigns you have been exposed to. of opinion or action he is. Without the appealt fishness and unself baie nfluence few opinii al part of life, or to him What we mean is that his emotions, even with egon. He does not want "bad." He does not wait vant to be duped freni e is included the fard WRITING ASSIGNMENTS 1. Based on your understanding of the whole article and on class discussion, de- velop your own definition of propaganda. Make sure you define each key term that you use. 2. Following the suggestions set down in the final paragraph of this essay, collect examples of propaganda from at least five different sources. Examine them, and then describe in a paper what devices they use. How do the creators of each kind of propaganda show that they are aware of their audience's emotions? What emotions do they appeal to? How much truth and fact do they seem to rely on? 3. Research and collect newspaper articles on an election-a race for student government on your campus, a recent town or state proposition, or even a na- tional election. Be sure to collect a handful of articles from at least two ma- jor candidates or from two sides of the issue. What propaganda devices did each side use? Which side won? How much of a role do you think propaganda played in deciding the outcome? 4. Do you think the authors of this article would advocate getting rid of all propa- ganda? Why or why not? Be sure to include a discussion of what propaganda is and what function or role it serves. tum to today
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