Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with propaganda

What percentage of comments on large blogs/newspapers are propaganda?

Damn That Television — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:20:35 -0800

What percentage of comments on large blogs/newspapers are planned propaganda? As an example:
http://nymag.com/news/features/43892/comments.html#comments

Pretty scary article about an anti-smoking drug with lots of user comments in favor of the drug. I know that many, possibly all, are sincere anecdotes from people who have been helped. But how many are accounts from Pfizer or their PR firm, trying to spin/discredit it?

Are website user comments even something that companies/political groups really bother with?

Where can I find posters of political propaganda?

insouciant — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:26:11 -0800

I like posters of political propaganda. The United Nations Fight for Freedom, the British Keep Calm and Carry On, Obama's Hope... Tell me about posters similar to these and where I can buy them. I enjoy Chinese, Russian or Eastern European posters as well, but I'm mainly looking for Western ones.

The propaganda machine or my imagination?

drpynchon — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:19:23 -0800

Am I imagining things or has there lately been a surge of right-wing opinion dominating the forums of popular sites like digg and reddit? It seems like people are voting up weird random articles like this one and then circle jerking away about regulation=bad, government=bad, Obama=BigBrother=communism, taxes=bad, etc. usually talking points.

Are these sites always prone to just being anti-establishment regardless of the party in power or is this a planned tactic on the part of American conservatives to address their prior failings in handling the internet? I've seen some links to what appear to be goon squads doing this but has anyone written a substantive evaluation of this phenomenon and how organized it may be? Also have the folks that run such sites addressed the fact that they may be used as propaganda devices and attempted to develop means to combat this?

Where to get local China news, in China

michswiss — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 09:05:23 -0800

I like keeping up with the local news and issues where ever I live. It's not been a problem in the US, Europe or A/NZ. Now that I'm close to moving to China after 18 months of business travel in the country, I'm looking for good local news sources and how best to view them. It's almost certain I'll be based in Shanghai. I'd like to learn and understand more about the dynamics of the city and what might be happening in the city that a proud Shanghaiese would care about.

I'm familiar with the local English language 'newspapers' and there's some info there, but with a fairly obvious slant. I don't want expat or business traveller news. Extra points for independent sources for Shanghai metro and China national news available in English or German.

Looking for films and books on Agitprop

brain cloud — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:28:40 -0800

Looking for recommendations on films (documentary or dramatic) or books (nonficiton or novel) about Agitprop or Agitprop Theater, specifically as it was practiced in Boshevist Russia/USSR. What I'm hoping to find is realistic depictions focused on what it was like to be "on the inside," formulating and disseminating propaganda messages, or on the recieving end of the propaganda. Historical fiction OK.

Not interested so much in works based on Agitprop ideas.

What's the deal with: Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West?

cjorgensen — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:20:28 -0800

What should I do with the DVD "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West"? I got this DVD in the mail. From what I understand it borders on hate speech and xenophobia (which is why I am not linking to their site). So what do I do?

1. Watch it and decide for myself?
2. Throw it away?
3. Mark it "Return to sender," and hope this cost the racists a bit of cash?
4. Invite all my friends over for a viewing?

I like to imagine myself as an open minded type of guy, and I am not afraid of having my world view challenged, but I also would rather not waste my time sitting in front of a propaganda piece (for or against anything).

I'm less worried about what this will do to my world view, and more concerned with: if it really is the vitriolic piece of crap I am expecting it to be, what's the best way to cost them extra cash? Even a buck for return postage would be fine with me (that's one less DVD they can send out).

If I am wrong on my perception, then I would like to know that as well.

Thanks.

image of man pulling lever

stavrogin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:29:12 -0800

I'm trying to find an iconic image of a side view of a man pulling on a very long lever. After seeing an homage to the image in All Star Superman #12, I tried to find the original without any luck. I thought it was either from Metropolis by Fritz Lang or a Soviet Propaganda poster, but I can't find anything at dedicated sites or google image search.

What is the Norwegian Dream?

parmanparman — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:54:06 -0800

Rather than go into the American Dream or the New American Dream, I would like to find out about the real or philosophical "...Dream" of other countries, like what is the New Dutch Dream and the Chinese Dream? Note: don't tell me about sagas! dreams only, please.

Look out! Here come the Americans!

daveleck — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:49:25 -0800

I am looking for foreign (non-American) films wherein the antagonists are a nefarious bunch of Americans, doing stereotypically bad American things. Watching the new Indiana Jones film and reading about the Russian communist party uproar over the film's Soviet evil-doers has me curious about foreign films with American bad guys (like the constant evildoing Nazis and Soviets we see in so many comic books/spy novels/action/adventure flicks).

Sadly, I fear a large portion of American moviegoers buy into this traditional Nazi/Communist schtick, so I'd be very interested in seeing some corresponding examples from "the other side". It would be particularly interesting to me if (a substantial portion of) the home market audience of these films buys into the stereotyped portrayals in the film.

What is the best major to pursue if one has an interest in studying propaganda?

Lownotes — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:14:41 -0800

What is the best major to pursue if one has an interest in studying propaganda? I would like to become a scholar in mass public manipulation and mind control - propaganda, media control, advertising, public relations, etc.

I have a bachelor's in Mass Communication and Journalism, but I'm not interested in the good side of the field, only the malevolent, dark side.

What would be the best academic course to pursue? Where would be the best place to pursue it?

Why can't you believe everything you read in a history book?

Dasein — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:36:52 -0800

I'm looking for two brief historical accounts of the same event or events, to show how history can be distorted. Bonus points if the events relate to European encounters with indigenous peoples in the Americas. It doesn't matter what event or period of history this recounts. I'm just looking for a couple of paragraphs in each account - and it can be as specific as the conduct of the Conquistadors in a particular battle or as broad as the settlement of the American West. The key things is to show how historical events for which we have good documentary evidence can be presented radically differently, especially in a propagandistic way with the more traditional account.

It doesn't really matter if the more modern account is itself not balanced, as long as it's at variance with the first. Thanks very much!

Where's the truth?

pelican — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 18:23:25 -0800

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran is only seeking "peaceful nuclear activities"; Presidential Candidates contend Iran is seeking nuclear weapons. Which is right? I can't trust sources from my own country (U.S.) What does a more objective (is there such a thing?) view say?

does this soviet poster exist?

Mayor Curley — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:17:19 -0800

I have heard several reference to a Soviet propaganda poster that I can't find. Maybe it's a hoax, perhaps you've seen it. You might even know where I can view it. The poster advertises the availability of abortion in the case of unwanted pregnancy. Under that is Jesus's mother Mary, with a word balloon or caption saying something to the effect of "If only I had known!"

A professor in the mid 90's asserted that it existed, but I don't think she said that she had seen it personally. I once met a man who claimed to have seen a copy for sale in a book stall in Eastern Germany c.1993, but the conversation took place in a bar and we all know how credible bar talk is.

I can't find any discussion of it on the Internet in english, and it would be more effort than it warrants for me to try to do it in my very limited Russian. Have you seen this poster? Do you know where I can see it? Perhaps you have read about it and concluded it's a myth. Any info is appreciated.

Who sets the TV agenda?

pompomtom — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 07:23:34 -0800

Do propaganda shows like 'The Unit' and 'Threat Matrix' (and, I presume, '24', though I've not watched it) get US gov't funding, or are they just a private attempt to cash in on war-on-terra panic?

What are these East German Commies saying, anyway?

jason's_planet — Mon, 07 May 2007 08:11:03 -0800

German-speakers: What are the Commies in these (very brief) clips from East Germany saying? Yesterday, I did a front page post on East Germany. My YouTube research uncovered quite a few clips that were amusing and interesting but not appropriate for the post itself. Two that caught my eye are listed below:

The first is a straightforward propaganda clip from (I assume) the Fifties. (:42)

The second is a Stasi surveillance video with an anti-Western speech inserted as a soundtrack. (:58)

If there are any German-speakers out there, could you please tell me what they are saying? I don’t need a word-by-word translation. Just the gist would be fine.

Many thanks in advance.

Japan/ese-ophiles: Help me find out more about this WWII-era phenomenon in propaganda in Japan.

Lockeownzj00 — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 15:14:28 -0800

Japan/ese-ophiles: Help me find out more about this WWII-era phenomenon in propaganda in Japan. I was told by a friend a while ago that during WWII, the Japanese government would often publish propaganda with combinations of kanji that didn't necessarily "mean" anything specifically, but intrinsically, logographically "felt" good.

Can anyone confirm this, and if so, can they expand upon the idea?

Where did all the propagandists go?

brundlefly — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 15:45:57 -0800

Are any of the old Soviet poster designers still working? This FPP made me wonder if any of these ridiculously talented artists did significant work after the fall of the USSR. Or did they just vanish after the whole propaganda market dried up? Are there any names I should look for?

An Act of Propaganda

oncogenesis — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 17:16:50 -0800

Help me find a quotation. I have a vague memory of a quote from a respected literary figure (perhaps Orwell) which states that the name given to a piece of legislation will always denote the opposite of the purpose of the legislation. In effect, the names of our laws are propaganda. The USA PATRIOT Act springs immediately to mind. Are you familiar with this alleged quote? Who said it and what did they say? Or did my drug-addled brain make the whole thing up?

How best to share an old booklet online?

lilbrudder — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 00:14:14 -0800

Best way to share a photoalbum? I have an old U.S. army booklet (62 doublespread pages) called "The Punch Below The Belt" from 1944, and I was interested in putting it online for others to see. It's a fascinating, virulently racist propaganda piece about the tactics the Japanese soldiers used in the Pacific theater of operations. I scanned the entire item & posted it to my flickr account, but then I realized that non-flickr users wouldn't be able to access the "view all sizes" option that makes the text on the scanned images legible. Can anyone suggest an easy alternative (short of getting my own webhost & posting a page of 62 large jpegs) that would allow me to share this old bit of army propaganda?

Oh yeah, just so that no one accuses me of sneakiness, this account is a sockpuppet for jonson, I just used my allotted question for the week and felt like throwing matt an additional five bucks.

Duck and Cover

interrobang — Wed, 03 May 2006 11:53:37 -0800

Did children actually believe that "Duck and Cover" would work? Was the program met with any cynicism, or did Americans simply not know enough about the bomb to know any better? Did it make the atom bomb less scary?

I know this was all before the Kennedy assassination and Watergate, but did the public really believe the things the government was saying about the dangers of the atom bomb?

Cover the earth!

Sangre Azul — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 12:26:42 -0800

The Sherwin-Williams paint logo has always reminded me of a propaganda poster. Possibly with WWII Japan depicted as an octopus. Or maybe there's oil involved. The Sherwin-Williams logo has always looked menacing to me. I recall one or two propaganda posters (or political cartoons) in my old middle/high school history book that forged this connotation.

One:

I'm fairly certain the original image was of an octopus engulfing the earth. I found this thread that covers many instances of the octopus being used as a propaganda symbol. There are a lot of close images, but not the one I remember.

In that thread, a member is looking for this image, but is unsuccessful:

"I'm trying to find one of the more famous octopus in propaganda, a WWII poster depicting Imperial Japan as an enormous cephalopod taking in Southeast Asia and reaching for Australia."

I think this might be the image I'm looking for, too. If not, it's in a similar vein and was not covered in the octopus forum thread linked to above.

Two:

Again, in my history book was a political cartoon (I think) of an oil drum pouring out onto the globe. I'm not sure what era this would have been from.

Any bites?

Soviet circus propaganda

tellurian — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 18:19:23 -0800

In the book I'm currently reading about Bobby Fischer and his match with Boris Spassky, the author's write, "the Soviets would construct their propaganda edifice on three main pillars, 'chess, the circus and ballet. In all three the Soviet Union could be shown to be far ahead of the West.'" 1) Is this true (the three main pillars bit)? and if so; 2) I can understand chess and ballet, but circuses? Can anyone explain or point me to sources that tell the story of how this nation would attempt to demonstrate their superiority by showing that their clowns were better than yours?

BUY MORE POPCORN

Artifice_Eternity — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 22:35:41 -0800

Are subliminal messages illegal? I'm looking for citations, not vague impressions or urban legends (which so far is all I have to go on -- Google has not been helpful). I'm thinking of creating/commissioning a video project that will involve projection of subliminal images and/or words. The audience would be told that this was happening -- but not what the content of the messages was.

text-to-speech programme for mac?

UbuRoivas — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 13:13:27 -0800

any of youse ppls know where i can find an ok text-to-voice thingy on/for a mac? if it is not native to the OS, then any cromulent freeware/open sauce tool would do embiggeningly :)

Source of "Soviet-style" posters on DC Metro?

ubernostrum — Thu, 09 Jun 2005 10:29:10 -0800

Jason Kottke, BoingBoing and a couple other places have picked up the story of a Soviet-style poster that's been spotted on the DC-area Metro. Looking at it carefully, I just can't believe that this is genuine; for one thing, the poster's artwork just doesn't fit (take a glance at the hand just behind the head of the man in the foreground -- this is obviously a hand holding a flag, not someone grasping a pole in a Metro car). I've been looking through galleries of old Soviet propaganda posters all morning to see if I can find a source it could have been Photoshopped from, but without luck. Does anyone know more about this poster and whether it is genuine? Or if it isn't, what the actual source is?