I hear it used all the time, but noticed I don’t know exactly what it means. The actual definition of it is very broad.
“The spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.”
However, this doesn’t quite feel like how the word is often used. I’ve only ever seen it used with a negative connotation. If I were to spread information about climate change for the planet, am I spreading propaganda?
In: Other
Propaganda is a word that comes from a latin verb meaning “to propagate” (aka spread), so propaganda has the purpose of spreading a way of thinking. The word “propaganda” has become synonymous with the expression “political propaganda”, so that’s what you think when you hear of propaganda , but there are other types, with the most noteworthy being “commercial propaganda” aka advertisements.
Advertisements want to spread one way of thinking (basically “buy our product”), so that’s why having things like a catchy jingle, slogan or a charismatic spokesperson for the product.
Political propaganda can also have those things, but they’re more common when they wanna sell you a candidate or convince you that one candidate is bad (the “Yes, We Can” slogan selling Obama, Joe The Plumber being an anti-Obama spokesman are both examples of this). The most powerful propaganda is not aimed at a particular candidate as that is kind of on the nose and people catch that and resist it more easily, but it’s aimed at groups of people, countries, situations and so on.
For instance, talking about how Marjorie Taylor Greene believed there was a Jewish space laser when it happened was just reporting on the news, but talking about repeatedly as a joke and showing contempt is negative propaganda (as deserved as it may be). Talking repeatedly about how Liz Truss wouldn’t last as UK prime minister and comparing her to a slowly rotting cabbage is negative propaganda. Talking about how solar energy will save the world from global warming is positive propaganda for solar. Immigrants will steal our jobs? Negative propaganda on immigrats. Save the world, go vegan? Positive propaganda on veganism. And so on
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