Propagand and Fallacy

Appeal to Authority

appeals to an authority to support a position, idea, argument, or course of action

Ex:

• where the authority’s expertise is irrelevany or unproven

• Trusting a cellebrity’s health advice

• believing a politician’s unsubstantiated claims

• accpeting a plumber’s opinion on electrical work

Bandwagon

promotes an “everyone else is going it, you should too” appeal

Ex:

• people joining trends, products, or ideas because they’re popular

Gilttering Generalities

use of intensely emotionally appealing words so closely assciated with highly valued convepts and beliefs that they carry conviction without supporting information or reason

Ex:

• natural, democratic, organic, scientific, ecological, sustainable

• emotionally appealing, vague word/phases (freedom, honor, progress, family values or yes we can)

Time Crunch

creating the impression that your action is required immediately or your opportunity will be lost forever

Ex:

• Commercial/Advertising - “only 24 hours left before this deal is over”, “only 100 spots available”, “act now to receive a free gift”

• Political/Social - “dealy is death”, election “countdown ads”, “emergency” legistlation

• Wartime/Crisis - “loose lips might sink ships”, blackout orders (“look out in the blackout & put that light out”)

• Cultural/Media - productivity propaganda (“stop wasting time”, “overnight success”), “20 minutes into the future”, “crunch time for topic.”

Plain Folks

using people just like you and me to state a case

Ex:

• use relatable “everyman” imagery and language to convince people a candidate/product is trustworthy and understands ordiary concerns

• Bill Clinton eating at McDonalds

• Barack Obama campaign ads showing him in casual settings

• Dove soap featuring ordinary women instead of supermodels to promote beauty for everyone

Red Herring

highlighting a minor detail as a way to draw attention away from more important details or issues

Ex:

• changing the subject (when asked about pollution levels the politican started disucssing the importance of a strong economy)

• avoiding the question (when questioned about his late project submission, John mentioned how many hours he’s been working lately)

Transfer

linking a known personal goal or ideal with a product or cause to transfer the audience’s positive feeling to the product or cause

Ex:

• Political Symbols - politicans delivering speeches in front of a massive American flag to transfer feelings of patriotism to their campaign

• Celebrity Endorsements: using a celebrity, Ellen DeGeneres, to endorse CoverGirl makeup & transferring her personal appeal and “flawless” image to the product

• Symbolic Association - the Marlboro Man connecting cigareetes with the rugged, independent image of a cowboy

• Authority Figures - an actor wearing a white lab coat in a commercial to transfer the authority & trustworthiness of “science” or “medicine” to a specific, unproven product

• Religious Imagery - political activist closing a speech with a prayer to transfer religious respect and moral authority to their political agenda

• Institutional Symbols - using the cross to represent the church or Uncle Sam to represent the U.S. government in cartoons to influence public opinion

Snob Appeal

associating the product with successful and admired people to give the audience the idea if they buy or support the same things, they may also have “what it takes”

Ex:

• Luxury Brand - rolex, louis vuitton, bently; showing lavish lifestyles to suggest ownership confers status

• Technology - apples marketing often hints at creativity & being ahead of the curve, appealing to a modern, discerning user

• Credit Cards - black/premium cards with high eligibility requirements, implying holdsers are finacncially elite

• Perfumes - ads for scents like dior j’adore featuring sophisticated, desirable figures

• Cigarettes - linked smoking to women’s liberation and modernity

• Spitve TV - branded itself as the “first network for men” creating an exclusive identity

Testimonial

using the testimony or statement of someone to persuade you to think or act as he/she does

Ex:

• Shaquille O’Neal for pain relief products

• medical/professional advice (ads claiming “1# dentist recommended brand”)

• weight loss before & after

• influencer marketing, endorsements

Prestige Identification

showing a well known person with the object, person, or cause in order to increase the audience’s impression of the importance or prestige of the object, person, or cause

Ex:

• Celebrity Endorsements - Micheal Jordan appearing in Nike commercials to make the shoes seem superior

• Poliical Endorsements - using a list of influential people from “Who’s Who” to show support for a speciific candidate

• Symbolic Association (transfer) - a political activist ending a speech with a prayer to link their political stance with religious authority

• Expert Testimony - a scientist in a lab coat endorsing a health product, using the authority of science to sell it

• Patriotic/Cultural Icons - a famous singer/actor endorsing a cause, using their fame to sway public opinion

• HIstorical/Fictional Figures - using figures like Albery Einstein in ads to imply that consuming a product makes the consumer as smart as the genius

Flag Waving

connecting the person, product, or cause with patriotism

Ex:

• Uncle Sam slogan, “I need you for the United Statest Army!”

• Soviet Union “Motherland Calls!”

Card Stacking

telling one side of the story as though there’s no opposing view

Ex:

• Sun Chips marketing - advertising “30% less fat” then regular chips implying they’re a healthy choice, while ignoring other nutritional aspects

• Political candidates highlighting only their achievements while ignoring scandals or failures

• A company showing only benefits of their products without mentioning defects in corporate commercials

• nazi propaganda misrepresented groups through selelctive, prejudiced imagery to create a false, biased narrative

Obtain Disapproval

getting the audience to disapprove of an action or idea by suggesting the idea is popular with groups hated, feared, or held in contempt by the target audience

Ex:

• Political Attacks - a 2016 campaign ad, like Role Models by Hiliary Clinton used clips of children watching Donald Trump’s controversional remarks to evoke negative judgement

• Guilt by Association - assestering a candidate is tained because they received campaign donations from a hated industry (e.g. “why trust a candidate supported by tobbaco companies?”)

• Sterotyping/Name-Calling - nazi propaganda in the 1930s-40s using terms like “non-Aryan” to promote persecution or modern labeling of political opponents as “fascists” or “communitsts” to cause immediate rejection

• Foreign Influence Disinformation: in 2016 U.S. election, Russian backed groups created fake, hyper partisan social media groups (e.g. “Heart of Texas”) to spread negative, emotional misinformation designed to make audiences to loathe specific politicians

• Symbolic Association - using a cartoon where a despied figured (a caricature of a foreign dictator) approves of a proposed policy, suggesting to support the policy is to agree with the energy

• Sloganeering - using loaded phrases like “blood for oil” or “cut and run” to instantly discredit a foreign policy position

Vagueness

statements that are generally vague so that the audience may supply its own interpretations

Ex:

• Vauge Political Promises - statements like “growth and oppoturnity” or “moving toward a better future” create emotional, positive sentiment without defining policy

• Marketing “Weasel Words” - using terms like “all natural”, “improved”, “vitural”, or “up to” suggests superiority without offering concerte proof

• Scientific Vagueness - using phrases like “clinically proven” or “dcotor recommended” without citing specific studies or detailing what was proven

• Strategic Vagueness in Policy - a party stating they’ll “support families” instead of detailing specific tax or subsidy policies, allowing voters to project their own desires onto the statement

Fear

appealing to a person’s fears of abandonment, being outcast, etc.

Ex:

• Political Fear Mongering - “If Donald Trump gets rid of our healthcare law, my son won’t be protected”, ads suggesting that electing a certain candidate will lead to a “world where police have no funding”, warnngs of economic collapse, social breakdown or the loss of freedom to sway voters

• Health/Public Saftey Campaigns - anti-smoking ads, “grim reaper” AIDS ads, COVID-19 vaccination ads

• Corporate Propaganda - IBM vs Linux (historical claims by SCO Group alleging that using Linux would expose companies to lawsuit, creating uncertainty & fear regarding intellectural proptery), capitalist hierarchy cartoons (images designed to incite fear of labor exploitation or conversely, fear of communist, radical change)