Propaganda Section B

Acme Paper Products President: "Our long term commitment is to increased growth."
Possible investor: "Does that mean you will expand your plants and cut more forests?"
President: "Our growth program will expand throughout the decade."

5 Abstract Terms

Company representative to Senator: "This proposed law should cover only ultra-dense metals. By that I mean metals, such as iron, whose atomic weight is 80 or over."

0 No Technique - not Abstract Terms

You'll love this girl. She's neither short nor tall, nor fat nor thin; she's just right."

6 Vagueness

Smith: "All people should pay a fair share of the real estate tax load."
Jones: "What do you mean by 'fair share'?"
Smith: "Why, everyone knows what his fair share is."

5 Abstract Terms

Smith: "All people should pay a fair share of the county taxes."
Jones: "I agree. I pay my fair share of $200."
Smith: "What? You should pay at least $400 for your fair share."

6 Vagueness

Man is the highest being on the evolutionary ladder, according to biology. That's why women are inferior.

8 Shift of Meaning

Smith took 40 measurements of seven measuring tapes. None of them were exact enough.

7 Ambiguity

it's pretty poor, but still it's a whole lot better than a good many 20th-century French paintings."
Jones: "You should have heard Smith rave about that painting. He said that it was 'a whole lot better than 20th-century French paintings.'"

4 Quotation out of Context

You students are so hard to handle. You all act like wound-up robots.

2 Metaphor and Simile

Ad: "Blitz is brewed with tender loving care to give you real gusto in a great light beer."

1 Emotional Terms

Dean of Women at a university: "All I intend to say to you girls is that you must keep acceptable hours, and I don't want any arguments."

6 Vagueness

The conservationists who demand that strip miners do a better job of restoring what they tear up are damned nuisances.

1 Emotional Terms

Senator Barry Goldwater: "Since I have been a member of Congress, I have watched budget measures grow bigger and bigger. I can tell you the taxpayers in my district are getting a severe case of indigestion from feeding the bloated bureaucracy."

1 Emotional Terms

Customer: "But you advertised the brooch as 'pure gold.'"
Salesman: "It is pure gold. That is, what gold is in it is pure. If we had meant 'all gold,' we would have said so."

8 Shift of Meaning

Senator Barry Goldwater: "We can increase economic growth by restoring incentive to work, save, invest, and produce through a major reduction in tax rates. When you tax something, you get less of it. Today we tax work, savings, and production."

8 Shift of Meaning

Ad: "Johnny Carson Suits make you feel like a king."

2 Metaphor and Simile

She wrote to the company: "I lost 50 ugly, unwanted pounds simply by taking two of your Slim-Bod capsules daily and following a low calorie diet for six months. Now the men won't take their eyes off me." The company used what she wrote in the following manner: "Miss Jones says she 'lost 50 ugly, unwanted pounds simply by taking two Slim-Bods daily.'"

4 Quotation out of Context

The principal of a high school addressing the student body at an assembly: "Our school will be evaluated for national certification sometime during the coming school year. We don't know exactly when the evaluation will take place. I ask that each of you give us a little cooperation and make some improvement in your behavior."

6 Vagueness

A bill proposed in Congress would ban from the mails all "material that may be considered offensive sexually."

6 Vagueness

Believe me, the Vietnam War is the ghost that will haunt this country for a hundred years.

2 Metaphor and Simile

Royal Butter makes you feel like a Queen.

2 Metaphor and Simile

I'm sure you will agree that deprivation of the nutritive instinct is destructive of the higher cultural interests. What do these words mean? I don't have time to explain right now.

5 Abstract Terms

Compared to chain smoking, car racing is just a drag.

2 Metaphor and Simile

Midget has more value than any other medium-priced car in the world.

6 Vagueness

Hanes hose ad: "Our sheer hose gives your legs that springtime feeling."

2 Metaphor and Simile

Now there is Cologne by Pershing for both men and women. Have you noticed the difference?

7 Ambiguity

A professor said in the classroom: "The Communist Government of Cuba is a good one to live under if you don't care about personal freedom and your civil liberties." The local newspaper reported his lecture this way: "Communism in our schools! Local teacher says, 'The Communist Government of Cuba is a good one to live under...'"

4 Quotation Out of Context

Propaganda has got to be one of the most depressing and stupid games I've ever played. I think it stinks, and I don't think you can say anything to change my mind.

0 No Technique

We are Republicans and don't propose to leave our party and identify ourselves with the party whose antecedents have been Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion.

1 Emotional Terms

"But Miss Buxley," complained Tommy, "you forbade me to CALL Maggie a vituperous vixen. I just wrote it on the board."

3 Emphasis

Of course we should vote for the amendment to the new sewage bill. One of the founding principles of this nation is compromise, amending our opinion. The sewage amendment must pass.

8 Shift of Meaning

Teacher to parent of a student: "Your daughter hasn't been working hard enough on my subject. She simply has to work harder."

6 Vagueness

Senator Burton said that while in principle he did not favor abortion, he would not oppose a majority vote that would have the effect of legalizing abortion. His reported speech was headlined, "Burton Favors Legalizing Abortion."

4 Quotation out of Context

Oh, Helen, why be so contrary! He HAS got a body like a Greek god.

2 Metaphor and Simile

Ad from a full service bank: "Here's how to get a banker to play ball without batting an eye."

2 Metaphor and Simile

Senator Claghorn in a speech: "Throughout the Communist world people call for 'freedom.' They don't have to be more specific than that - just 'freedom.' The Communist leaders are frightened."

5 Abstract Terms

Democrats are unscrupulous tax-raisers who take advantage of unsuspecting workers and poor people.

1 Emotional Terms

Smith: "Wilson is quite a competitor."
Jones: "He can hardly be called a 'competitor.' He has lost every game he has played."
Smith: "But he fights hard even in defeat."

6 Vagueness

The way I see it, the School Board's plan to cut Academic Games is a half-baked idea and we shouldn't stand for it.

1 Emotional Terms

A: "Phlogiston is an invisible fluid through which light can pass."
B: "What is phlogiston? Is there any in this room?
A: "I can't explain it to you. It's invisible, you know."

5 Abstract Terms

The hurricane roared through the state like a freight train.

2 Metaphor and Simile

Smith: "Christianity is the hope of the world."
Jones: "Maybe, but I haven't the slightest idea what you mean by 'Christianity.'"
Smith: "'Christianity' is, well, whatever it is - you know what I mean."

5 Abstract Terms

The baseball commissioner tried to mediate in the players' strike. Sports writers agree the strike settlement favors the players. The commissioner was not an impartial mediator.

8 Shift of Meaning

Asked to describe the character of his political opponent, Jones replied, "He's about as personable as a slug."

2 Metaphor and Simile

Salesman: "This new computer is IBM-compatible."
Customer: "Does that mean it can run the Lotus 1-2-3 program?"
Salesman: "I don't know. All I know is that it is IBM-compatible."

5 Abstract Terms

How can our state make any progress with a lying, scheming crook like Edwin Jones as its governor?

1 Emotional Terms

Smith: "I'm for military preparedness."
Jones: "What do you mean by 'military preparedness'?"
Smith: "I trust the Defense Department to know what we need to be ready."

5 Abstract Terms

Teacher: "Susie, I'm giving you an F for this paper because it's just not neat enough to suit me."

6 Vagueness

A vote for my opponent is a vote for all the cockeyed, wasteful liberal programs that nearly destroyed this nation's precious economy.

1 Emotional Terms

My opponent claims that his service in the army in the Vietnam War is proof of his patriotism. But I question the patriotism of a man who would cancel the Star Wars defense program if elected President.

8 Shift of Meaning

A cold bottle of 9-UP is like a cool twilight breeze after a hot summer day.

2 Metaphor and Simile - not Emotional Terms

Dr. Merlot stated, "We are all sleepwalkers." When asked why, he replied: "I think each of us is a sleepwalker because we all go through a subtle transition between the sleeping and walking state."

8 Shift of Meaning

Trial lawyer to jury: "He's guilty with the stealth of a coral snake, and with about as much conscience he lured the poor victim away and then mercilessly destroyed him."

1 Emotional Terms

Malonna sang: "I like winter when it rains, fresh mown hay and blades of grass." The newspaper reported, "Malonna likes grass!"

4 Quotation out of Context

The conservative is at odds with dictators who rule by terror, and equally at odds with those gentler collectivists who ask our permission to play God with the human race.

1 Emotional Terms

Esther! I asked all of you to come early and help me set up for the meeting! It starts in ten minutes; where have you been?

6 Vagueness

Now you can be more attractive in a Fluffy Sweater. Fluffy gives you the beauty of spring.

2 Metaphor and Simile

Thank you for a copy of the new Academic Game. I shall waste no time in playing it.

7 Ambiguity

I heard that Jones voted for Schmidt. He must be a Democrat.

7 Ambiguity

Congresswoman Bell: "The domestic oil programs that we have today simply will not be enough to meet the coming demand. We still have a long way to go."

6 Vagueness

From a speech of an ecologist: "From an airplane you can see the creeping of the fungus threads of urban growth."

2 Metaphor and Simile - not Emotional Terms

Some people cannot control their habits at all. Do you think Roger is going to squander all his money - or his wife?

7 Ambiguity

We have already shown, my fellow citizens, that the hands of our political enemy are tainted with the filthy lucre of gambling money. Need we add more?

1 Emotional Terms

The Warrior football team is really good this year; however, in the last game, the quarterback threw the ball with no protective padding and got hurt.

7 Ambiguity

Two Senators sponsored a bill providing that unrequested mail that is indecent must carry warning labels.

6 Vagueness

Whenever someone is in an exotic surrounding in a foreign country they chose to visit, and they're living in a luxury hotel, what are they called? Guests! So don't tell me Westerners in Baghdad are hostages! It should be obvious Saddam is correct. They are guests!

8 Shift of Meaning

In arguing with a friend over whether or not President Kennedy favored social programs like welfare, Irna insisted that he opposed government handout programs, and that it was, after all, Kennedy who told his countrymen to, "Ask not what your country can do for you."

4 Quotation out of Context

Mother: "Leave that boy alone! Can't you see he's tired?"
Father: "Tired? Don't be silly. He's only broken out in a little sweat and hasn't complained at all."

6 Vagueness

Anyone failing to see through the hypocrisy of our presence in the Middle East is just another Rambo-Reagan War Hawk who's too stupid to learn from the errors this nation has committed, including the massacre of untold numbers of innocent civilians in Vietnam.

1 Emotional Terms

A patriot is a person who speaks out boldly on behalf of his country and will brave the dangers of public rebuke to stand up for those principles upon which his nation was founded. It is for this reason that I say that burning this flag to establish my right to do so is not only a brave act, but a patriotic one as well.

8 Shift of Meaning

Timmy didn't want to go to Joey's house, but he didn't want to tell the kid that he didn't want to go because he didn't want to hurt his feelings. When Joey called and invited Timmy to his house for the night, Timmy slowly crept into the kitchen and asked his mother if he could go to Joey's house that night. "You can't go anywhere until you've put up those dishes," his mother stated. Brightening up, Timmy picked up the receiver and told Joey, "My mom told me I can't go anywhere."

4 Quotation out of Context

I prefer the Republicans in the White House to the Democrats. The Democrats are a bunch of little old ladies with no gumption at all; but the Republicans, hey, they're the Hawks, the killer bees. Ain't nobody gonna mess with them.

2 Metaphor and Simile

One gentleman speaking to another: "You know, if you take too much salt, it isn't very good for you. You really should use less salt than you do now."

6 Vagueness

Teacher: "I want your paper to be cogent."
Student: "Can you post on the bulletin board an example of a cogent paper?"
Teacher: "If you have learned what I've been teaching you in this unit, you'll be able to write a cogent paper."

5 Abstract Terms

If you would have chosen the proper and decent thing to do instead of indulging your own selfish desire to engage in self-satisfying vice, you would not find yourself in this predicament.

1 Emotional Terms

Don and Paul were friends, their girlfriends were friends, but each girl liked thinking that her boyfriend was the stronger. One day Paul came up with an idea. They got Michael, another friend, to make the following statement to their girlfriends: "Paul told Don that he was the stronger." Both girls went home satisfied.

7 Ambiguity

Milt: "We must rid our state of all toxic waste before the next century."
Fred: "I may agree with you. Which toxic waste should we start with?"
Milt: "If I have to tell you about toxic waste, you must not be a supporter of mine."

5 Abstract Terms

When asked her opinion of the album "As Nasty as They Come," Maggie said, "Well, if you ask me, it is pure unadulterated filth. It is a prime example of man at his worst. The level of respect shown to women is abominable and the idiots who made the record should be thrown in the deepest dungeon they can find and never released." She added, "But someone else may see things differently."

0 No Technique

In defending his opposition to the flag burners, Senator Smokehouse insisted that the first amendment applied only to free SPEECH.

3 Emphasis

At a veterans' meeting, one braggadocios individual was telling the story of how, after his ship was torpedoed, he and a friend of his survived for two weeks on a can of sardines. "Oh really," replied a droll observer, "weren't you afraid one of you would fall off?"

7 Ambiguity

My mother yelled at me to turn down my stereo. So I did. But five minutes later she came to my room and told me to turn it off because it was still too loud.

6 Vagueness

My fellow Congressmen, how can we stand here arguing over this budget proposal when our patriotic young soldiers are sweating in the Arabian desert as they put their lives on the line to stop that madman, Saddam Hussein?

1 Emotional Terms

Speaker: "Inflation comes back every few years in a predictable cycle. It may have many causes."
Questioner: "Are we experiencing inflation right now?"
Speaker: "I will leave that to each person's judgment. I will simply say that we can never be rid of inflation permanently."

5 Abstract Terms

Senator: "We must spend as much money as necessary to stop Hussein, who took Kuwait like a fox invading the chicken coop at night while the farmer is asleep."

2 Metaphor and Simile

Baseball needs a major change. The season is too long.

6 Vagueness

Politician: "I will not vote to send troops to South America unless the situation gets much worse."

6 Vagueness

Lawyer: "That overbearing blowhard of a business tycoon needs to be permanently banned from our warm, friendly community."

1 Emotional Terms

Defendant: "I can't believe you think I'm guilty. The Constitution says we have the right to bear arms. You have no right to judge me for shooting my neighbor."

8 Shift of Meaning - "right"

Doctor to patient: "Take Tylenol Plus capsules - no more than four per day - and at least 500 milligrams of Vitamin C per day. If you do, your flu symptoms should decrease rapidly."

0 No Technique

Ad: "Cole Fresh Mixed Fruit Juice is like the refreshing gurgling of a mountain stream."

2 Metaphor and Simile

Senator Blight: "I will never vote to send our troops to South America unless the freedom of our allies in Central America is threatened."
Magazine article covering the speech: "Senator Blight said that he will never vote to send our troops to South America."

4 Quotation Out of Context

Ad: "Brooks Brothers has set the standard for good men's clothes for half a century."

7 Ambiguity - clothes for good men or good men's clothes?

Coach to quarterback who is being cut from the team: "Your play in the preseason was just not up to our standards."

6 Vagueness

Day Care Center ad: "Wanted: Four-year old teacher. Must be self-motivated."

7 Ambiguity

Teacher: "Students, don't raise your hands to ask me any questions unless they are really important!"

6 Vagueness

I don't know what you think, but to me he is the most ugly, disgusting boy I have ever met.

0 No Technique

Ferd: "Say, Nerd, don't you wish you could be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle?"
Nerd: "I wouldn't mind the Teenage Ninja part, but what exactly is a mutant?"
Ferd: "That's a dumb question. Everyone knows what a mutant is. It's part of being a Teenage Ninja Turtle."

5 Abstract Terms

Student to teacher: "You told me what I said on the test was not right. But the Constitution says we have a right to free speech. Therefore, I should have the right to say what I please without being told I am wrong."

8 Shift of Meaning

The local Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Fan Club members met last night to discuss the turtles. More were present than ever before.

7 Ambiguity

Two druggists discussing the merits of a new product: "You know, this combination of neosynephrine and ibuprofen should produce a distinct lessening of the symptoms of nasal congestion and headaches."

0 No Technique