Political Systems and Propaganda Techniques

Democracy

A system of government in which power is held by the people, either directly or through elected representatives.

Communism

A political and economic system where all property is publicly owned, and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs; aims for a classless society.

Demagoguery

Demagoguery is the use of emotional, fear-based, or prejudiced appeals to gain support

Oligarchy

A form of government in which a small, powerful group of people controls the country, often based on wealth, military power, or family ties.

Socialism

An economic and political system where the means of production are owned or regulated by the community or state, aiming to reduce economic inequality.

Fascism

A far-right, authoritarian system of government that promotes extreme nationalism, dictatorship, suppression of opposition, and often racism.

Capitalism

An economic system where private individuals or businesses own the means of production and operate for profit, with minimal government control.

Totalitarianism

A political system where the state holds total authority over society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life.

Propaganda

Propaganda refers to the deliberate attempt to influence a mass audience to act or think a certain way. Usually the term is associated with an intent to deceive.

Slogans

A "catchy" slogan is more easily remembered than a complicated and perhaps more accurate explanation.

Repetition

When a message is "drummed" into a listener's consciousness, it tends to be remembered. A group can be trained to repeat the slogan so loudly and long that all rational thought becomes impossible.

Loaded Words

Certain words - like peace, patriotism, moral, terrorist, socialism - arouse such strong emotional responses that they are called loaded words (they are loaded with feelings beyond the simple definition of the word).

Powerful Images

Just as there are loaded words, certain images are loaded with powerful emotional associations. Gardens, rainbows, sunshine, clear streams, beautiful people - these images tend to make us "feel good." Also, images that are just the opposite tend to make us feel bad.

Appeals To Our Fears

A powerful propaganda technique is to play on a listener's fears. The message says, in effect, that if you don't do a certain thing (or if you don't think in a certain way), something that you fear very much will happen.

Appeals To Our Basic Desires And Needs

All human beings need food, drink, clothing, and shelter in order to survive. We also have emotional needs: we need to be loved and cared for, to have meaningful work, to have a sense of dignity and self-worth. These can be used to shape a group's opinions.

Card Stacking

A technique that seeks to manipulate audience perception of an issue by emphasizing one side and repressing another.

Bandwagon

Since most people like to be part of the crowd, the propagandist can win over many followers if he can convince his listeners that everyone else is following a certain trend.

Transfer Device

A propagandist can create the impression that his cause possesses virtues comparable to the virtues of a symbol, idea, or person that the people already respect and admire. They hope to get a group's feelings about one thing transferred to another thing.

Plain Folks

A propagandist can convince people that he is one of the "plain folks" who is one of the common citizens rather than a leader who is not part of the general group.

Equality

sameness; giving everyone the same thing

Equity

fairness; giving everybody what's fair so they can all have access to the same opportunity

Rhetoric

the art of speaking or writing effectively and persuasively

Fallacies

common errors in reasoning that will undermine the logic of your argument.

Appeal to Fear

A tactic that tries to scare the audience into agreeing or taking action by presenting threats or terrible consequences.

Appeal to Basic Needs and Desires

Persuasion that targets fundamental human needs such as safety, food, love, belonging, or self-esteem.

Bandwagon

A strategy that encourages people to do something because "everyone else is doing it."

Card Stacking

Presenting only the positive information and leaving out the negatives to make something seem better than it really is.

Red Herring

something that misleads or distracts from a relevant or important issue.

false dichotomy

reduce complicated issues to only two possible courses of action.

False Need

arguments create an unnecessary desire for things.

Slippery Slope

arguments suggest that one thing will lead to another based on a series of small steps.

Ethical Fallacies

detract from the credibility of the speaker/writer.

Ad Hominem

arguments attack a person's character rather than that person's reasoning.

False Authority

asks audiences to agree with the assertion of a writer based simply on his or her character or the authority of another person.

Moral Equivalence

compares minor problems with much more serious crimes (or vice versa).

Guilt by Association

Calls someone's character into question by examining the character of that person's associates.

Faulty Causality

post hoc, ergo propter hoc

Arguments that confuse chronology with causation: one event can occur after another without being caused by it.

Hasty Generalization

A conclusion based on insufficient or biased evidence, rushing to a conclusion before having all relevant facts.

Gas lighting

Manipulate (someone) using psychological methods into questioning their own sanity or powers of reasoning.

Guilt trip

Make (someone) feel guilty, especially in order to induce them to do something.

Circuitously

(adverb) In an indirect or roundabout manner.

Disingenuous

(adjective) Not honest or sincere; pretending to be unaware or innocent to mislead others.

Integrity

(noun) The quality of being honest and morally upright; strong adherence to ethical principles.

Stagnant

(adjective) Not flowing, moving, or changing; often used to describe still water or lack of progress.

Embark

(verb) To begin a journey, project, or new adventure.

Epic

A long narrative poem about the adventures and deeds of an epic hero.

Epic Hero

A larger-than-life figure who undertakes great journeys and performs deeds requiring remarkable strength, bravery, and cunning.

Epic Simile

Using like or as to compare things, but developed over several lines.

Epithet

Renames a person with a descriptive phrase.

Allusion

A reference to something.

Mythological Allusion

When a piece of art, literature, or music refers to a piece of mythology.

Archetype

A thing, person, or pattern of circumstances that appears repeatedly in literature.

Invocation

A call for help.

Muse

A person or thing that inspires.

Polytheists / polytheistic

Believer in many gods, not just one.

Hero's Journey

A common narrative pattern or archetype that describes the typical adventure of a hero.

Ordinary World

Refers to natural life at the start of the story, a glimpse of the character of the hero.

Call to Adventure

The hero is faced with something that makes them begin their adventure. Might be a problem or a challenge that they need to overcome. Must choose to undertake the adventure.

Refusal of the Call

Hero refuses the challenge or journey, he feels a sense of duty, obligation, fear, insecurity, or a sense of inadequacy.

Meeting With the Mentor

The hero encounters someone who gives advice and readies them for the journey ahead. Imports wisdom that may change the hero's mind.

Crossing the Threshold

The hero commits to leaving the Ordinary World and enters a new region or condition with unfamiliar values and roles.

Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Longest step in the journey. The hero faces myriad tests and sorts out allegiances in the Special World.

Approach

Hero and newfound allies prepare for the major challenge in the special world.

The Ordeal

Hero experiences a major hurdle or obstacle, life or death crisis. Must come face to face with weaknesses and overcome them. Something the hero barely manages to accomplish, and the climax.

The Reward

The hero has survived death and takes the treasure won by facing death. Moment of great success in the story. Hero is a changed person now, doesn't fully realize the extent of the change in their continued focus on the matter at hand.

The Road Back

The Hero begins the journey back to ordinary life. Integrating back into life will be a challenge, the hero is a changed man after the ordeal.

Resurrection

Hero faces final test where everything is at stake, use everything they learned. Where personal changes are useful. Ideally suited to overcoming obstacles.

Return with the Elixir

Returns from journey with elixir (wisdom, love, experience, treasure), may find a way to share gifts to help everyone in the ordinary world.

Promontory

A high point of land that juts into the sea.

Chifferobe

Closet; armoire; dresser.

Lynch mob

A group (ie: mob) of 3 or more people that kill (ie: lynch) someone for 'justice' and is not condoned by the court.

Ethos

An appeal to ethics - it relies on credibility and expertise to persuade.

Logos

An appeal to logic - it relies on logic and facts to persuade the audience.

Pathos

An appeal based on emotion - it creates an emotional response from the audience.

Code-switching

The practice of alternating between two or more languages or varieties of language in conversation.

Catharsis

The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

Aside

A short remark a character makes directly to the audience (or sometimes to another character) that other characters on stage do not hear. It reveals the character's thoughts or intentions.

Soliloquy

A long speech in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud, usually while alone on stage. It gives the audience insight into the character's inner feelings and conflicts.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something important that a character does not. This creates tension, humor, or suspense—for example, when the audience knows a trap is set but the character walks into it unaware.

Foil

A character who contrasts sharply with another character (usually the protagonist) to highlight particular qualities of the main character.