How to Spot Bullshit When You See ItThis little piece of information will explain to you: PROPAGANDA! However, what is propaganda? Is it always bad? Can it be good? Lets look at one of the most well known piece of propaganda:
You can't say that propaganda is necessarily a good thing or a bad thing.
The Definition of PropagandaQuote:
The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating such a doctrine or cause.
Thats as unbiased as I can make it.
So how do you spot Propaganda?Simple, here are a few things you should look out for to make sure that your source, or your opponents source is not propaganda. This little blurb is also helpful to be linked to in case some random douchebag tells you "oh that source is propaganda". In other words, you may source this post for all the information has been ripped out of the following book:
Propaganda & the ethics of persuasion, I own a copy, or Wikipedia.
So here is what you should look out for.
Glittering GeneralitiesGlittering generalities are emotionally appealing words so closely associated with highly valued concepts and beliefs that they carry conviction without supporting information or reason. Such highly valued concepts attract general approval and acclaim. The appeal is to emotions such as love of country, home; desire for peace, freedom, glory, honor, etc. They ask for approval without examination of the reason. They are typically used by politicians and propagandists. The term may have originated with the Institute for Propaganda Analysis.
A glittering generality has two qualities:
1. It is vague
2. It has positive connotations
Words like "strength", "democracy", "patriotism", "terrorists", and "freedom" are terms that people all over the world have powerful associations with, and they may have trouble disagreeing with them. It is as if to say, who could argue against "freedom"? However, these words are highly abstract, and meaningful differences exist regarding what they actually mean or should mean in the real world. For instance, while few may argue against "freedom", how it is judged what exactly "freedom" is or should be in a given scenario may be completely contradictory between different people.
Some ExamplesJohn Kerry
"I believe in an America that's strong at home and respected in the world. I believe we can have a strong economy focused on good-paying jobs, a health care plan that reduces costs, an energy plan that frees us from Mideast oil, and I believe we can lead a strong military and strong alliances that keep America safe and secure."
George W Bush
"It's really a difference about who do you trust, if you really think about it. Do you trust a social entrepreneur on the ground, or do you trust a planner in a faraway capital? And I think you'll find that these initiatives I've talked about, and the spirit that you've just defined, is now kind of the attitude in Washington. And that's important. That really is important. If we say what matters is whether or not lives are being saved, you figure out how to do it, you'll find that the entrepreneurial spirit at the social level will be much more invigorated and much more alive. The energy level will be tremendous at the grassroots level. And that's really the job of government, is to set the strategy and the goals and get out of the way."
Transfer is a technique used in propaganda and advertising. Also known as association, this is a technique of projecting positive or negative qualities (praise or blame) of a person, entity, object, or value (an individual, group, organization, nation, patriotism, etc.) to another in order to make the second more acceptable or to discredit it. It evokes an emotional response, which stimulates the target to identify with recognized authorities. Often highly visual, this technique often utilizes symbols (for example, the Swastika used in Nazi Germany, originally a symbol for health and prosperity[1]) superimposed over other visual images. An example of common use of this technique in America is for the President to be filmed or photographed in front of the American flag[2] Another technique used is celebrity endorsement[3].
Some Examples~A younger, aspiring politician has a photograph taken with a senior political icon in order to share the latter's prestige. Photographing a politicians in front of a revered institution, such as Parliament, can have the same effect. The biggest one is having the flag of your country behind you.
~When the United States borrows Tom Hank's credibility in The Simpson's Movie.
TestimonialA testimonial consists of having a respected or hated person say that a given idea, program, product, or person is either good or bad. This appeal to authority (see the fallacy forums for that one) encourages us to accept the idea without subjecting them to critical examination. To avoid being duped by such appeals, we should ask ourselves who or what is quoted in the testimonial; what reason there is for regarding the person, organization, etc., appealed to as authoritative; and, finally, what merits attach to the idea, etc., apart from the testimonials.
When you look at any testimonial, you should ask yourself "for whom?" and think about who benefits from it.
Some ExamplesDr. Fred Singer made the testimonial that the Earth is not warming. However, a few years later he admit that it was, but he said it wasn't caused by humans. However, if you look at Dr. Fred Singer's background, you would realize that he was being paid by organizations funded by ExxonMobil. The same happened decades ago when he testified that smoking and lung cancer had no correlations, however during that time he was being paid off by tobacco companies. Thus you must ask yourself "for whom?"
When a celebrity testifies the usage of a product, but the celebrity's sponsors are the people who made that very product. Again, ask yourself "for whom?" To who does this testimonial benefit?
The biggest one: Colin Powell testifies in front of UN that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. We then realize there were no WMDs in Iraq. Now ask yourself "for whom?" To whom does this testimonial benefit? Iraq has a lot of oil, and the Bush administration had d**k Cheney as CEO of halliburton, Bush as former CEO of now bankrupt Arbusto, Condeleeza Rice as Board of Director of Chevron, and Phil Cooney oil lobbyist and former chairman of Environmental policy now working for Exxon? To whom does this testimony benefit?
(to be continued)
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