PROPAGANDA

Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Savior Yahshua the Messiah, and our gathering together to him; to the end that you be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of Yahweh is just at hand; let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposes and exalts himself against all that is called Elohim or that is worshipped; so that he sits in the temple of Elohim, setting himself forth as Elohim. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. Revelation 12:15

Is this speaking of a literal pouring forth of water? The serpent sends forth something out of his mouth. Could this be a flood of propaganda?

Propaganda can be used very effectively by evil people to accomplish their purpose. We want to come to a better understanding of this strategy, adroitly used by Satan. First the definition.

Propaganda is a specific type of message presentation aimed at serving an agenda. Even if the message conveys true information, it may be partisan and fail to paint a complete and balanced picture. The primary use of the term is in political contexts, and generally refers to efforts sponsored by governments and political parties.

The goal of propaganda is to garner either support or disapproval of a certain position, rather than to simply present the position. The primary target of propaganda is people's opinions rather than their knowledge. Therefore, the information conveyed is often presented in an emotionally loaded way and with other means of affecting the opinions of people.

In English, the word "propaganda" often carries strong negative (as well as political) connotations, despite being accepted as a general meaning of "advertising" on rare occasions. This is not necessarily so in other languages, and usage of the term may lead to misunderstanding in communications with non-native English speakers. For example, in Brazil and some Spanish language speaking countries, particularly in the Southern Cone, the word "propaganda" usually means the most common manipulation of information—"advertising."

Let's look at three types of propaganda: 1. Name calling 2. Glittering generalities 3.Euphemisms.

"Bad names have played a tremendously powerful role in the history of the world and in our own individual development. They have ruined reputations, stirred men and women to outstanding accomplishments, sent others to prison cells, and made men mad enough to enter battle and slaughter their fellowmen. They have been and are applied to other people, groups, gangs, tribes, colleges, political parties, neighborhoods, states, sections of the country, nations, and races." (Institute for Propaganda Analysis, 1938)

The name-calling technique links a person, or idea, to a negative symbol. The propagandist who uses this technique hopes that the audience will reject the person or the idea on the basis of the negative symbol, instead of looking at the available evidence.

The most obvious type of name calling involves bad names. For example, consider the following:

A more subtle form of name-calling involves words or phrases that are selected because they possess a negative emotional charge. Those who oppose budget cuts may characterize fiscally conservative politicians as "stingy." Supporters might prefer to describe them as "thrifty." Both words refer to the same behavior, but they have very different connotations. Other examples of negatively charged words include:

The name-calling technique was first identified by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis (IPA) in 1938. According to the IPA, we should ask ourselves the following questions when we spot an example of name-calling.

What does the name mean?
Does the idea in question have a legitimate connection with the real meaning of the name?
Is an idea that serves my best interests being dismissed through giving it a name I don't like?
Leaving the name out of consideration, what are the merits of the idea itself?

If you can effectively attach some identifying epithet (true or not) to an individual, you can work towards generating a negative perception of any individual other then what they truly are. You can effectively neutralize that person, and portray them as evil incarnate, while truly they may be righteous instead.

Propaganda can be used effectively if; the listening audience is lacking intelligence, inclined to mob psychology, or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The human mind can be a fertile receptive field under the right conditions. This is why propaganda is so effective.

A hypothetical for instance! Let's say you are having a conversation with someone who would use propaganda to their advantage. You mention the fact that this particular person you both know is a fine upstanding person. The propagandist injects this thought, Oh! They're ok, with the exception of only having one bad habit, they tell lies! You walk away from that conversation with doubt! Your mind has just received propaganda. The truth of the matter you find out later, after you begin to question that statement is; this individual would never lie no matter what! But the effect has caused you to doubt. This is how it works! Propaganda is designed to create doubt. Propaganda can be composed of half truths and half lies, observe!

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which Yahweh Elohim had made. And he said to the woman, Yes, has Elohim said, You shall not eat of any tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, Elohim has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, unless you die. And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die: for Elohim does know that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as Elohim, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:1-5

Was this a classic case of propaganda? Did the serpent issue a flood of lies to the woman? Did Eve die? Yes! Adam and Eve both died! However, not right a way! Lies, propaganda consisting of half truths and half lies! I rest my case!

In the previous installment, the use of appellations was reviewed. Name calling has proven to be effective in categorizing individuals with stigmatic consequences. You can relate to this by simply listening to or reading informational news sources. How they attach appellations to the President, or his cabinet members. Usually these are demeaning terms, designed to lower the prestige of the person or office they occupy.

1). Name Calling -- The name-calling techniques links a person or an idea with a negative label. The user of this technique hopes that the audience will reject the labeled person or idea based on the negative connotation of the name and not on the available evidence. An example of this technique is the use of the label "Communist" or "Commie" by people like Sen. Joseph McCarthy and Congressman Richard Nixon.

A more subtle form of name-calling involves words that are selected because of their emotional context. Propaganda by opponents of a budget cut might portray conservative congressmen as "stingy", because of the emotional reaction most hearers would feel upon hearing that word.

2). Glittering Generality -- The Glittering Generality technique is the flip side of name calling. This technique associates a person or an idea with what are called "virtue words." These words, (democracy, right, religious, good, proper, patriotism, science, etc.) are chosen because of their positive connotation and/or emotional impact. The propagandist who uses glittering generalities hopes that the audience will accept the person or idea based on the acceptance of the virtue words and not based on the evidence.

Now, this is key information! How do you want someone to appear? Do you want them to appear in bad light? Do you want them to appear in good light? This depends on using either the "name calling" technique or using the "glittering generalities" technique! Can you see the difference?

"Freedom" and "Democracy" are notable examples of glittering generalities: vague terms with high moral connotations intended to arouse faith and respect in listeners or readers. The exact meanings of these glittering terms are impossible to define, hence vague generalities. "We the people" could mean prudent, wise, fair rule; it could also mean repression. It all depends on who the 'people' who rule actually are. Furthermore, one person's idea of freedom could very well be another's idea of slavery. Glittering generalities sound sincere but they really mean nothing. As such they are a logical fallacy. Used by people who sincerely mean well, and also by people that seek to muzzle freedoms and democratic government, whatever these terms may mean."

We believe in, fight for, live by virtue words about which we have deep-set ideas. Such words include civilization, faithfulness, good, proper, right, democracy, patriotism, motherhood, fatherhood, science, medicine, health, and love.

For our purposes in propaganda analysis, we call these virtue words "Glittering Generalities" in order to focus attention upon this dangerous characteristic that they have: They mean different things to different people; they can be used in different ways.

The Glittering Generality is, in short, Name Calling in reverse. While Name Calling seeks to make us form a judgment to reject and condemn without examining the evidence, the Glittering Generality device seeks to make us approve and accept without examining the evidence. In acquainting ourselves with the Glittering Generality Device, therefore, all that has been said regarding Name Calling must be kept in mind..." (Institute for Propaganda Analysis, 1938)

Now pay attention to the following!

The Institute for Propaganda Analysis suggested a number of questions that people should ask themselves when confronted with this technique:
What does the virtue word really mean?
Does the idea in question have a legitimate connection with the real meaning of the word:
Is an idea that does not serve my best interests being "sold" to me merely through its being given a name that I like?
Leaving the virtue word out of consideration, what are the merits of the idea itself?

If the word/term is palatable, people will accept it! Hitler was defined as an "Evil Genius." This says what? Was he evil? Was he a genius? Yes to both terms! Which word/term really defined Hitler? That depends on your point of view. If, for instance, you knew what he was really up to, he was evil. On the other hand, if you agreed with what he was doing, then he was a genius! This depends entirely on your own point of view. Observe and read the following passage of scripture:

But when his brethren were gone up to the feast, then went he also up, not publicly, but as it were in secret. The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? And there was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning him: some said, He is a good man; others said, Not so, but he leads the multitude astray. Yet no man spoke openly of him for fear of the Jews. John 7:10-13

Was Yahshua a good man? Did Yahshua deceive the people and lead them astray? Here is where knowledge is paramount! If you know what the Bible teaches on the Savior of Man, Yes! Absolutely! Yahshua the Messiah was a good man! Also, if you know what Yahshua said in John chapter 10, you also will know that it was not he who led the sheep astray, but FALSE PROPHETS did and would continue to lead people astray! Was propaganda at work here? Was reverse psychology employed? What do you think?

Euphemism, noun; a mild or inoffensive word substituted for a more unpleasant or offensive term; the use of such inoffensive words.

I want to list a few euphemisms for your consideration. In England we use the terms for places of evacuation (a euphemism for going to the potty) as follows: Water closet= WC, lavatory, toilet, loo. Americans say Ladies Room, Gentlemen's (Men's) Room or where's your head?

But, not all euphemisms offer kind expressions! Some of the euphemisms offered prior to, during, and after WW2 were inherently evil, if correctly understood. Observe the following:

In his closing address at Nuremberg, US prosecutor Robert Jackson said:

"Nor is the lie direct the only means of falsehood. They [the Defendants] all speak with a Nazi double talk with which to deceive the unwary. In the Nazi dictionary of sardonic euphemisms "final solution" of the Jewish problem was a phrase which meant extermination "special treatment" of prisoners of war meant killing; "protective custody" meant concentration camp; "duty labor" meant slave labor; and an order to "take a firm attitude" or "take positive measures" meant to act with unrestrained savagery."

In Nazi Germany (before the concentration camps became death camps) “undesirables” were “placed in protective custody” or “resettled”. In Australia “illegals” are held in “Immigration Reception and Processing Centers” behind “energized fences”, receiving regular “security checks” and occasional “extractions”. Their “inappropriate behaviors” are not allowed to “manipulate public policy”.

All of these euphemisms were designed to hide the real course of action that was taking place behind the scenes. These substitutions for TRUTH were made palatable through euphemisms. Instead of saying death camps, they said concentration camps. Actually, quite different in meaning altogether.

1. Collateral damage (killing innocent civilians)

2. Removal with extreme prejudice (assassination)

3. Energetic disassembly (nuclear explosion)

4. Limited duration protective reaction air strikes (bombing villages in Vietnam)

5. Incontinent ordnance (bombs which hit schools and hospitals by mistake)

6. Active defense (invasion).

Do any of these euphemisms sound familiar? We still hear about collateral damage! This is just a nice way of saying, people were killed.

How about some everyday euphemisms?

A. Soccer mom = housewife

B. Price adjustment = price increase

C. Fixer-upper = rundown piece of junk

D. Damage control = deny or cover-up the truth previously revealed by accident

E. Substance abuser = a drunk or a junkie

F. Undocumented aliens = illegal immigrants, violators of U.S. law, criminals

G. Pro-choice = pro-abortion

H. Alternate lifestyle=homosexual, perverted living

I. Commercial sex industry = prostitution, pornography, movies (many), TV shows (many)

"Hitler, the master propagandist, knew that propaganda, to be effective, must be keyed to the desires, hopes, hatreds, loves, fears, and prejudices of the people; he knew that most human beings crave a scapegoat to take the blame of disaster and to bolster their own pride."

I want you to read the following information and see just how effective propaganda can be.

You shall not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shall you speak in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to wrest [justice]: Exodus 23:2 ASV

That no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Cor. 2:11

The bandwagon effect is the observation that people often do (or believe) things because many other people do (or believe) the same. The effect is often pejoratively referred to as herd instinct, particularly as applied to adolescents. Without examining the merits of the particular thing, people tend to "follow the crowd". The bandwagon effect is the reason for the bandwagon fallacy's success.

Literally, a bandwagon is a wagon that carries the band in a parade. Riding on the bandwagon is popular since one can enjoy the music, conveniently without walking. The phrase "jumping on the bandwagon" is therefore used in the sense of "joining an increasingly popular trend".

The bandwagon effect can be observed in voting: some people vote for those candidates or parties who are likely to succeed (or are proclaimed as such by the media), thus increasing their chances of being on the 'winner's side' in the end.

"The propagandist hires a hall, rents radio stations, fills a great stadium, marches a million or at least a lot of men in a parade. He employs symbols, colors, music, movement, all the dramatic arts. He gets us to write letters, to send telegrams, to contribute to his cause. He appeals to the desire, common to most of us, to follow the crowd. Because he wants us to follow the crowd in masses, he directs his appeal to groups held together already by common ties, ties of nationality, religion, race, sex, vocation. Thus propagandists campaigning for or against a program will appeal to us as Catholics, Protestants, or Jews...as farmers or as school teachers; as housewives or as miners.

With the aid of all the other propaganda devices, all of the artifices of flattery are used to harness the fears and hatreds, prejudices and biases, convictions and ideals common to a group. Thus is emotion made to push and pull us as members of a group onto a Band Wagon." (Institute for Propaganda Analysis, 1938)

Band Wagon -- The Band Wagon technique appeals to mass psychology. The basic appeal of the Band Wagon is that everyone is doing it and so should you. The Institute for Propaganda Analysis

3. Euphemisms. Webster's defines euphemism as: Euphemism, noun; a mild or inoffensive word substituted for a more unpleasant or offensive term; the use of such inoffensive words.

4. The Bandwagon Effect -- The observation that people often do (or believe) things because many other people do (or believe) the same. The effect is often pejoratively referred to as herd instinct, particularly as applied to adolescents. Without examining the merits of the particular thing, people tend to "follow the crowd". The bandwagon effect is the reason for the bandwagon fallacy's success.

The destructive process can begin with position seekers trying to obtain the unattainable. In quest of their goal, someone or something stands in their way. How can they achieve their goal of ascendancy in quick fashion, with the least resistance? First, they must destroy the character of their primary objective. This begins with attaching a undesirable name to this individual or even group of individuals. A stigma so to speak. Labeling a righteous man as a sinner would be one tactic. Let's apply some bad propaganda words.

Now you are going to need some followers to aid in your agenda. These will come if you can tell them in glittering (flattering) terms how good they are. Not like the one you are trying to destroy. The target is corrupted, but, you are not. The target can't handle crisis, but you can take the pressure. The target is a failure, but you would always succeed. The target is a hypocrite, but, you always do what you say!

Now we have succeeded in creating some intended euphemisms. Now we must get as many as possible on the "bandwagon". With the use of name calling, flattery, euphemisms, and getting everyone to see things your way, you're a cinch to be the next leader if your smear campaign is successful.

One thing you should know! People who will resort to these type of propaganda tactics, will do anything to achieve their agenda. They will lie! They will steal! They will make false accusations! They will do anything because they have no morals or conscience to check them from evil. Why? Because their father is Satan!

You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stands not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44