4. Glittering Generalities: Glittering generalities was one of the seven main propaganda techniques identified by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis in 1938. It also occurs very often in politics and political propaganda. Glittering generalities are words that have different positive meaning for individual subjects, but are linked to highly valued concepts. When these words are used, they demand approval without thinking, simply because such an important concept is involved. Examples;
World Trade Center - "our freedom was attacked."
Al Qaeda - "Terrorists want to harm our country."
"Support our troops."
Example one suggests we keep our freedom in large tall office buildings, when in fact we keep it in shoe boxes in our closets.
Example two suggests that harming random Americans is not the goal but indeed to damage real estate.
Example three is very vague. To support our troops we should continue to keep them in harms way? Maybe we should rally and chant "kill, kill, kill, as they search out and destroy Muslim extremists and Sunni rejectionists? It might mean we are to send them crutches. War bonds might have been purchased if they were still around as this was the origin of support for war efforts.
5. Lesser of Two Evils: The "lesser of two evils" technique tries to convince us of an idea or proposal by presenting it as the least offensive option. This technique is often implemented during wartime to convince people of the need for sacrifices or to justify difficult decisions. This technique is often accompanied by adding blame on an enemy country or political group. One idea or proposal is often depicted as one of the only options or paths. When confronted with this technique, the subject should consider the value of any proposal independently of those it is being compared with. Example;
"We can win in Iraq or we can cut and run."
This indicates two choices. Either we vote for more troops and money to fund the surge or if we don't we are leaving in a cowardly manner. It leaves out several other options but is presented as two extremes only. What is a win? Does the referee blow his whistle? Does someone get their hand raised by a ring judge? In this example the game is won or we are defeated in shame.
6. Name Calling: Name calling occurs often in politics and wartime scenarios, but very seldom in advertising. It is another of the seven main techniques designated by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis. It is the use of derogatory language or words that carry a negative connotation when describing an enemy. The propaganda attempts to arouse prejudice among the public by labeling the target something that the public dislikes. Often, name calling is employed using sarcasm and ridicule, and shows up often in political cartoons or writings. When examining name calling propaganda, we should attempt to separate our feelings about the name and our feelings about the actual idea or proposal. Examples;
Anti-American, Freedom hating, Socialist, Godless, Satanic, Warmonger, Zionist, Elitist, War criminal, Fear monger, Foreigner, Pinko, Commie, Subversive, Redneck, Freeloader, Fascist, Nazi, Axis of evil, Rejectionist, Extremist, Conspirator, Evil Regime
Suddam Hussein was anti-American, a threat to Democracy and a fascist dictator prior to invasion. Bush called Iraq one component of the axis of evil (Iran, N. Korea and Iraq) This connection brought together the audience who were prejudiced against, China, Korea, Vietnam and Asia in general from previous wars, likely attracting military veterans and families. When appealing to old enemies and new, Bush was able to create not only the need to invade Iraq but set the stage for Iranian concerns as well. As we saw after his disputed re-election in 2004 he focused much attention to Iran as a secondary consideration for invasion. By tying them together, he created more support had he not connected them to the Axis of Evil. This was very effective use of the name calling technique.
Simplified name calling; evil, corrupt, liar, ignorant, failure, criminal, killer
Used frequently and effectively in repetition during speeches or conversations. Reinforcement by repetition is used often in advertising.
7. Pinpointing the Enemy: Pinpointing the enemy is used extremely often during wartime, and also in political campaigns and debates. This is an attempt to simplify a complex situation by presenting one specific group or person as the enemy. Although there may be other factors involved the subject is urged to simply view the situation in terms of clear-cut right and wrong. When coming in contact with this technique, the subject should attempt to consider all argument and determine who is the enemy by action. As with almost all propaganda techniques, the subject should attempt to find more information on the topic if possible. An informed person is much less susceptible to this sort of propaganda. Wag the Dog scenarios or False Flag operations could make this difficult to discern. Examples;
