APHORISM AND PROPAGANDA; REFLECTION 

Aphorism and Propaganda

Introduction

It was the great Chinese military strategist, general and philosopher, who said that “all warfare is based on deception”. Such military operation, in his view, requires deceiving the opponent, into doing something hasty or into thinking one way, while you undertake the counter operation. Some of the methods in which such deception can be used, either positively or negatively, is trough aphorism and propaganda. An aphorism is a truthful principle, often handed down from one party to the other. Propaganda, on the other hand, is a set of information, primarily used to further a certain agenda, where the recipient of such information will get a certain perception, into introducing an emotional response rather than a rational one. These two terms and especially propaganda, have been used for decades to manipulate (potential) opponents especially in war(Seagren& Henderson, 2018). Aphorisms and Propaganda Reflection Sample Paper

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Use of Propaganda

Materials and media that can be used to convey propaganda messages include television shows, websites, paintings, cartoons, radio shows, pamphlets, films, and posters. Propaganda became primarily used in the 20^th-century wars. It was and is still used, to dehumanize the opponent, creating hatred towards them, by spreading a false message to the minds of citizens of the opponent. In psychological warfare, false information could also be spread, to reinforce the mindsets of those who already believe what the agents of propaganda wish(Herman, 2018). For example, during World War I, the British encouraged men to join the army, while the women worked in the British industries. At the time, since there were less technological advancements, posters were used to spread the messages.

Jihadist groups in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, have used propaganda to magnify their presence as well as influence local, regional and global audiences. Sometimes, these groups use propaganda to appeal to and mobilize supporters. Propaganda was also used by the National Socialist German Workers’ Party and was given top priority once Hitler and the party reached power, in the times leading to the Second World War(Thompson, 2017). During the four decades of the Cold War, the Eastern and Western blocs both presented aphoristic and propaganda messages, which led to apprehension by both blocs and their allies. It all came to blows during the Vietnam War, when the television played a major role. Vietnam was viewed by the West as a domino, that could not fall because it could see all of Asia fall to the communist Eastern Bloc. The media aired the footages of the war and the number of those killed kept rising. Anti-war sentiments started and eventually, the American forces withdrew in 1973. Aphorisms and Propaganda Reflection Sample Paper

Before the US invasion of Iraq in 203, the US and its allies spread messages, designed to rally global support, and oversee the overthrowing of Saddam Hussein and the Ba’athist regime in Iraq. The rationale behind this was that the Ba’athist rule was stockpiling Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) and the rule, therefore, imposed danger over the globe(Seagren& Henderson, 2018). In the end, the message being spread was the importance of democracy and freedom in Iraq, seeing that the invasion was either based on shoddy intelligence or lies since it did not reveal any WMD.

George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), is a dystopian novel, set when much of the world was under the effect of perpetual war and public manipulation, including aphorism and propaganda(Orwell, 1949). The novel sees Oceania, a superstate, ruled by the ‘Party’, who persecute individual thinking and individualism. The authoritarian (fictional) state uses secret surveillance, deception, misleading terminology and manipulated recorded history in its rule. The nation also experiences military parades, public executions, and propaganda films. The propaganda is one thing that the nation does not permit to be known(Jackson, 2017).

Propaganda is rampant in Oceania. Strategically-placed telescreens show propaganda messages to the people. They also show that the citizens are in the same situation they were in during capitalism, meaning, it cannot improve(Orwell, 1949). The Party retains control over the nation by manipulating history, making it seem like the Party has been the victim throughout all wars. The Party shows that the citizens adore its rule. The Party also uses education to spread propaganda, where children are brainwashed into reporting their parents if they betray the Party. They are told that the ‘heroic’ Big Brother will protect them. Children are more susceptible to such propaganda(Orwell, 1949). Aphorisms and Propaganda Reflection Sample Paper

The book basically is seen to describe the rule of the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, who ruled the Soviet Union under a communist rule and was one factor that brought up the Cold War(Jackson, 2017). Its use of propaganda runs parallel to the use of propaganda in the real world. For example, when the US invaded Iraq, it was because of the Ba’athist rule in Iraq. The rule, under Saddam Hussein, had brainwashed the citizens of the nation, and the US sought to clarify this in 2003. The same aspects of brainwashing are evident in the book. Also, the media is used to spread such propaganda, just as it is used today.

Effects of Propaganda

Propaganda can be used to further a party’s course. Sometimes, it could backfire and bring in severe negative implications. For one, extremists’ propaganda has contributed to unease experienced today in terrorist attacks, and counter-terrorism messages and strategies seem to have failed. Another clear effect of propaganda is the cost encountered after it has spread. In war, for example, propaganda could not directly have led to the deaths and destruction, but it sure did contribute to it. World War I, for example, led to the deaths of over 15 million people and millions more injured. The Invasion of Iraq saw the loss of faith in the governments that spearheaded the operation, as well as the deaths of innocent civilians, and destruction of property(Herman, 2018). Aphorisms and Propaganda Reflection Sample Paper

Reflection

The most interesting part of the assignment is understanding the role the media plays in spreading information to the masses. The media can pass truths to the people, and at the same time pass lies. For example, during the Vietnam War, it was the media, specifically the television, that opened the eyes of Americans and the world, as to what was going on in Vietnam. The people were furious with the government and called for the troops to be withdrawn. Ultimately, they were, despite the deaths, injuries and scarred memories sustained. The media, like in Nineteen Eighty-Four, has been used to brainwash the people, by spreading only the information the Party wants to be spread. It rules in a dictatorship and only its will and wishes can be known. The media has a massive role to play(Thompson, 2017).

The assignment was, in general, interesting. This is because it makes one understand some aspects of past history. For example, when researching on aphorism and propaganda, it is interesting to learn that the two have been part of many wars, dating back to the Ancient world. It is interesting to know that as we experience advancements, like in technology, propaganda takes up the new forms(Seagren& Henderson, 2018). Aphorisms and Propaganda Reflection Sample Paper

I believe in my research, I have improved my knowledge of past wars, what started them, how they were fueled and how they ended. For example, I have understood that the Cold War, went for over four decades and the parties involved actually never went to war. Regardless, they met on other fields of battle, still maintaining the original cold war between themselves. It was a battle fueled by jealousy over each other and the paranoia that the opposing bloc would control the world.

I can say that I gained several insights into the media and the working of propaganda. The main question that lingers in mind is how the media, which is supposed to be the agent of the public, can allow itself to be manipulated by the authorities, even if the rule is authoritarian(Herman, 2018). In today’s democratic governments, some media houses are still used as puppets by the ruling governments and are used to spread misleading information. Some media houses, cannot talk ill about the ruling party, even if what is going on is clearly wrong. The media should rethink its role in society, and work towards achieving the true role, and not allow itself to be used to spread propaganda . Aphorisms and Propaganda Reflection Sample Paper

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ReferencesHerman, E. S. (2018). The Propaganda Model Revisited. Monthly Review: An Independent Socialist Magazine, 69(8), 1-12.

Jackson, T. E. (2017). OCEANIA’S TOTALITARIAN TECHNOLOGY: WRITING IN NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR. Criticism, 59(3), 375-393. doi:10.13110/criticism.59.3.0375

Orwell, G. (1949) Nineteen Eighty-Four. United Kingdom: Secker & Warburg

SEAGREN, C. W., & HENDERSON, D. R. (2018). Why We Fight: A Study of U.S. Government War-Making Propaganda. Independent Review, 23(1), 69-90.

Thompson, G. (2017). Parallels in propaganda? A comparative historical analysis of Islamic State and the Nazi Party. Journal Of Public Relations Research, 29(1), 51-66. doi:10.1080/1062726X.2017.1281136