Propaganda In Elections Essay -- essays research papers

Propaganda In Elections Have you ever seen a TV commercial portraying a disastrous automobile accident, and then you reminds you to wear your seatbealts?!?! Believe it or not, that's using a technique in propaganda called the fear appeal. Propaganda is more widespread than people picture. Propaganda is being used for everything from the baby food you feed your child to the TV commercial you laughed at yesterday night. There are many techniques that a propagandist can use to seduce you. Some of the best known styles in propaganda are Plain Folk, Fear, Name Calling, and Glittering Generality, In this year's elections, propaganda has played an important role in who was elected. This year's presidential candidates were all millionaires, but they have gone to great lengths to present themselves as ordinary citizens. Bill Clinton eats at Mc Donald's and read a variety of spy novels. Bob Dole presents himself as the "all American boy" from the Heartland. In this two examples the plain folk device is at work. When either presidential candidates agitates the public's fear of immigration, taxes, or crime and voting for him will reduce the threat he is using the Fear Appeal. By playing on the public's deep-seated fears, practitioners of this technique hopes to redirect the merits of a proposal and towards steps that can be tak...