Propaganda: The Evil Within Our Society?

 What is propaganda? How does it affect our society? Why is propaganda such a big issue in our lives today? I have pondered these questions the past few days after watching Psywar, a documentary about propaganda in the United States. From this documentary, I have come to realize that propaganda is a far more serious issue than society thinks it is. We live our lives being affected by it without even noticing its influence on us as a society. Is it good? Is it bad? The only way to answer all of these questions is to dig deeper into its past and and realized how big of an issue propaganda really is. 

Just one of many war propaganda posters during WWI.
It creates a feeling of patriotism, doesn't it?

Propaganda can be defined as information that can be biased or misleading to sway opinions  in the direction of a particular view point, especially in politics. At a first glance, propaganda seems to have a negative connotation. I would wholeheartedly agree with that statement. Personally, I have always thought that propaganda has always been used in the negative sense. I've seen signs advertising war and political campaigns trying to sway my opinion in their direction. These advertisements try to create a certain feeling inside of me that will sway me towards their opinion. 

A young women in the 1920's smoking. 

Most of these propaganda techniques are negative because their intentions are not always pure. For example, a few decades ago, smoking was becoming bigger and bigger. In order for the cigarette companies to earn more revenue, they began advertising commercials and photo-ops centered around women smoking. The cigarette companies didn't care about the effects of cigarettes on the human body or how the secondhand smoke affected the environment. All that they cared about was selling their product and propaganda was used to up their sales. 

The larger-than-life statue of Saddam Hussein being
 pulled down by a mob in Iraq. 

The idea that public opinion is so easily swayed by the media is a horrendous thought. For many years and still today, we are influenced by what the media "informs" us. If we were to dig deeper into the stories and articles, we would see how many lies we have been told. For example, in Psywar, many events were discussed as been "set-up" and "staged" in order to manipulate the public's opinion of the matter. Some of these events included the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch and the mob that pulled over the gigantic statue of Saddam Hussein. We believe most of what the news medias tell us. We rely on news stations to bring us hard-hitting stories that seem important at the time. They shape our thoughts, actions, and beliefs. When we hear a story, we automatically create an opinion, usually in line with whichever news media we are watching. 


Not all of the propaganda used in the media today is a bad thing. Yes, there are still political campaigns that use propaganda to get us to side with them. Yes, there are still new media outlets that blur the truth. There are a few uses of propaganda that are positive. The campaign to try to stop people from smoking is a positive use of propaganda. The video and the ad below are two examples of how propaganda can be used in a positive way in the media. Not every attempt to use propaganda are negative. 

I wake up everyday swayed by public opinion and the media. Just when I think I am ready to vote for one political candidate, an ad pops up on my tv and negates the reasons I wanted to vote for him or her in the first place. I see a commercial advertising the effects of the toxins in cigarettes on the body on tv. I walk down the street and see advertisements for cheap packs of cigarettes. My head is just spinning. After watching Psywar, I realized how much I have been swayed by the media and how much propaganda plays a role in my life. I cannot go one day without some type of propaganda being thrown in my face, whether it be good or bad. Is propaganda evil? In some ways, it is. When it is used in a negative way, of course I see it as evil. When it is used in a positive way, propaganda is a tool that is helping society. Propaganda will always be used in the media. Whether it be in a positive way or a negative way, propaganda will always be in our lives.