I thought that this image was very interesting, and in fact...I presented the image to the class during the beginning of the semester. There is a lot going on in this picture, such as satirizing old WW2 propaganda posters, and using sarcasm to prove the point that SUVs are a a threat to the environment. It's true though...how many times have you seen a big SUV bumbling down the road with only one passenger inside? I don't know about you..but I see it almost everyday! Also notice that the "C" and the "P" in "Carpooling" are both red. I believe this is symbolizing the communist party, and alluding to the fact that we are not taking care of our environment, therefore we are socialists. It seems ridiculous...but is it really? It is also apparent that out of all the people in the car, the woman in red is the one staring at the image's audience, and it leads me to believe that there is a gender bias occurring! Who know how much a single picture could say!

All Babies Want To Get Borned

Propaganda is presented in a variety of ways, but in particular, I want to focus in on the movie Juno. The movie centers on a sixteen year old girl who finds out that she is pregnant. Her first instinct is to have an abortion, but changes her mind last minute after being confronted by a protester in front of the clinic, where she was supposed to have her abortion. The movie centers on her experiences during her pregnancy, as well as the experiences of the adoptive parents. Juno features the Pro-Life campaign, and presents it in a way that is non- threatening to its viewers.
When Juno decided to have her abortion at the local clinic, she is confronted by one of her peers protesting abortions and picketing with a sign. The sign emphasizes the use of Pre-Persuasion, because the idea of protesting abortion is commonplace in our communities. For instance, there are almost always people protesting in front of the Planned Parenthood in West Chester.
In the movie, the sign said, “No babies like Murdering,” and had a cute picture of a baby illustrated on it. The protester, Su-Chin, kept saying, “All Baby’s Want to get borned,” which embodies the propaganda technique of repetition. When Juno fails to recognize her attempts, Su-Chin proceeds to tell her that babies have fingernails. This minute detail is the main factor that sparks Juno’s change in decision. From there, Juno decides that adoption is the best choice for her baby.
The Pro-Life Campaign is reinforced throughout the movie by establishing an emotional appeal as well. Instead of Juno having an abortion, she decided to give the baby to a loving family. Even when the husband decides to leave his wife, Juno still goes through with the adoption, because she knows how happy she will be making Vanessa (the prospective mother). When Juno finds out that Vanessa’s husband no longer wants to be involved, Juno writes Vanessa a note on a piece of scrap paper that says, “If you’re still in. I’m still in.” Vanessa hung that note in the baby’s nursery, which shows how happy Juno made her., and how important it was to have the baby in the first place.
Another stratagem of propaganda used within the movie is the process of delivering a particular message to the audience, and this message is Pro-Life. This message is reinforced throughout the film by focusing in on the fact that Juno made the choice not to have an abortion. In a conversation with Vanessa, Juno said, “I am giving you the gift of life, screaming, pooping life, and you don't even have to be there when it comes out all covered in blood and guts.” Juno constantly talks about wanting the baby to have a good home, because she is only sixteen and ill equipped to have the baby herself. Overall, this movie encompasses the Pro-Life campaign and presents it in a quirky way that appeals to a large audience. Juno captures the minds of the teenage population, and presents an alternative to abortion for unwanted pregnancies. This is all achieved through the stratagems of propaganda, and is filled with emotional appeals.

Anti War and Santa Claus

For an anti-war campaign, there is a cartoon image presented of an old man wearing an army uniform and holding a gun. This old man happens to have a white beard, a jolly smile, and a big belly; he is in fact Santa Claus. He appears very happy in the picture and is waiving his hand as a form of greeting to his audience. The text in this image says, “Santa Claus has gone to War. Those bad Iraqi boys and girls are getting a little LEAD in their stockings this year!” The background of the poster is in black and the text is written in white and in red.
There is a lot of Pre-Persuasion going on in this propaganda poster, because it portrays the image of Santa Claus, which many people normally take advantage of. The poster illustrates a jolly old man right off the bat, but that happy image soon fades. The text explains that Santa Claus is going to war, and shows him with a gun in his hand. The wholesome figure of Santa Claus has suddenly been destroyed by the notions of war.
In addition to this idea of pre-persuasion, the poster is giving off a particular message that it wants its audience to believe. It plays off the traditional norms about Santa Claus having a “good” and “bad” list, and it targets the children of Iraq. It implies that all Iraqis are bad, and that includes children who are often portrayed as pure and innocent. So, instead of Santa Claus bringing them coal for being bad, they are getting LEAD, which I believe means being shot by Santa’s gun.
This propaganda poster really plays on the audience’s emotions, because Santa Claus is pretty much a well liked figure. Nobody wants to imagine Santa killing children, because he is “supposed” to be making them happy. However, if Santa thinks something is bad, then it must be, because he is known to be a status symbol of good. In a way, Santa Claus is used for Source Credibility, because of his good reputation. In addition to Santa being credible, the poster reads that “This is a Message from the Ministry of Homeland Security.” So, this poster shows that the U.S. government is warranting this behavior of Santa, as well as the rest of the soldiers fighting the war in Iraq.
I really liked this image, because it really followed the four stratagems of propaganda, but made the whole piece satirical at the same time. I can definitely see that this poster is geared toward an anti-war campaign. It shows that the best of people are ok with killing others for the sake of war. I also like this poster, because it mimics the style of World War II Propaganda. However, I think this poster could be improved by making the figure of Santa Claus look more authentic. If the author of this piece added a red hat, I think that would have done the trick. If the poster itself didn’t say that it was Santa Claus, it might not be so obvious to other people, and they may not fully understand the message that is trying to be delivered.

Critical Analysis

Sarah Palin was the keynote speaker for the first National Tea Party Convention in Nashville Tennessee, and spoke out against President Obama, and how he is dealing with different matters in our government. She talks about the economy, national security issues, and poses the idea of having another revolution. She discusses her ambitions of running for the 2012 presidential election, and expressed how she felt honored to be a big part in the recent election.
In the CNN News article, “Palin to Tea Party: America Ready for another Revolution,” Sarah Palin criticizes President Obama, and asked the people of the convention, “How's that hope-y, change-y stuff working out for you?" Her rhetoric is challenging Obama’s campaign slogans, which is ultimately a propaganda technique geared towards pathos. Another tactic that Palin uses, is telling the people of the convention that, “I will not benefit financially from speaking at this event. Any compensation for my appearance will go right back to the cause." She is letting the people know that her intentions are pure, which can ultimately allude to the fact that President Obama’s intentions are not pure.
Palin goes on to talk about our country’s National Security and the terrorist crisis that could have occurred on Christmas Day. She criticized Obama’s stance on foreign policy by stating that, “It's not politicizing our security to discuss our concerns because Americans deserve to know the truths about the threats that we face.” This is yet another use of pathos within Propaganda, because the mere mentioning of a terrorist crisis that has to do with planes, can trigger memories about 9/11 and the crisis it left our country in.
However, this article not only discusses the elements of Sarah Palin’s speech, but it also questions her overall knowledge and understanding of key issues in the world. It talks about the book, Game Change, and how “McCain quickly grew troubled with Palin's lack of understanding on key issues, including the job of the Federal Reserve, the difference between North Korea and South Korea, and the purpose of the war in Afghanistan.” This statement serves the notion of rhetoric in a more liberal sense, and supports the idea that maybe Obama is right for the job. Logos is used here to dissuade any propaganda tactics that Sarah Palin had previously made during her speech at the Tea Party Convention. Overall, I think CNN did a great job recapping the major points in Palin’s speech, as well as showing the readers her motives behind her rhetoric. There was a great twist at the end, where CNN turned Palin’s own Propaganda against her by reminding the readers that many people are skeptical about her knowledge and lack of experience within politics. It leaves its readers with the question, are we ready for a Palin Revolution in 2012?

Recognizing Propoganda in the World

It's a funny feeling when you start to realize that propoganda is all around us. Sure...you can easily stretch the definition of propoganda, but when you really break it down, it's all around us. I can't watch tv without even thinking about propoganda, especially when it comes to comercials. What really comes to mind is the ongoing battle between Verizon & AT & T. I am constantly viewing the same map of the United States with all the little dots showing the "best" service areas. Both companies use the same image, and I swear they are just switching the colors on the map to make them seem more credible. In a recent AT & T commercial Luke Wilson (celebrity) was talking about Verizon having a slower 3G network. He said that verizon takes a longer time to download, while AT &T is faster and more efficient.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoAuhptVF-g

When you watch the video, you can really tell it's propoganda through the images. When Luke Wilson downloads himself through AT &T...it is much faster than verizon. The verizon download of Wilson displays him without a head...symbolizing that Verizon is weak, "slow," and is unable to provide essential needs for the customer. At the end of the commercial, the advertisement checks off AT & T as the better provider, and tells its customers that AT & T is a "Better 3G Experience."

Here is another AT &T commercial with Luke Wilson that I thought some may enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQR67HXVt14