What does the book have to say about propaganda? Do you think there's such a thing as helpful propaganda?

What does the book have to say about propaganda? Do you think there's such a thing as helpful propaganda, or is it always, on some level, just a lie?

Propaganda is manipulation. It can sway a population and leave them uninformed and easily pushed to whatever action or belief the government wants. It may be helpful to governments, but it is never helpful to the populations it is used on. If it was truth, it would not be propaganda.

I'm not sure I agree with the statement that "If it was the truth, it would not be propaganda." I think "truth" can be a squishy thing, and I think a form of truth can be used to sway a population. For example, showing brave troops fighting the enemy and winning can be both truthful and propaganda. In this case, the misleading element might be omitting information about losses or casualties.

I feel like some form of "spin" is built into almost everything these days, and the only way to truly avoid being swayed by propaganda is to educate oneself on all aspects of an issue, looking at a wide range of opinions rather than just those espoused by the side one agrees with.

I associate propaganda as a negative, the Nazis were masterful at this, using it to the most evil of intents. I think there is a difference between knowledge, education, information and propaganda. To me it is better to educate and inform. Propaganda never gives the full story, only the "facts" that allow the goal to be achieved.

We need to be educated about how propaganda works and how it is used to be able to recognize it.

Propaganda is defined as" information or ideas methodically spread to to either promote or injure a cause, movement, nation, etc.". The book revealed propaganda in various ways. There we're films made to promote the war. There were promotions for Artie's movies which weren't always telling the truth about the movie itself. Mercury Pictures released propaganda that made it appear more successful than it actually was. Those are only three examples. Today we are surrounded by propaganda in every form of media. We can't blindly accept everything we read or see.

As one responder noted propaganda is by its nature biased and designed to "promote or injure a cause, movement, nation, etc." In the case of the story, Mercury Pictures got into WWII propaganda to help the US government portray to those at home in America an understanding of what was happening in the various war arenas. As at aside, there is a book, Five Came Back, which was made into a Netflix documentary, about 5 Hollywood directors who worked with the US government to create these films. Perhaps we can view these as "positive" - let's face it, the Nazis and the Japanese Empire at that time were not trying to create a "better" world - but they are still attempts to persuade viewers to perceive reality in a certain way. Obviously there is the Nazi movies like those of Lina Riefenstahl which promoted a view of the world in which only certain people were considered worthy of life, hardly positive in my view at least. So, the book creates an opportunity to understand how media can be used for good or evil.

I agree with Kimk that we are surrounded by propaganda today and in order to find the truth or attempt to find the truth we must educate ourselves and search out trusted resources for information. It was very interesting to see how the movies were involved with the use of propaganda for our government. There are many movies being produced today that attempt to show a leaning toward a particular point of view designated by the producer and/or director of the film. Often I find these presentations stirring me to search out the true facts.

to me propaganda is by its very nature negative and dangerous. it is the control of information to attain a desired attitude among the people it wishes to influence to one world view. It is the antithesis of knowledge and critical thinking. It is what is happening in Russia today with the people having no access to the reality of the war in Ukraine. They are manipulated into believing that Ukraine is the aggressor.
It also leads to the acceptance of conspiracy theories and divisiveness in populations.
Is it ever useful? Yes. people in London suffering from the blitz, widespread shortages and very difficult lives were sustained by hearing mostly of the successes of the Allies.

Education, reading a variety of sources can help us realize when something is propaganda manipulation. Yes, people have their own "truths" that should enter into discussion. Just ask people about political issues today and "good people" will differ in their opinions. If people convince others to change their views, to me, this is not propaganda. I view propaganda as something negative meant to manipulate change in views/beliefs. An uninformed person will be prey for this tool. Yes, movies, TV news, other news sources should be viewed with an educated mind. Just think about what happened with reaction to recent COVID issues.

I agree that propaganda is negative and dangerous and one of the themes of Marra's book how extreme times force people into impossible devil’s bargains; how propaganda muddies reality; how hard it is to get to the truth of anything, except perhaps by piecing it together long afterward; how ordinary people can find unexpected reservoirs of heroism/

I also think propaganda is a negative force. Throughout modern history, propaganda has been used by leaders and governments to influence people. But I think today we are living in the most dangerous propaganda era because of the power of social media in all its forms. To me one of the worst dangers is espousing propaganda as absolute truth even when it is revisionist history. I have heard someone say something and then deny it even though I heard it said by that person in the past.

Propaganda can be good-for example, messages about healthy eating, the dangers of drunk driving and the effects of smoking on one's health are all useful and positive messages. Unfortunately, too often propaganda is used in negative and hateful ways. Today we need to be media savvy and aware when we encounter propaganda and be mindful of uncovering the truth . In "Mercury Pictures Presents" there were issues with the films being too "pro-war" to push us into the conflict and many of the films were promoting racism and hatred.

Propaganda vs helpful information is on my mind this morning! I haven’t thought health information from a reliable source is propaganda. Propaganda to me is information not necessarily true. However, truth can vary per person’s actual beliefs. What I consider helpful information may not not be considered helpful to others so they may consider as propaganda.

Propaganda is definitely a negative force in my mind. I think of the films that Hitler promoted making him seem like a war hero when he was far from it. It is brainwashing and has no positive place , in my mind.

Merriam-Webster defines propaganda as "the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person." It is NOT "by its very nature negative and dangerous." However, over time, the word has increasingly become synonymous with the dissemination of skewed or outright false information in order to persuade. It has been a prevalent problem in the U.S. (and elsewhere) since the inception of social media, particularly during the last 2 Presidential elections and the administration of the indicted former occupant of the Oval Office.

In a straight-forward manner, Marra deftly examines the use of propaganda during World War II when censorship was the norm here and abroad. The Nazi and Fascist regimes took the use of propaganda to new extremes in order to keep the populace in line and attempt to convince their enemies of their strength, popularity, and support. Hollywood became part of the U.S. government's system of using propaganda to bolster its own war effort.

Viewed through a 21st century lens, even the U.S. propaganda campaigns can be judged quite harshly because the information released differed extensively from the realities of war. Worse, the messages about various groups, Japanese-Americans in particular, were outrageously offensive and damaging, causing countless American citizens to suffer irreparable harm. It is beyond dispute that the U.S. government fomented prejudice, hate, division, and violence. I grew up and still live in a California town with a large & vibrant Japanese-American community, and many of my classmates were born after their parents and grandparents were released from internment camps. Their families were forever damaged and changed.

BUT not all propaganda is inherently evil. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise and targeted a U.S. military installation. Americans, especally on the West Coast, were terrified because they had no idea what might come next. My father was drafted in March 1942, and served in the Pacific theater. I have old newspaper clippings, his letters and photographs, and have seen old newsreels that were played in movie theaters. There is a huge disparity between how the war effort was portrayed with Hollywood's assistance and the historical accounts of what was actually happening. But that propaganda was used for the express purpose of keeping the American people from losing hope! And it was effective!!

Try to imagine a world in which the U.S. lost WWII. Too horrific to contemplate?? (The Man in the High Castle is a chilling fictionalized account of a U.S. under Nazi and Japanese post-WWII control.) Without the propaganda that kept the folks at home hopeful and contributing to the war effort -- they sacrificed so much to help achieve victory -- the outcome might have been far different.

Of course, we live in a different world now and such sanitized propaganda would not be successful. The Vietnam War was the first conflict to play out on our television screens every night. Wars are depicted via live newsfeeds not far from the front. Now the challenge is separating facts from lies, reality from hyperbole, conjecture from evidence. We live in the world of "alternative facts" where a former President who lost an election can convince millions of people that he won sans even a scintilla of evidence in support of that claim. In other words, we live in a world that is, in some respects, more frightening than it must have been to hide behind blackout curtains in San Franciso wondering if more planes carrying bombs were en route. Because we now inhabit a world in which propaganda has, in some significant respects, supplanted reason. And THAT is terrifying.