Propaganda as an Art FormD.I.N. - While some may say that propaganda only has merits for influencing a population, it can also be quite a valid form of art. Take the following pieces, for example:
This is a piece of British propaganda, encouraging people to keep their secrets from enemy spies. Someone spent a lot of their time ensuring that it had a clear message, and could easily be interpreted by people everywhere. It has a visual, along with a reminder tagline, ensuring that everyone gets the message.
This is a piece of art, which is also somewhat propaganda. It portrays the USSR and the USA as two mirror image superheroes, each capable of destroying the world, and warns that if the two don't cooperate, then the world will be worse off.
As can be seen from the previous two examples, both art and propaganda can easily, and often do, coexist, and influence each other. |
Winners: Photo of the WeekWinners: Communist Limerick Contest"Man exploits man" is the Capitalist peverse.
Sadly, with Communism it's quite the reverse. Whichever we choose, We still get to lose, It still ends with a ride in a hearse. - Noca Jones Havana, Cuba Ivan was singing a tune To the rhythm of the cotton loom He reported to the Party He was feeling quite Arty But then the reactor went boom! - Ulysses S. Sulrich-Riden Moscow, Russia More and more money is the capitalist way bringing grief to the proletariat's day but we follow Marx that brightest of Sparks In communism the opposite holds sway. - Kim Jong Il The Great and Honorable Nation of North Korea That Is The Most Powerful Country/ South Korea Does Not Exist And We Don't Even Want Them Anyway Red Scare Media in the USD.I.N. - Ever since the beginning of the Cold War, the American media has been blasting the American people with images and movies that are meant to instill fear of communism and the USSR. Loved TV shows, like Get Smart and The Avengers, often portray a Russian or other elements associated with communism in a negative light. For example, in Get Smart, almost all of the villains in the series can be traced back to KAOS, all the members of which seem to sport Russian or German accents and pose a threat to the free, democratic world.
Even simple advertisements bash the Communist way, encouraging paranoia and communist "witch hunts", starting with Senator McCarthy in the late 1940's and continuing now into the 60's. Luckily, it would seem that this kind of propaganda is appearing less often; however the damage has been done. Major Hollywood moves, such as The Red Menace in 1949, last year's Doctor Strangelove, and 1962's Manchurian Candidate. This has led to a generation of conspiracy and paranoia, as well as a distraction from global issues other than the spread of Communism. This has more than mere social ramifications though. Political candidates must pledge that they will fight the "war against Communism" and fight for the "free world"! Any politician who explores other issues is considered to be "soft on Communism" when, really, all they are doing is ignoring the dramatization of the issue. To all who read this article: think twice when you are exposed to such propaganda and please, for the sake of the world, form your opinions based on fact, not fiction. |