CPN 0003

“And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words -- yes, we can.”

Glittering Generalities: Propagandists employ vague, sweeping statements (often slogans or simple catchphrases) using language associated with values and beliefs deeply held by the audience without providing supporting information or reason. They appeal to such notions as honor, glory, love of country, desire for peace, freedom, and family values. The words and phrases are vague and suggest different things to different people but the implication is always favorable. It cannot be proved true or false because it really says little or nothing at all. The Institute of Propaganda Analysis suggests a number of questions we should ask ourselves if we are confronted with this technique: What do the slogans or phrases really mean? Is there a legitimate connection between the idea being discussed and the true meaning of the slogan or phrase being used? What are the merits of the idea itself if it is separated from the slogans or phrases?

“Yes we can!” is a propaganda technique, called “Glittering Generality.”

Propaganda Techniques

Edward Filene helped establish the Institute of Propaganda Analysis in 1937 to educate the American public about the nature of propaganda and how to recognize propaganda techniques. Filene and his colleagues identified the seven most common "tricks of the trade" used by successful propagandists. These seven techniques are called:

Glittering GeneralitiesName Calling Transfer Testimonial Plain Folks Band Wagon Card Stacking

“But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:”

(Genesis 3:3-4)

Propaganda is at least as old as Adam and Eve.

Name Calling: Propagandists use this technique to create fear and arouse prejudice by using negative words (bad names) to create an unfavorable opinion or hatred against a group, beliefs, ideas or institutions they would have us denounce. This method calls for a conclusion without examining the evidence. Name Calling is used as a substitute for arguing the merits of an idea, belief, or proposal. It is often employed using sarcasm and ridicule in political cartoons and writing. When confronted with this technique the Institute for Propaganda Analysis suggests we ask ourselves the following questions: What does the name mean? Is there a real connection between the idea and the name being used? What are the merits of the idea if I leave the name out of consideration? When examining this technique try to separate your feelings about the name and the actual idea or proposal (Propaganda Critic: Common Techniques 1).

Transfer: Transfer is a technique used to carry over the authority and approval of something we respect and revere to something the propagandist would have us accept. Propagandists often employ symbols (e.g., waving the flag) to stir our emotions and win our approval. The Institute for Propaganda Analysis suggests we ask ourselves these questions when confronted with this technique. What is the speaker trying to pitch? What is the meaning of the thing the propagandist is trying to impart? Is there a legitimate connection between the suggestion made by the propagandist and the person or product? Is there merit in the proposal by itself? When confronted with this technique, question the merits of the idea or proposal independently of the convictions about other persons, ideas, or proposals.

Testimonial: Propagandists use this technique to associate a respected person or someone with experience to endorse a product or cause by giving it their stamp of approval hoping that the intended audience will follow their example. The Institute for Propaganda Analysis suggests we ask ourselves the following question when confronted with this technique. Who is quoted in the testimonial?  Why should we regard this person as an expert or trust their testimony? Is there merit to the idea or product without the testimony? You can guard yourself against this technique by demonstrating that the person giving the testimonial is not a recognized authority, prove they have an agenda or vested interest, or show there is disagreement by other experts.

Plain Folks: Propagandists use this approach to convince the audience that the spokesperson is from humble origins, someone they can trust and who has their interests at heart. Propagandists have the speaker use ordinary language and mannerisms to reach the audience and identify with their point of view. The Institute for Propaganda Analysis suggests we ask ourselves the following questions before deciding on any issue when confronted with this technique. Is the person credible and trustworthy when they are removed from the situation being discussed? Is the person trying to cover up anything? What are the facts of the situation? When confronted with this type of propaganda consider the ideas and proposals separately from the personality of the presenter.

Bandwagon: Propagandists use this technique to persuade the audience to follow the crowd. This device creates the impression of widespread support. It reinforces the human desire to be on the winning side. It also plays on feelings of loneliness and isolation. Propagandists use this technique to convince people not already on the bandwagon to join in a mass movement while simultaneously reassuring that those on or partially on should stay aboard. Bandwagon propaganda has taken on a new twist. Propagandists are now trying to convince the target audience that if they don't join in they will be left out. The implication is that if you don't jump on the bandwagon the parade will pass you by. While this is contrary to the other method, it has the same effect: getting the audience to join in with the crowd. The Institute of Propaganda Analysis suggests we ask ourselves the following questions when confronted with this technique. What is the propagandist's program?  What is the evidence for and against the program? Even though others are supporting it, why should I? As with most propaganda techniques, getting more information is the best defense.  When confronted with Bandwagon propaganda, consider the pros and cons before joining in.

Card Stacking: The propagandist uses this technique to make the best case possible for his side and the worst for the opposing viewpoint by carefully using only those facts that support his or her side of the argument while attempting to lead the audience into accepting the facts as a conclusion. In other words, the propagandist stacks the cards against the truth. Card stacking is the most difficult technique to detect because it does not provide all of the information necessary for the audience to make an informed decision. The audience must decide what is missing. The Institute for Propaganda Analysis suggests we ask ourselves the following question when confronted with this technique: Are facts being distorted or omitted? What other arguments exist to support these assertions? As with any other propaganda technique, the best defense against Card Stacking is to get as much information that is possible before making a decision.

My vas pokhoronim! 1956

Nikita Khrushchev

We will bury you!

The following quotes are from a document on Psychopolitics, which was disclosed by Kenneth Goff. From May 2, 1936, to October 10, 1939 Goff was a dues-paying member of the Communist Party. During the period that he was a member of the Communist Party, he attended their school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that operated under the name Eugene Debs Labor School. Here, says mister Goff,  we were trained in all phases of warfare, both psychological and physical, for the destruction of the Capitalistic society and Christian civilization.

This is a quote from An Address by Lavrent Pavlovich Beria, found in the introduction of a book called “A Synthesis of the Russian Textbook on Psycho-politics.”

“In a Capitalistic state you are aided on all sides by the corruption of the philosophy of man and the times. You will discover that everything will aid you in your campaign to seize control, and use all "mental healing" to spread our doctrine and rid us of our enemies within their own borders. Use the courts, use the judges, use the Constitution of the country, use its medical societies and its laws to further our ends. Do not stint in your labor in this direction. And when you have succeeded you will discover that you can now effect your own legislation at will and you can, by careful organization of healing societies, by constant campaigns about the terrors of society, by pretense as to your effectiveness make your Capitalist himself, by his own appropriations, finance a large portion of the quiet Communist conquest of the nation.”

A quote from a chapter called “Degradation, Shock, and Endurance”“As it seems that the church is the most ennobling influence in foreign nations, each andevery branch and activity of each and every church, must, one way or another, be discredited. Religion must be made unfashionable by our demonstrating broadly, through psycho-political indoctrination, that the soul is nonexistent, and that Man is an animal. The lying mechanisms of Christianity lead man to foolishly brave deeds. By teaching them that there is a life hereafter, the church minimizes the liability of courageous acts during this lifetime. And the liability of any act must be markedly increased if a populace is to be obedient. Thus, there must be no standing belief in the church, and the power of the church must be denied at every opportunity.”

A quote from “The Use of Psychopolitics in Spreading Communism”“Reactionary nations are of such a composition that they attack a word withoutunderstanding it. As the conquest of a nation by communism depends upon imbuing its population with communistic tenets, it is not necessary that the term"communism" be applied at first to the educative measures employed.

As an example, in the United States we have been able to alter the works of WilliamJames, and others, into a more acceptable pattern, and to place the tenets of Karl Marx,Pavlov, Lamarck, and the data of Dialectic Materialism into the textbooks of psychology,to such a degree that anyone making a thorough study of psychology becomes at once acandidate to accept the reasonableness of communism.”

A quote from “The Smashing of Religious Groups”“We have battled in America since the turn of the century to bring to nothing any andall Christian influences and we are succeeding. While today we seem to be kind to the Christian remember that we have yet to influence the "Christian world" to our ends. When that is done we shall have an end of them everywhere. You may see them here in Russia as trained apes. They do not know their tether will stay long only until the apes in other lands have become unwary.

You must work until "religion" is synonymous with "insanity". You must work untilthe officials of city, county, and state governments will not think twice before they pounce upon religious groups as public enemies.

Remember, all lands are governed by the few who only pretend to consult with themany. It is no different in America. The petty official, the maker of laws alike can bemade to believe the worst. It is not necessary to convince the masses. It is only necessary to work incessantly upon the official, using personal defamation, wild lies, false evidence, and constant propaganda to make him fight for you against the church or against any practitioner.”

A quote from “Summary”“Communism has already spread across one-sixth of the inhabited world. MarxistDoctrines have already penetrated the remainder. An extension of the Communist socialorder is everywhere victorious. The spread of communism has never been by force ofbattle, but by conquest of the mind. In Psychopolitics we have refined this conquest tothe nth degree.”

“The psychopolitician has his reward in the nearly unlimited control of populaces, in theuninhibited exercise of passion, and the glory of Communist conquest over the stupidityof the enemies of the People.”

Charles Robert Darwin, aged 45 in 1854, by then working towards publication of On the Origin of Species.

The following group of pictures show 19th century men, who have had profound negative effects on American history. Those effects have been so strong, that we are still seeing them in 21st century America.

"I reject the infallibility of Holy Scriptures overwhelmingly." (Westcott, The Life and Letters of Brook Foss Westcott, Vol. I, p.207).

"Our Bible as well as our Faith is a mere compromise." (Westcott, On the Canon of the New Testament, p. vii).

"No one now, I suppose, holds that the first three chapters of Genesis, for example, give a literal history. I could never understand how anyone reading them with open eyes could think they did." (Westcott, cited from Which Bible?, p. 191).

"Evangelicals seem to me perverted. . .There are, I fear, still more serious differences between us on the subject of authority, especially the authority of the Bible." (Hort, The Life and Letters of Fenton John Anthony Hort, Vol. I, p.400)

"But the book which has most engaged me is Darwin. Whatever may be thought of it, it is a book that one is proud to be contemporary with..... My feeling is strong that the theory is unanswerable." (Hort, cited from Which Bible?, p. 189)

Brook Foss Westcott

Fenton J. A. Hort

Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883) was a German philosopher, political economist, historian, political theorist, sociologist, communist, and revolutionary, whose ideas are credited as the foundation of modern communism. Marx summarized his approach in the first line of chapter one of The Communist Manifesto, published in 1848: "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles."

Friedrich Engels was a German social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of communist theory, alongside Karl Marx. Together they produced The Communist Manifesto in 1848. Engels also edited the second and third volumes of Das Kapital after Marx's death.

Friedrich Nietzsche believed there could be positive possibilities for humans without God. Relinquishing the belief in God opens the way for human creative abilities to fully develop. The Christian God, he wrote, would no longer stand in the way, so human beings might stop turning their eyes toward a supernatural realm and begin to acknowledge the value of this world.

Auguste Comte first described the epistemological perspective of positivism in The Course in Positivist Philosophy, a series of texts published between 1830 and 1842. These texts were followed by the 1844 work, A General View of Positivism (published in English in 1865).