The Ten Commandments of Propaganda

The Ten Commandments of Propaganda

Philosophy Opinion (Published) Keywords: PROPAGANDA
Source: Updated by Mark Johnson 1999
Published: Institute for Propaganda Analysis in 1937 Author: From the Original Seven Rules of Propaganda
Posted on 01/07/2000 12:28:53 PST by top of the world ma

The following have been expanded and updated by Mark Johnson, (c) 1999, from the original Seven Rules of Propaganda, identified by the Institute For Propaganda Analysis in 1937.

The Ten Commandments of Propaganda

1. Divide and conquer.

Possibly the oldest political tactic known to man. As long as the people are busy fighting each other, they will never know their real enemy. Hate speech is valuable to this end.

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2. Tell the people what they want.

Not to be confused with telling them what they want to hear.You are telling them what they want, and why they cannot live without it.

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3. The bigger the lie, the more people will believe it

Coined by Joseph Goebbels, this truth has been proven time and time again, especially in times of war.

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4. Always appeal to the lowest common denominator.

Abraham Lincoln supposedly said "you can't fool all of the people all of the time." But, if you can fool enough of the people, enough of the time, you can get away with anything. The trick is to find the common hopes and fears of the largest majority.

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5. Generalize as much as possible.

Specifics are not very important. Most people would prefer to think in the simplest terms possible - black and white, good and evil, Communist and Capitalist, etc.

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6.Use "expert" testimonial.

A degree and screen presence is pretty much all you need to be an authority on anything in the modern world. People like celebrities.

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7. Always refer to the "authority" of your office.

Once your authority is established, you need to periodically remind the people of it. It will add credibility to your purpose.

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8. Stack the cards with "information".

Statistics and facts work wonderfully, especially when the average person only partially understands them, and when conflicting data is censored.

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9. A confused people are easily led.

When a person hears the truth, he won't know it, because it will be lumped together with disinformation, half-truths, and lies.

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10. Get the "plain folks" onto the "bandwagon"

John Doe is your propaganda agent. Middle Americans will "relate" to him, and so will their friends, and their friends, and their friends, and their friends . . .

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And remember, when all else fails, use FEAR.