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by isthisfoss 1061 days ago
What’s American propaganda? Supporting Ukraine?
5 comments

My sensors have detected more than a little propaganda of various forms on the Ukraine topic. Lots of things going on there, and the English language (including how it's processed by consciousness: sub-perceptually) and western cultural norms and media structure offer a wide variety of ways to plant a false conceptualization of precisely what's going on in the public's minds.

A standard response to this is inaccurate/misleading rhetoric (based upon the individual's false conceptualization, here's where the magic lies), also a cultural norm.

The Smith–Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 makes it legal for the government to propagandize the population.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization...

Propaganda is propaganda, whether or not one appreciates the outcome, so yes, that would be one example.
This might be shocking to hear for some but fwiw: https://imgur.io/gallery/z1noQGJ

Also from 17 hours ago: "UFO hearing key takeaways: What a whistleblower told Congress about UAPs"

For detailed scientific elaboration on propaganda Jacques Ellul is a must read: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Ellul -> Joseph Weizenbaum has read him, and so should anyone who uses the P-word on HN :)

PS: Слава Україні! :)

Wow, thats rich coming from germany. Studying american “propaganda” in schools that is. I dont understand why the anti american sentiment is so prevalent in that country. Do they resent the us for fighting against them in ww2? Or for calling out their initially treacherous attitude towards the recent war? Although somehow germany appears to have the same attitude towards all other countries, including those in europe. Wondering if they understand that there will eventually be backlash.
> Wow, thats rich coming from germany. Studying american “propaganda” in schools that is. I dont understand why the anti american sentiment is so prevalent in that country.

Why do you feel attacked by students learning about American propaganda? Why is it "anti American" to learn about this topic?

> Do they resent the us for fighting against them in ww2? Or for calling out their initially treacherous attitude towards the recent war? Although somehow germany appears to have the same attitude towards all other countries, including those in europe. Wondering if they understand that there will eventually be backlash.

You seem seriously agitated. Is the whole world supposed to treat America like a child, never mentioning bad things and only ever talking about positive sides?

Have you ever seriously sat down and looked at American propaganda, especially during/after WW2? It's a fascinating topic. I hope you realise that German students also learn about German propaganda - it's not something you do because the country you're learning about is evil, it's something you do because it's part of reality, and students should learn to critically think about reality.

not German so no idea, but pretty much how US is perceived literally anywhere outside the US including much of the English speaking world (there often the most because they have even more exposure culturally).

the reason why they feel threatened or resent the system might have to do with the US showing reducto ad absurdum what the ultimate conclusion of capitalism will be. Like a mirror that allows you to look into the future and it ain't pretty:

people without housing, no empathy for those worse off, lack of culture except the cult of making more money, most people stuck in several jobs without making ends meet, no functioning public transport, cults that celebrate billionaires and fake it until you make it culture (Theranos, WeChat, SV in general), a large proportion of the populace illiterate or in other ways too incompetent to vote for change, the ones that are able to vote do not have any choice other than a 2 party system which is the same sh1t but different color.

I can understand why some people may disagree with how things work in the us. And while there are pros and cons to it i think there’s a long road from a debate to teaching children in schools about “american propaganda”. That’s something adversarial countries do.
Do you believe that the only agenda US corporations and big tech companies are pushing onto their global audience is support for Ukraine?
Well that’s the latest. Among CRT, DEI, and all the other acronyms of course.
sure. support for ukraine, minority rights, democracy, freedom. china is pushing propaganda to cover up their genocide. thinking the US is even remotely equivalent to china regarding propaganda is frankly insane; maybe you should read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_China as a primer on how China manipulates the truth. Also this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_censorship_abroad

TBH its funny when people bring up american propaganda anyway. US media outlets are so overly critical of america, to the point it borders on anti-american propaganda

our chad propaganda vs. their virgin propaganda