[littlestymaar]

I'd rather have a sourced analysis of something I don't like than read a dude writing an unsourced cheering post celebrating how powerful my army is.

Propaganda can be done by both your enemies and your own side, and the later is the most dangerous one. The more you like it, the more skeptical you should be.

[general1465]

Everything is propaganda. Even your and mine comments are propaganda. Because propaganda can also be called marketing. And every text is marketing of ones own opinion.

[nozzlegear]

> and the later is the most dangerous one

Genuine question: why?

[littlestymaar]

Because buying your own lies about the strength of your army makes you complacent.

There's a reason why dictators have a terrible war time track record.

[DocTomoe]

You tend to distrust the propaganda of the other side. You are not quite as distrustful of the propaganda of your own side. If it is clever enough not to appear as a cheerleader like this article, you may barely notice it cherrypicking the benefits of a story.

Obligatory: "Are we the baddies?"-sketch illustrates the concept very nicely.