Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s foremost polemicist, argued that propaganda
must be simple enough to be appreciated by the common people. A
propagandist is a “true artist” and “master of the popular soul.” They
have the acumen vis-a-vis their audience’s ability to perceive
information. Propaganda, however, should be perceived as amoral. It
depends on the goal it seeks. This is a historical irony since Goebbels
was the major lackey of Hitler in committing mass atrocities/genocide in
Europe.
Russian socialist theorist Plekhanov made a distinction between
agitation and propaganda. The former utilizes ideas and slogans to shape
people’s opinions, for immediate purposes, while the latter
aggressively espouses the principles of Marxism-Leninism with the view
of transforming the infra-culture and superstructure of society. Also,
Lenin, in his work, “What needs to be done” also distinguishes one from
the other according to the quantity of ideas being advocated and the
means by which they are projected to the masses:
"The propagandist, dealing with, say, the question of unemployment, must
explain the capitalistic nature of crises, the cause of their
inevitability in modern society, the necessity for the transformation of
this society into a socialist society, etc. In a word, he must present “many ideas”,
so many indeed, that they will be understood as an integral whole by a
(comparatively) few persons. The agitator however, speaking on the same
subject, will take as an illustration the death of an unemployed
worker’s family from starvation, the growing impoverishment etc and
utilising this fact, known to all, will direct his efforts to presenting a single idea to the “masses”. Consequently the propagandist operates chiefly by means of the printed word; the agitator by means of the spoken word. (underline mine)"
Juxtaposing this view with the advent of information and communication
technologies, Lenin can be indicted for limiting the perceived images
agitators can get across and the information people can absorb through
this method. Agitation, as Lenin defined it, requires bigger forces to
achieve its purposes. This view can be undermined by the capability of
social networking sites (SNS) to make information spread like wildfire.
Moreover, propaganda is not merely an “art of persuasion”. The
Bolsheviks elicited support from peasants and workers, not only because
they intended to “brainwash” them, but also due to their skill to
magnify existing social issues and trends, giving them sharper and
precise focus.
Propaganda shapes collective attitudes by manipulating significant
symbols. Cyphers and codes can be expressions of allegiance. This can be
witnessed in Hitler’s swastika and Nazi gesture and Mao’s Red Book
which sustained the cult of personality in China. The zealous Red
Guards, composed mainly of students, persecuted those who gave low
esteem to the state-published booklet. This continued during Zhou
En-Lai’s Thought Reform campaign in 1950s which smothered the power of
Western/capitalist principles through massive indoctrination, struggle
sessions (public humiliation of “enemies of the state”), among others.
Propagandism, however, entails significant costs. Sustaining a campaign
warrants infusion of resources for the constant stream of ideological
information. This compelled Stalin in 1930s to build Russia’s largest
propaganda aircraft, Tupolev ANT-20, which served as the “voice from the
sky” of the Communist Party. It was used to drop printed leaflets and
even became a radio station hub and film projector. Mao was effective in
projecting ad nauseum propaganda by inculcating among the youth
his personal vision of Chinese socialism. In the same manner, Marcos,
during Martial Law, ordered the religious singing of Bagong Lipunan hymn
to project a "compassionate government."
Russian propaganda, of course, also had its offensive dimension.
Glavlit, USSR’s main censorship organization used to employ at least
50,000 “watchdog” staff to eliminate anti-state information and make
sure that printed materials are compatible with the state’s ideological
spin. In the same vein, Marcos, with his Bagong Lipunan campaign,
encouraged developmental journalism and clandestinely imprisoned
anti-regime journalists. I remember Ariel Ureta being punished for
mocking Marcos’s slogan---“Sa ikauunlad ng bayan, bisikleta ang
kailangan.” As a result, he was forced to make his rounds inside Camp
Crame using his bicycle.
Propaganda, to be effective, must be planted on a fertile field for it
to prosper and influence a community. It is essential that it is
congruent with people’s desires and aspirations. Hitler’s persecution of
the “non-Aryan” race struck a chord in the hearts of Germans who,
during that period, also desired global supremacy and freedom from the
clutches of major powers which punished their country post-World War I.
The masses’ lack of education and discernment of issues make them
susceptible to ideological appeals. However, propaganda can only be
effective as long as the propagandists deliver their pronouncements.
Hollow promises can cause disillusionment among the people.
Hindi sanay ang Pinoy na natatalo ang bida. Hindi bumebenta sa atin ang malulungkot na istorya. Marahil, masyado na tayong lugmok sa kahirapan kaya wala na tayong panahon upang malumbay pa. Gusto natin, ang ending laging masaya.
