As mentioned, propaganda can come from anyone : fanatic individuals, cultist and pseudo-scientific scammers, activist organizations, corporations, governments and political parties, are all interested in manipulating your emotions and attitudes. Here are some examples.
* After 9/11, the American government put out ads claiming that the drug freedom movement was helping to finance terrorist activities against Americans. This is a classical example of projection - a very important part of political propaganda (most socialist propaganda is based on projection).
In this case, the War on Drugs creates a black market, which lowers competition and multiplies the price of drugs, and therefore drug profits. 9/11 anti-drug propaganda was a bald-faced lie, but it worked because of the general sentiment against drug use in the United States.
* A slogan such as "give to each according to need and ask from each according to their ability", or even more efficiently, a loaded word such as "equality", is a powerful propaganda tool, for reasons already given. In these cases, detecting code-words is essential to recognize the nature of the propaganda.
* In the previous article "The Anti-Consumeurism Movement", I discussed an example of left-wing propaganda.
* Pseudo-scientific propaganda shares many of the properties I listed. Quackwatch has a list of "Twenty-Five Ways to Spot Quacks and Vitamin Pushers", some of which are :
"They Claim That Most Americans Are Poorly Nourished." (appeal to fear)
"They Say That Most Diseases Are Due to Faulty Diet and Can Be Treated with "Nutritional" Methods." (simplification)
"They Claim You Are in Danger of Being "Poisoned" by Ordinary Food Additives and Preservatives." (appeal to fear)
"They Warn You Not to Trust Your Doctor." (stereotype and projection)
How do we immunize ourselves against it ? By having a strong moral compass, cultivating awareness, and cultivating critical thinking.
1. It is a well-known fact that people in cities are particularly vulnerable to cults, because there is a greater proportion of individuals there who have "left their roots behind". Colleges are also important recruiting grounds, because students tend to be idealistic but lacking in personal identity.
In both cases, people are more readily swayed by propaganda because of their lack of moral compass. In this vacuum, a slick, popular piece of propaganda will pass far more easily. In contrast, an individual with solid values will be less likely to follow any propaganda, at least unless it conforms to those values.
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