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Panama Free Trade Agreement propaganda video is accurate and effective

Panama Free Trade Agreement propaganda video is accurate and effective

TL;DR Summary In 2011, Bernie Sanders spoke forcefully against a free trade agreement with Panama because Panama operates as a tax haven with secret bank accounts. True-Sanders did speak forcefully against the PFTA. True-Panama does have low corporate tax rates, tax havens and banking secrecy. This is an effective propaganda poster (video) because it is topical, makes good use of facts (not false assertions or logical fallacies), and is conveyed simply and directly. It is also unusual for a propaganda…

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Using humor to encourage "sharing" a poster

Using humor to encourage "sharing" a poster

TL; DR Summary Excellent use of humor Simple message, quickly processed by the viewer Humor is a polite propaganda way of getting an emotional response to encourage the viewer to Share and Like. This is also a “glittering generality” as the message is meaningless to the real world.

Iraqi girl in orphanage drew photo of her mom and fell asleep

Iraqi girl in orphanage drew photo of her mom and fell asleep

TL;DR Summary Actual photo: Taken by an Iranian photographer, of her cousin, who had fallen a sleep while drawing chalk figures outside. The photo was stolen from the photographer’s Flickr post and the text description is false.  More of the photographer’s work may be seen here including similar style photos with the same young girl (some really great photos too!). For some reason, the propaganda poster did not use the similar photo where she is curled up inside a drawing…

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Same country, different data – the ease of creating propaganda posters

Same country, different data – the ease of creating propaganda posters

TL; DR Summary All true. Illustrates the ease of creating propaganda posters. Share if you agree! As I continue to cross-check the very popular (on social media) Denmark propaganda posters, I created one of my own!     Points that did not fit on this poster: Denmark has the highest taxes in the world Denmark has the highest personal debts in the world with household debt equal to 321% of disposable income. Banks pay negative interest rates – meaning that…

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Denmark has free child care? Uh, no.

Denmark has free child care? Uh, no.

TL; DR Summary Part 1: Denmark is the world’s happiest nation because of the following reasons (Not true) Part 2: Denmark has a $20/hour minimum wage (No, it does not). Part 3: Denmark has a 33 hour work week (No, it does not) Part 4: Denmark has Free University ? Yes but read why – it’s not why you think Part 5: Denmark has Free Childcare? No, it does not – this claim is a lie. Part 6: Denmark has…

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Effective propaganda poster: Sanders and Trump both fly on jets

Effective propaganda poster: Sanders and Trump both fly on jets

TL; DR Summary Sanders has traveled by bus and also by airline coach but he recently began using a Gulfstream jet charter too. Trump flies on his own corporate aircraft. Trump is a billionaire and he does seem self-obsessed. Poster appeals to the populist perspective of Sanders and the greedy narcissistic perspective of Trump – but the implication that Sanders does not fly a private jet is no longer true. Truth means little in a good social media propaganda poster! (This was shared…

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Logical fallacy: Linking a $15 minimum wage in 2022 to unemployment in 2015

Logical fallacy: Linking a $15 minimum wage in 2022 to unemployment in 2015

TL; DR Summary Occupy Democrats issued propaganda posters in 2015 proclaiming that in spite of a $15 minimum wage, Seattle’s unemployment has gone down and restaurants are booming, But the $15 wage does not take effect until 3 to 7 years into the future. This linkage is a logical fallacy.                 Poster 2 Source: Occupy Democrats.  Shared over 28,000 times. There is no connection between a $15 minimum wage and Seattle restaurants or unemployment in 2015…

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How social media propaganda silences dissent

How social media propaganda silences dissent

The “spiral of silence” is a well-researched phenomenon in which people suppress unpopular opinions to fit in and avoid social isolation. It has been looked at in the context of social media and the echo-chamber effect, in which we tailor our opinions to fit the online activity of our Facebook and Twitter friends. Source: Mass surveillance silences minority opinions, according to study – The Washington Post Rather than increasing perspectives, social media naturally enforces a conformity in ideas, in order…

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Fake news is a profitable industry

Fake news is a profitable industry

TL;DR Summary Fake news is a profitable industry. More on that in a previous post. Fakes news that goes viral, generates lots of ad views; and it is not just The Onion. Social media sharing makes this possible. And makes propaganda sharing even easier. Fake news is, incidentally, a relatively new addition to the media landscape. The Internet’s always teemed with rumors and scams, of course. But the fake news industry — a crop of Web sites dedicated solely to…

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