Propaganda usually gives only one side of the argument while belittling all counter-arguments or ignoring them altogether. For it to work, one of the common tricks is to repeat it and repeat it. Governments, backed by a virtual monopoly of the mainstream media, often are able to do so.
McCarthyism, the witch-hunting for Communist sympathizers in the United States in the 1950s, is a good example. The worst example belongs to the propaganda machines run by Nazi Germany, without which a systematic massacre of millions of Jews would not have been possible. The Nazis gave "propaganda" a bad name. Noam Chomsky, I think it was Chomsky, said something to the effect that the Nazis gave "propaganda" such a bad name that after the Second World War, propaganda in the United States began to take a new name, and that is PR, public relations.
We in this country have no doubt suffered our fair share of propaganda over the years. One thing I fondly recall of the Cultural Revolution - yeah, time heals, you know - is a piece of propaganda that constantly urged people to approach life with this attitude: "Always bear in mind that more than two-thirds of the world's population are still suffering in poverty and misery…." A lot of people believed it at the time, I believe. At least it appeared so. I conjecture that some people even chose to believe it for the dubious little comfort that might be in it. You see, when you were as poor and miserable as we were, you just might be pervert enough to wish others bad (or worse in this case - worse off than we were) and believe it.
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