Propaganda

Roger, the wealthy and the powerful are seldom moved by unpalatable truths which stare them in the face -- they simply turn the page and look at shampoo ads or whatever.
 
payasam said:
Roger, the wealthy and the powerful are seldom moved by unpalatable truths which stare them in the face -- they simply turn the page and look at shampoo ads or whatever.
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Lamentably true.

But if enough people care, it is possible to get the attention of even the rich and powerful.

Besides, what's the alternative to trying? Empty hedonism? Pretty pictures? The internet as a substitute for photography?

Cheers,

R.
 
Not just in photography, Roger, but also in my writing, I am guided by the knowledge that staying quiet is simply not an option. If you feel strongly about something, you don't keep your mouth shut because you can't.
 
Saying what you think is not propaganda, payasam. It can be complaining at most but far of propaganda. Propaganda is something that erode the public

Edit: Also propaganda influence the public thoghts and make them do things they usually not do
 
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Hi Roger!

I travel a lot in Africa. I try to take photographs of the people and show how they live, in order to create a bit of understanding for that underrated continent. There is enough miserable news coming out of there, but that is not the whole story.

malawi_66692.jpg




buisiness1.jpg





township-1.jpg




kids-1.jpg
 
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Lazar, anyone who does not like what I have to say can dismiss it as "propaganda", using that word as a term of abuse.

Good pictures, Jaap. I see in them the fact that childhood is universal. Everywhere, there are both good and bad things; and both need to be publicised -- at different times, for different reasons.
 
furcafe said:
Reminds me of Chris Rock's swipe @ the Republican stance on illegal immigration during their convention in San Diego in '96.
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I recall Chris Rock said something like: "if this land was our land then this city wouldn't be called San Diego, it would be called Gus Johnson." Still cracks me up.:p
 
payasam said:
Lazar, anyone who does not like what I have to say can dismiss it as "propaganda", using that word as a term of abuse.

Good pictures, Jaap. I see in them the fact that childhood is universal. Everywhere, there are both good and bad things; and both need to be publicised -- at different times, for different reasons.
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Thank you
These pictures were taken (except for the egg seller, which was a local market) in the poorest slums of Lilongwe...
 
One academic view of propaganda is given by Noam Chomsky and Edwards S Herman:

"The 20th century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy."[

The Wikipedia article I got that quotation from has a lot of interesting comments about art and propaganda. Not that propaganda is a new term - I believe the Vatican established the powerful Sacred Congregation of Propaganda or something like it in the 16th century. Earlier the Roman Empire was pretty good at it too, often in stone. Roman buildings speak powerfully about strength and permanence. These days we rely on much more ephemeral images.

Regards
John

 
Both John and Richard have illustrated well the highly regional and time-related values attached to the word. Perhaps we can hope that as Hitler died some time ago, the alarmist connotations whipped up since the 1930s may die away in the USA as they have died away in most of the rest of the world.

After all, what other words do you use? 'PR' and 'Spin' arguably have significantly worse connotations than 'propaganda' to the average English-speaker (as distinct from American-speaker) and probably indeed Basque-speaker. Another possibility is 'advocacy' but this really does seem a bit unnecessary. Any offers from speakers of different English dialects here?

Cheers.

R.
 
Dogma - for some, a pejorative. It is actually used as an insult. Its true meaning is very different. Same for propaganda, dictator, etc.
 
I fear that dogma is one of those words that has taken on a pejorative meaning through ignorance. A bit like "quantum". If you ask the chap on top of the Clapham Omnibus the meaning of the phrase "quantum leap" he will most likely express it as a huge step, or similar.

Of course these days he may also describe it as an old tv series his parents used to watch...

Regards,

Bill
 
jmbagnall said:
One academic view of propaganda is given by Noam Chomsky and Edwards S Herman:

"... the Vatican established the powerful Sacred Congregation of Propaganda or something like it in the 16th century. Earlier the Roman Empire was pretty good at it too, often in stone. Roman buildings speak powerfully about strength and permanence. These days we rely on much more ephemeral images.

Regards
John
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I would agree with John, and as a teacher of critical thinking in the guise of statistics use the Vatican history when discussing how one interprets data, in this case, of course, we are referencing visual data. When viewing images we can then extend the definition and view propaganda as taking on a much broader meaning, and referring to any technique, whether in writing, speech, music, film or other means, that attempts to influence mass public opinion. I guess I would side with your wife in that it appears, at least from the feedback here, that we Yanks have a more negative connotation of the term.

Respectfully,

Jeff

 
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