pudge's Journal: Propaganda

So there's some anti-Gore video on YouTube that makes fun of Gore and global warming.

So there's an article about it.

So the article reads:

Mr. Wertheimer thinks videos like the Gore spoof, whose sponsorhip is vague, can be disingenuous. "They're coming in under false pretenses -- under the guise of being a clever video you might be interested in," he says.

The article doesn't explain how the "sponsorship" of the video has anything to do with whether it might be a clever video you might be interested in.

The article goes on:

Nancy Snow, a communications professor at California State University, Fullerton, viewed the penguin video and calls it a lesson in "Propaganda 101." It contains no factual information, but presents a highly negative image of the former vice president, she says. The purpose of such images is to harden the views of those who already view Mr. Gore negatively, Dr. Snow says.

Which, of course, makes it not significantly different from the Gore movie itself ... (yes, Gore has some factual information, but so does the video, and both cherry-pick the facts that support them, in order to paint a highly negative view of things they don't like, in order to harden the views of those who already agree)

Mr. Antonio Regalado and Ms. Dionne Searcey . . .

[GMontag]

Antonio Regalado and Dionne Searcey, are you or have you ever been reporters for TNR [tnr.com] ?

Antonio Regalado and Dionne Searcey, are you or have you ever been opinion writers for The Examiner [examiner.com] ?

Propaganda 401

[Timex]

The best propaganda has just enough truth to make it believable, but the rest of it is the Lie that one wants the other to believe. This belief needn't be long-term, either; often, it needs to be believable just long enough for the other person to do something in particular.

A great example would be Michael Moore's work. (Is it Tuesday yet?) His films contain just enough "truth" to make people believe his point, but because most of his "truth" is incomplete, it paints the picture he wants people to see. I