'Rosie the Riveter'

Christina Berthaud

October 13, 2010

10:30 Class

English Composition

            People may not realize but propaganda surrounds them. Propaganda may be an advertisement, a promotion or just something spread by word of mouth. Whether it be subtle or straight forward.  The goal of propaganda is to convince you to buy something, or convince you to feel or think a specific kind of way.

            Propaganda was especially used in times of war. During the world wars there were many posters with subliminal messages. These posters and flyers were used in order to get the people of the nation to feel a specific way: against the other powers. During the wars, there were plenty of posters to encourage young men to join the cause and fight for their nation. There were also posters to encourage women, who couldn’t go to war, to work and support the troops [Rosie the Riveter].

            In the video from the New York Public Library discussing propaganda, ‘historic trauma’ was mentioned as a cause for propaganda. Historic trauma has close and strong relations to propaganda. Historic trauma is when something negative occurs and people turn to a scapegoat or someone to blame but propaganda provides the answer. For example, if you rewind through history just prior to World War II, you can of course see the propaganda on both sides: the allies and axis powers. And associated with World War II is the power and reign of terror of Adolf Hitler. What people fail to remember is that Adolf Hitler was ELECTED by the people of Germany. You would wonder, why would the people elect such a terrible person to run their country? But Adolf Hitler was the ANSWER to the trauma of that time.

            At this time in history everyone was experiencing a depression. Not just in the United States but all over the world. The Europeans were struggling just as much as the Americans at this point in time. When Hitler would speak, he spoke with power and assurance. He was telling the people of Germany all the things he could do for them. Because they had already hit rock bottom there was nowhere else to go but to have faith in a person who was saying EXACTLY what you wanted to hear and gave them someone to blame for their financial problems, the Jews. This was propaganda [convincing the people].

            A functional myth brings about propaganda as well. A functional myth is a story used to explain the historic trauma or explains why something happened, but yet can be questioned. It’s called ‘functional’ because it works. Whether the story is true or fabricated, it works, because there is no proof that these things happened or nobody will question the authenticity. For example, religion can be deemed a functional myth. Religion is something that can be debated or cause people to double think. [To double think is to the power to hold two contradictory thoughts but yet believe them both.] Religion is considered a functional myth because it can be questioned, but many people dare not question the word of GOD. The stories of the Bible are questioned but may not be proved because there isn’t anyone to confirm the series of events.  

            Propaganda is a part of everyone’s reality. It has always been around for years, through history, and I am sure will continue to make its way through advertisements and all forms of media accessible to man. The media paints a picture of what things are or how they should be. [‘Seeing is believing.’] Propaganda disregards what we hear, or know to be true. It may also send off false claims also making it appealing.  It is like a template of how one should be, look, believe or live.