Propaganda

Information is important in our lives. People around the world find themselves affected every day by the information that they receive from different media. Information passing to the general public through the media has so much power and can influence everyone in different ways. However, information can be true or false. Propaganda is a form of information, and it has been around for years. According to the Longman dictionary, propaganda is defined as “information which is false or which emphasizes just one part of a situation. It is often used by a government or other group to make people agree with them.” The purpose behind propaganda is to influence people's beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. Propaganda usually has a negative meaning according to the definition, and it is often used as a political, economic or social means to influence people's attitudes.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/syrian-rebels-force-isis-captives-6973430

           As an illustration, the video, Blindsided, How ISIS Shook the World, (ISIS: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) encourages their martyrs to murder people from countries whose policy they do not agree with using Islamic religion as a means to propagate their propaganda. Their purpose is to impose Islamic law on the entire world. Islam is not just about Jihad; however, ISIS concentrates on Jihad, which is not the only thing that Islam as a religion supports. ISIS shook the world with the videos that they share on the internet. This kind of propaganda has a negative effect on little kids, teenagers or even adults. ISIS makes use of propaganda around the world by sharing their ideas through different media, especially the internet. The propaganda they transmit has a deep impact on the general public and not just on people in the Islamic state. The audiences are now everywhere. 

http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/color-photos-from-nazi-germany/

Another example, during World War II, Hitler employed propaganda against the Jews. It supported negative stereotypes of the Jews and made of them scapegoats for the economic crisis in Germany. Hitler basically brainwashed the other German people, so they felt powerless to help the Jews. Propaganda is always aimed at a specific audience with the purpose of motivating or encouraging them to take part in the movement. Therefore, Hitler’s propaganda was aimed at the non-Jewish Germans. He wanted them either to do nothing when he controlled the Jews or to act against the Jews themselves. They could not refuse his policy or else they will be killed. The main point behind Hitler’s speeches was to further an agenda. His speeches were pointed exactly on what people wanted to hear. In other words, he brainwashed them, and it affected them because they were blinded by their leader. They supported his political ideas. In the 40’s, Hitler used radio and also spoke in front of large audiences to convince them of his message.   

Propaganda plays an important role in our lives. It affects us as a public in many ways which shapes our beliefs, identities and values. Also, it is so powerful because everyone is so susceptible to the influences of propaganda. People living their lives in a very rushed way. Therefore, they do not have the time during the day or the energy to process information.

For example, in politics here in the U.S. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton who are running against each other in the presidential election are creating a lot of propaganda. Those two are trying to convince the citizens of their political positions. Their conflicting political platforms has created a media storm. They ‘sell’ themselves to the public and promise so many things to get more people to support their agenda. So, if people thought until now that Clinton is the suitable candidate for the upcoming election, on the next day Trump can come with a good speech about how he is going to change the world and sway my mind easily. Candidates can change the public’s thoughts and attitudes about them.

In my own life, propaganda affects me as a Jew on social media. Whenever I open Facebook or YouTube, I am reading about ISIS and watching their terrible videos. I feel so sorry for people who are surrounded by ISIS. It affects my beliefs and values as a Jew because in my religion killing people is wrong. ISIS believes in religious intolerance, so if people refuse to take part of what ISIS believes they will be killed.

http://www.slideshare.net/LeislJohnson/propaganda-18559916

Hey,

My name is Yamit Vodavoz. I am 24 years old and I was born in Israel. I transfered from Upper Iowa University and this is my second semester at Reinhardt University. I am majoring in Communication. I'm currently a Sophomore and i'm on the tennis team at Reinhardt. I like Georgia better then Iowa, the weather here is similar to Israel. English is my second language and i'm very interested in studying new languages. My goal for the next three years is to be fluent and speak five different languages. Right now I can speak  Hebrew, English and Spanish. I grew up in a small town, Zlafon (which is close to Jerusalem). I have three brothers, one older than me and two younger. Daniel, 26 years old, is studying Urban Geography at the Hebrew University Of Jerusalem, and is supposed to graduate this year. Uri, 20 years old, has served in the army one year and has one year left. Nir, 17 years old, is a high School student. My whole family plays tennis. My Dad is our coach and we  all practice in our own court at the house almost everyday. I have three dogs. My other favorite sports are Volleyball and soccer.

Serving in the military in my country is mandatory. Girls serve for two years and boys for three. Before coming here to the U.S. I served for two years at the Israeli Air Force and my job required the use of computers. I can't imagine doing my job or even living my daily life without technology. I always planned to study in the U.S. after giving back to my country, as it was very important to me. Now that I'm here technology helps me to still be aware of what is happening back home.