The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-01-03
A NEW FRONTIER

people and so familiar and acceptable
to them.
6. Card Stacking-the selection and
use of material in support of some
idea, person, or cause in a variety Of
mediums SO as to give the best or
worst possible case for the thing in
question. This device involves the
planting of material in other than the
ordinary mediums of propaganda, and
the invention of ruses and distractions
designed to obscure certain facts and
,highlight others.
z. Band Wagon-the attempt to con-
vince people that everybody is al
ready fayoring Cor rejecting) the per-
son or cause in question, and that
they should jump on the bandwagon.
1t is readily apparent that describ-
ing and defining the devices of propa-
ganda in this manner is not wholly
precise and inclusive Many of them
overlap, and there are many instances
of the use of propaganda that do not
fit neatly into any of the seven clas-
sifications But some recognizable
element of one or more of these de-
vices will be found in every example
of propaganda. l list them here
merely because they give us all the
practical leads necessary for our
study of this mysterious but all-im-
portant activity.
1t is obvious that | am easing into
this matter slowly and cautiously.
Some of you may already be saying
impatiently, Lets get into this and
expose some propaganda" That is
exactly why l am being poky. All
America is talking about propaganda
analysis now; there are good articles
in many leading magazines telling all
about it. If you are impatient, don't
wait for me. You will find many
brilliant hunter who will shoot you a
propaganda rabbit every week and
give fine lucid lecture as he cuts
it all up and roasts it brown for you.
You know what happens to new games
in America. They are all the rage for
awhile, and then they vanish forever
They certainly do not change anyone's
Now if we are not careful
VIC oiioii oCC III a oiiOlt WhllC q lCM !
parlor game with a board and chips |
and something to spin, and it will be
called Propaganda Analysis, and all of
us will go around for awhile exposing
each other, and prominent writer's will |
discuss the problems of the day in |
terms of Transfer and Glittering Cen
erality. That has already happened. |
The new game will even get on the |
radio and Jack Benny will belabor
Fred Allen by calling him a Testi-
monial. And when it's all over we
shall be no nearer freedom than we
were before.
Do you remember year or so ago
Stuart Chase and some others had us
al cabling about semantics? We
read books and articles; some of us
even busted off The Meaning of Mean
ng and had another go at it. The
lumblest spouter to women'S clubs
couldn't help mentioning that seman-
les was something awful important
md that we should all know about it.
apidly going where they all go. What
lid it teach us about ourselves? Not
learly as much as it should have.
I'm going to talk about propaganda
md give some good juicy illustrations,
because | want to wake people up to
he fact that propaganda is the stuff
heir chains are made Of But | shall
lot encourage the starting of a new
anne and have everybody whacking
he brush for somebody else's propa-