QOTD ((Question(s) Of The Day))
Does putting propoganda in a cartoon form affect how well the message gets across?
Can you take it as seriously?
The internet is full of spoofs and parodies, here is one mocking exactly what we are discussing.
It is fairly obvious what this is getting at. The poster of this poster is clearly showing the fact that they think Christians who make these posters are being absurdly over dramatic, by likening pre marital sex to the systematic holocaust of an entire nation. I think.
Anyhoo, Let's begin the serious stuff with a lovely little colouring book complete with friendly Haiku...
... instructing impressionable little children to 'colour' in their intolerance to other religions. However there would be far more children to blatantly brainwash if the (somewhat disturbing) next poster is to be taken seriously...
... Seems legit. Pretty horrifying to think this was an actual mass produced handout but I guess shock tactics are one way of getting your word across. Having said that when it comes to any propoganda of any kind, it is obviously to grab attention so shock tactics would naturally be a running theme. Some do take it a smiiiidge too far though and teeter on the edge of disturbing and mentally scarring me for life *rocks back and forth in a corner somewhere*... cannot be unseen o.O ...
However, not all of them ARE this absurdly graphic or extreme as above- some are friendly enough. This one for instance makes me want to just let my hair down, chill out and watch Passion of the Christ with a few good friends
I bet my dad wishes he was as 'down with the kids' as Jesus in this poster. Some gnarly boarding there. Like Tony Hawk. And there ends the entirety of my skateboarding knowledge lol
So yeah, please let me know your thoughts on the blog and the focus question at the top
P.S none of the above is a slight against christianity, there are morons in all walks of life :)
Woah, the message in that colouring book is crazy. I think you're right, messages like that, with the target audience being children who are naturally more impressionable can have an ill effect and make them internalise intolerance. I think such propoganda may have started off seriously, but nowadays people generally take the p*** over the exaggeration. Take the abortion pic for example, that may have been used as part of a serious anti-abortion campaign, but I can also see it being used for pro-choice campaigns as satire...we know abortion isn't really like that so I don't think it can be taken seriously...(joins you in that dark room, rocking back and forth...);)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Haleema.
DeleteI agree to a certain extent. I do think that in the past in places where such thinking was more mainstream, obvious brainwashing propaganda was taken more seriously but I don't think the idea that it still might happen in one way or another is so ludicrous. Sure, in the age of information we're all a lot less likely to believe things so obvious but is media brainwashing very much different? I don't believe so.