The Propaganda Game

Introduction

Every one of us is exposed to propaganda techniques every day. They're designed to persuade us to accept ideas, buy propositions and products, or spur action. Parents and teachers use them to guide behavior. Advertisers and media sell us stuff. Religious leaders use them to inspire (and fill collection plates) and, of course, politicians rely on propaganda to get elected and influence public opinion. We all use these techniques, even unconsciously, to win arguments, persuade, flirt, convince and coerce those around us. The Propaganda Game is designed to teach you how to recognize more than fifty different techniques so your responses to this daily onslaught will be more informed, alert and discriminating. Our database has thousands of examples from the aphorisms of the wise to the screechings of the scoundrels of history. No matter who you are, young, old, rich, poor, devoted or indifferent, no matter what your world view, playing this game will sharpen the mental tools needed to make sense of an increasingly complex world. We do not endorse any political, religious, or ideological viewpoint here at The Propaganda Game site - we seek only the manipulative mechanisms in all postures, and offer a magnifying glass to see them. It is one thing to know that you're being misled, it's another to know HOW you're being misled. We invite you to begin your journey into Propaganda by looking at very basic examples from various spheres in life shown below. Click Here to see the original introduction to the PROPAGANDA GAME from the authors: Robert W. Allen and Lorne Greene

Examples of Propaganda Techniques

(Hover over an image below and choose a category to see examples.)

RELATIONS

POLITICS

MEDIA

REFLECTION

In the next series of examples, you can try to predict the techniques being used from among several options. Swipe left to see our answers, and continue swiping left for more examples. Keep in mind that the suggested answers are just our opinions and that the purpose of this game is to explore and predict how others think and respond.

EXAMPLES

*Click Here to see all Sections & Techniques

Section: Self Deception

(1) Wishful Thinking (2) Inconceivability or (3) Rationalization
- Slide left to see technique used. -

Answer: (3) Rationalization

Explanation: If you didn't want the job in the first place, why did you apply in the first place? When we use the Rationalization Propaganda technique we cite reasons or causes that will justify action that really has less creditable grounds.

- Swipe left to see another example. -

Section: Language

(1) Ambiguity (2) Quotation out of Context or (3) Shift of Meaning
- Slide left to see technique used. -

Answer: (2) Quotation out of Context

Explanation: The newspaper reviewer conveniently neglected to leave out the film critics second sentence to elevate the movie in a favorable light. To take a quotation out of context is to distort the original meaning in context.

- Swipe left to see another example. -

Section: Irrelevance

(1) Status (2) Slogans or (3) Manner
- Slide left to see technique used. -

Answer: (1) Status

Explanation: If Michael Jackson likes I-phones, they have to be cool and good. Persons or objects for which we have a strong sentiment of respect or esteem -- or which at least possess some degree of fame or prestige -- are introduced into the argument as endorsing that which we are asked to buy or believe.

- Swipe left to see another example. -

Section: Exploitation

(1) Appeal to Pity (2) Practical Consequences or (3) Bargain Appeal
- Slide left to see technique used. -

Answer: (2) Practical Consequences

Explanation: Although it has been argued that this technique can be an effective means of motivation, it has also been argued that there are more healthy ways to produce a result. Nevertheless, in the Practical Consequences technique, an effort is made to persuade us to buy or believe by appealing to our concern for our own individual welfare.

- Swipe left to see another example. -

Section: Form

(1) Concurrency (2) Division or (3) Selected Instances
- Slide left to see technique used. -

Answer: (3) Selected Instances

Explanation: Is it possible that the town or area you live in simply does not have many or any Chinese people living there? In Selective Instances support is drawn for a position by choosing only those cases or instances which back it up and disregarding those cases or instances which either contradict or do not support the position.

- Swipe left to see another example. -

Section: Maneuver

(1) Inconsequent Argument (2) Begging the Question or (3) Diversion
- Slide left to see technique used. -

Answer: (3) Diversion

Explanation: The question was not about leadership or economic growth. It was specifically about public safety. To divert is to get off subject. With the original issue left unresolved, one of the disputants begins to talk of something which has no apparent evidential value for his thesis.

- Swipe left to see another example. -

Section: Self Deception

(1) Tabloid Thinking (2) Not Drawing the Line or (3) Inconceivability
- Slide left to see technique used. -

Answer: (2) Not Drawing the Line

Explanation: The line must be drawn somewhere. In Not Drawing the Line, existence of differences are denied just because the differences are small and therefore apparently unimportant.

- Swipe left to see another example. -

Section: Language

(1) Ambiguity (2) Vagueness or (3) Metaphor and Simile
- Slide left to see technique used. -

Answer: (1) Ambiguity

Explanation: One cannot tell whether the cake eater liked or disliked the cake from his expression. A word or phrase is ambiguous if in the mind of a hearer or reader it has two or more quite different meanings and the interpreter is uncertain as to which was really meant.

- Swipe left to see another example. -

Section: Irrelevance

(1) Slogans (2) Appearance or (3) Repetition
- Slide left to see technique used. -

Answer: (3) Repetition

Explanation: One Sale sign would have been sufficient outside this establishment. The Repetition Propaganda technique is used in advertising frequently. We buy or believe because we have heard or seen the idea or product name so often.

- Swipe left to see another example. -

Section: Exploitation

(1) Appeal to Ridicule (2) Practical Consequences or (3) Appeal to Prejudice
- Slide left to see technique used. -

Answer: (3) Appeal to Prejudice

Explanation: The assertion is that students who don't do their homework every night don't want to succeed in life. This is bad reasoning. Perhaps the student is sick one night, tired, or didn't understand the particular lesson. An Appeal to Prejudice attempts to persuade us to act or feel in a certain way by associating a person, product, or proposal with a certain one or more of your prejudices, positive or negative - a prejudgement wrapped in emotion or having a history.

- Swipe left to see another example. -

Section: Form

(1) Concurrency (2) Division or (3) Faulty Analogy
- Slide left to see technique used. -

Answer: (2) Division

Explanation: Simply because women in the U.S. make less than men, doesn't mean your mother necessarily makes less than your father. When the Division Propaganda technique is used, we reason as if the properties of any whole are always properties of each part.

- Swipe left to see another example. -

Section: Maneuver

(1) Leading Question (2) Complex Question or (3) Disproving a Minor Point
- Slide left to see technique used. -

Answer: (1) Leading Question

Explanation: This question implies that the white car was at fault, and the word "smashed" implies a high speed. A leading question is one which (1) dictates or suggests an answer or (2) one which incriminates the answerer (or places him in an undesirable position) no matter how he answers.

- This concludes the example slides. -

Explore the Rabbit Hole

Now that you have some familiarity with the techniques, it is time to see just how far down the rabbit hole goes. Click the image below to play either the Classic version of The Propaganda Game or the Single Player version which consists of over 3,000 examples in which you can choose your match based on customizable categories and spheres of life such as Politics, Media, Relations, and Reflections.

Take The Red Pill