Michigan League of Academic Games

Propaganda
By Jimmy Mathis

Section A is called Techniques Of Self Deception. The person who uses these techniques might be described as a speaker who is "only fooling himself". Below is a list of techniques with a brief description of each.
0. NO TECHNIQUE: The statement is not propaganda
1. PREJUDICE: personal prejudices, biases, and bigotry, either "for' of "against" something, or someone.
2. ACADEMIC DETACHMENT: This person can't make a decision so they find a way not to.
3. DRAWING THE LINE: This person offers only 2 choices
4. NOT DRAWING THE LINE: This person never has enough and wants to go one step further.
5. CONSERVATISM / MODERATISM / RADICALISM: Conservatives wants things to stay as they have always been
Radicals want things to change just because they feel its time for change.
Moderates are the peace makers of the two they compromise
6. RATIONALIZATION: This person makes excuses for events, which have already happened
7. WISHFUL THINKING: The dreamer who speculates about what is going to happen
8. TABLOID THINKING: This person puts people and things into stereotypical roles
The tabloid thinker is often guilty of oversimplifying. They explain complex issues in a nutshell.
example: It's easy to stop violence in our schools. All we need to do is play love songs on the PA system
9. CAUSAL OVERSIMPLIFICATION: This person oversimplifies the causes of past events.
example: The Revolutionary war was caused by the Boston Tea Party
10. INCONCEIVABILITY: They refuse to believe or can't accept the truth of an argument or statement.

A WORD OF CAUTION: Where many propaganda players have their problems is in the recognition of "no technique. You must realize that if the speaker has sound" reasoning behind his/her argument, then the correct answer would be "0", no technique.
example: I studied for two weeks for this test, I ought to do well.
An opinion... prefixed with such statements as "I think" should never be viewed as propaganda because the speaker is admitting that this is only his/her opinion, and, in order to be propaganda, they try to advance their statements as undeniable fact. Now, if you have a case wherein the speaker begins, or states "I think" and then offers justification for that opinion with a technique of propaganda from section "A" self-deception], and the section called was, in fact, "A", better tread softly, you're on dangerous ground, but If the author knows his/her propaganda, it WILL be a technique from
example: I think he'll be a good governor because he's from South Louisiana. (l prejudice.)
example: I think we should go to the movies tonight. I hear the movie "Rocky 45" is a gas!"
Clearly no technique, as no justification is offered for the opinion. Simply an opinion followed by a statement

Last month's Propaganda Primer