<
https://freedium.cfd/https://readcultured.com/how-i-learned-to-see-through-propaganda-and-disinformation-f90f3fc3162f>
"In our current age of pervasive political disinformation, we all need to
develop skill in recognizing and decoding propaganda.
I spent three years in the PRC in the mid-1980s. Before I went there, I studied
Mandarin and symbolic politics as part of a doctoral program in cultural
anthropology. I wanted to understand how state propaganda works and could think
of no better place to see propaganda in action than China.
Before I describe some of what I learned about propaganda from the time I spent
in China and from research after, let me offer a brief reading of the image at
the head of this essay — a detail of a poster I picked up in a bookstore in
Changchun, Jilin Province in 1985.
The poster was designed as a colorful decoration for a wall in an elementary
school classroom or for display in a Chinese family home. It depicts three
founding fathers of the Chinese Communist Party and state, Mao Zedong in the
center, Zhou Enlai on the right, and Liu Shaoqi on the left.
At first pass, the message of the poster is obvious. Three paramount leaders of
China are surrounded by happy children in a festive scene. It's an image of
peace and prosperity and security. Everyone appears to be having a good time.
Leaders and children alike look happy, relaxed, and well-fed.
The image says:
Life in China is good because Uncle Mao, Uncle Zhou, and Uncle
Liu (and the Chinese Communist Party State) made it so. But this is just a
superficial reading revealing only the most obvious propaganda purpose of the
poster."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
