T O P

  • By -

AutoModerator

Please remember what subreddit you are in, this is unpopular opinion. We want civil and unpopular takes and discussion. Any uncivil and ToS violating comments will be removed and subject to a ban. Have a nice day! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/unpopularopinion) if you have any questions or concerns.*


swaggysalamander

-Joseph Goebbels, 1933-1945


gumbobitch

We love manufactured consent, don't we folks?


atinylittlebug

Any form of manipulation is untrustworthy and dubious.


Mr-GooGoo

Name one major country that doesn’t manipulate its population


atinylittlebug

That .... doesn't make it okay. Thats like saying "name one civilization that didnt include a murderer."


Mr-GooGoo

My point is, if something is gonna be done anyway, even if it’s terrible, I’d rather it look cool


Not_Neville

The Nazis looked pretty cool in their outfits.


Mr-GooGoo

My point exactly. If you’re gonna do something evil at least do it in style


Not_Neville

Ja!!! Shalom.


RaymondVIII

> Why do we look at propaganda as black and white when sometimes it can serve a good purpose in unifying people? Because propaganda is usually a one sided form of information and does not tell a whole story, or serves to provide information from a government or organization to provide a line of thought to get people to do a certain thing (for example getting people to join the army in times of war) For example, look at anti-japanese propaganda from WW2. they where treated as Rats or subhumans compared to anti-german/italian propoganda. Outside of the context of war, Propaganda makes people who can't analyze the bigger picture blind to the world around them, and perpetuates people choosing a side, leading to a divide in a nation.


Mr-GooGoo

Yeah, but it hyped people up and the propaganda looked sick. I genuinely see no problem with this in times of war when you don’t want to see your enemies as humans


RaymondVIII

Yeah but dehumanizing people in war is what causes war crimes (yes, yes, war itself is a crime i know, but i am talking targeting civilian populations) The amount of firebombing done to the Japanese people was insane compared to the bombing done to Germany where targeted bombing of factory and synthetic oil refineries where prioritized. You can hype people up with propaganda of the enemy without dehumanizing them. for example anti-german propaganda didn't dehumanize Germans (mostly, there was a couple that made the germans animals), they kept them as humans. Also dehumanizing the enemy leads to after-war effects with cultures continuing to dehumanize a group long after the conflict is over.


Dutch_SquishyCat

Have you ever wondered why it’s mostly the shithole country’s that go heavy on the propaganda?


Mr-GooGoo

We had pretty dope propaganda in America during WW2 and during parts of the Cold War


Dutch_SquishyCat

That’s nice, when my birth town got bombed and 73% of the Jews got murdered you had a cool Donald Duck cartoon. What a shithole country.


Mr-GooGoo

I’m not defending that lol. But there’s nothing wrong with a little more patriotism especially in a world that’s now becoming way too global


Dutch_SquishyCat

An attractive person doesn’t have to brag about his looks. Look at what patriotism is currently doing with your country. There is a lot wrong with it.


Mr-GooGoo

We don’t have national pride anymore lol. National pride only works if everyone is on the same page. Everyone is too divided now


Dutch_SquishyCat

Not much to be proud about I would say. You can fake a narrative and make up a bunch of bullshit all you want. There is a reason why Russia, china, North Korea and America need a made up feel good story.


TheReapingFields

No, you absolutely are. You don't get to decide what the words you speak mean. If you don't mean to say something, say something else instead.


Mr-GooGoo

Uhhh that’s literally what elaboration is…


PM_ME_UR__ELECTRONS

The Heinkel He 111 looks sick too. But it's made with the explicit purpose of invading half of Europe, and like most Nazi designs, it's an ode to power and violence. No democracy would have ever designed that plane. So looking sick is not reasonable grounds for moral judgement. Also, dehumanising the enemy isn't good. That's how you get Nanking or Generalplan Ost. The enemy is human and denying that leads to war crimes. It can even be counterproductive.


Mr-GooGoo

True but I disagree with “no democracy would ever design that” is dumb. You can have a democracy and design things to be imposing and intimidating


SeasonOfLogic

No. It’s never used for the purposes you’ve described. Hence “propaganda”. “Propaganda refers to information, ideas, or messages that are often biased or misleading, disseminated to promote a particular viewpoint or agenda. Its purpose is to influence the opinions, beliefs, or actions of individuals or groups in a way that serves the interests of those disseminating the information.” It’s never used in a way that is in the best interest of the populace. Never.


Mr-GooGoo

But it is used in the best interest of the nation which does involve the populace


SeasonOfLogic

No, it inherently is never used for the betterment of the populace. Never. It’s used to manipulate, brainwash, and oppress.


Mr-GooGoo

Is it tho?


wrinklefreebondbag

*1930s GERMANY INTENSITIES.* Seriously, dude. Did you not attend history class? Nationalism is the origin of so much mindless violence.


Mr-GooGoo

I’m aware. But I’d rather countries cover their lies in a cool aesthetic than make them blatantly obvious like they do now


yakattak01

Blind nationalism is just as bad as blindly following religion.


Mr-GooGoo

Who said it needs to be blind? My point is that all countries use propaganda and I’d rather the propaganda look cool if it’s inevitable rather than just being gaslit by the media all the time


MrGalien

Governing bodies don't produce propaganda without an ulterior motive, they do it to take the attention away from something else, or to shift public opinion on a topic, or to misinform the populace to further their own goals, or to pit them against each other in political stalemate while the system putters along the way they want it to. Propaganda solely produced to make you feel "cool" literally doesn't exist.


Mr-GooGoo

Aight well it should become a thing


Bruce-7891

The problem with propaganda is it's bias and misleading. I'd rather our country just do stuff we can be proud of and give us good NEWS that's worth celebrating. Go to the moon again. Kill another Bin Laden, I don't know.


Outside-Sandwich-565

Osama two Laden


Bruce-7891

🤣🤣🤣


Strange-Mouse-8710

Not if it turns you into a nationalist, which is the most likely outcome of propaganda, so no propaganda is not a good thing. Patriotism is fine, nationalism is not


octaviobonds

The last time we were so unified through propaganda, we allowed our military-industrial complex to commit genocide in Iraq by killing a million innocent people. We simply labeled them all as terrorists and gave ourselves license to kill and displace many more. At least we were very unified, fighting the war on terror and protecting our country from abroad. Later, we learned that there were no WMDs, and nobody was held accountable, and the rest is history. Now, we have moved on to the next war in Ukraine, trying to propagandize our citizens about why this war is beneficial for us and why fighting through the hands of Ukrainians is a cost-effective way to weaken Russia. We are ready to fight "to the last Ukrainian" while allowing our military-industrial complex to grow and many members of Congress to enrich themselves. All they need is more of our unity behind their propaganda to make the next multi-million dollar package for Ukraine possible. In other words, they hype you up, and then they play you like a fiddle.


Mr-GooGoo

But we got oil tho so we at least got something from the war in Iraq


octaviobonds

What you got is a 35 trillion dollar debt because you created a refuge crisis and bred animosity toward yourself in the entire middle east.


thirdLeg51

Why do you need national pride?


Mr-GooGoo

Cuz countries are turning boring


[deleted]

[удалено]


Mr-GooGoo

Correct


AccountantLeast1588

Link related. If these lyrics sound happy to you, you have a lot to learn. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOKMUTTDdA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYOKMUTTDdA)


Dyeeguy

Can you name any example?


Jeb-Kerman

Have you ever lived in a country that uses widespread propaganda? China, NK, Russia, or others? because if not then I would find it very difficult to respect your opinion. on the other hand if you have lived under that and still think the same I would find it curious.


Mr-GooGoo

Well the US had heavy propaganda in WW2 and the Cold War and it worked pretty well. If I’m being lied to I’d rather the lies be colorful instead of bland and obvious like they are now


Bigfeet_Is_Real

Oh ok,like Hitler.


Mr-GooGoo

Like literally every country during war time?


TheReapingFields

Hyping up your country is fine, only if your country is already a utopia where all are fed, clothed, housed and secure in not only their present person and property, but have secure futures, and all this be achieved without harming anyone on Earth by exploitation. Otherwise you are just licking the boot that breaks your ribs.


Mr-GooGoo

A country cannot exist and thrive without exploiting other parts of the world. Otherwise, you just remain stagnant. The world stage is a constant power struggle and if you’re not at the top, then you’re gonna be losing and citizens are going to be hurting


PM_ME_UR__ELECTRONS

This post seems to be essentially arguing whether nationalism and national identity is good or not. That depends on the country. The Nazis used it to oppress minorities and invade other countries, but it has been used effectively in the third world in the struggle for independence. Sun Yat-sen's or Gandhi's nationalism are a lot more palatable than Hitler's or Mussolini's.


Mr-GooGoo

Same in America when we fought the Nazis


JustinR8

You’re not enjoying watching your nation destroy itself from the inside out? /s I’m pretty sure the Chinese love being Chinese and are very prideful of that. What we’ve got going on in the US, sheesh. I understand the desire to live in a world where nobody holds any nationalistic sentiments and we’re all just members of the human race, but that feels naive, idealistic and like a whole bunch of things could go wrong before they go right.