This was something I wrote in August 2018, but didn’t post until now (Jan 2019):
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I recently had the privilege of seeing a special exhibit at the de Young museum in San Francisco called “Weapons of Mass Seduction:  The Art of Propaganda.”  The exhibit overview says “…prior to the internet age, the mechanics of shaping public opinion by spreading information and ideas was more regulated, hierarchical, and specialized.”

The exhibit primarily examined the propaganda by the Allies and Axis forces during WWII.

I had never heard of the Institute for Propaganda Analysis (IPA).  This US government agency existed from 1937 to 1942 “…because of the general concern that increased amounts of propaganda were decreasing the public’s ability to think critically. The IPA’s purpose was to spark rational thinking and provide a guide to help the public have well-informed discussions on current issues. “To teach people how to think rather than what to think.” The IPA focused on domestic propaganda issues that might become possible threats to the democratic ways of life.”

The IPA examined how propaganda worked and how to combat its misinformation (fake news).  The IPA published flyers and bulletins to inform the public.  One startling quote from the IPA was shown on the wall of the exhibit:

“(The propagandist) uses under-emphasis and over-emphasis to dodge issues and evade facts.  He resorts to lies, censorship, and distortion.  He omits facts.  He offers false testimony…He creates a smoke screen of clamor by raising a new issue when he wants an embarrassing matter forgotten.  He draws a red herring across the trail to confuse and divert those in quest of facts he does not want revealed.  He makes the unreal appear real and the real appear unreal…He lets half-truth masquerade as truth.  By Card Stacking device, a mediocre candidate, through the “build up,” is made to appear an intellectual titan.”

When I read this quote, I not only stopped in my tracks, but went into an existential liminal state.  This was written over 80 years ago—yet it could have been written yesterday.  Have deception and fake news always been part of the human condition?

But my mental quandary didn’t pause at the current relevance of the quote, but went on to ponder “What is true?  What is fake?”  And these questions pushed me into a dilemma that continues—how do I know what is real news?  Facts?

Fortunately, the IPA published a pamphlet in 1938 titled “Propaganda:  How to Recognize it and Deal with it.”  But, in reading through that pamphlet, I found that “propaganda” is relative—that is, we apply the term to a swaying of beliefs that we disagree with—yet we would never use the word to describe attempts to persuade others to adopt beliefs of which we strongly approve.

What is a liberal progressive religious person to do?

The IPA pamphlet was written for students in Junior and High School.  It offered advice on how young people need to survive in the modern world of 1938:

“The effect of propaganda on an uncritical audience jeopardizes democracy in that it opens the way to fascist demagogue.  Propagandists use the misleading tricks they do because they know these tricks will work.  They would not work if people were educated to challenge and to question—to make distinctions between propaganda and evidence, between propaganda and authority, between propaganda and end results.  To do this it is important that girls and boys should know that the propaganda devices depend upon imprecise speech and lack of evidence.”

That was good advice then—and I believe good advice now.  Challenge what you hear, read, and see.  What is the source? Is the source reputable?  Does the claim make sense?  What is the underlying purpose of the statement? Pay attention to what is happening.

I’d add to that advice that we need to see how the published information fits with our Unitarian Universalist Principles.  Is it inclusive?  Is it respectful?  Does it take the bigger picture into account?  Does it harm anyone?

It’s a complicated world—both 80 years ago and today.  The path forward to a better world still depends on the actions of compassionate people doing the best they can to distinguish between hate and love, between fear and hope, between truth and propaganda.  Hope you’re having a good summer…………….peace……….Russ