(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Interesting book about propaganda [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-03-20
bookshop.org/…
A Ukrainian writer traces the life and propaganda activities of Sefton Delmer, a British propagandist in WW2. There are lessons for today.
I won’t describe Delmer’s life because nobody would believe me. He knew Germany well.
The British propaganda machine tried more than one approach but Delmer reached millions with a profane, pornographic, and pro-Hitler show. Yes, pro-Hitler, by the British. Delmer realized the Hitler cult was unchangeable and he concentrated on driving a wedge between the German people and the Nazi bureaucrats. British intelligence gave him some inside baseball information so that his listeners thought the show’s character, “Der Chef”, must be in the Nazi government.
Of course the cover got blown on that one, so he switched to a nice-nice show congratulating officers on upcoming promotions. Plus the occasional malicious lie, like addressing one unit by name and playing a cheerful song and telling them all was not lost even though they were surrounded. “A truth that’s told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent” — the station played a new-baby song and congratulated a U-boat commander whose wife had given birth. He had not been home for two years.
Delmer’s particular set of tactics is useless to people with ethics. But the writer talked about usable lessons from Ukrainian efforts to reach Russian citizens. Appeals to morality got nowhere. Attempts at appealing to patriotism by talking about mistreatment of veterans were only slightly better. What worked best was connection to self-interest, like talking about war taxes.
The best part of the book for understanding our world is its list of ingredients of propaganda. First and key, it’s about creating a sense of belonging for lost people. Other ingredients are making the audience feel special, and surrounded by enemies that only The Leader can protect them from. And, as we’ve seen, projection: blaming the targets of persecution for having all the faults the oppressors have.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/20/2311580/-Interesting-book-about-propaganda?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
