Persuasion, Propaganda, and Logical Fallacies

1. Persuasion, Propaganda, and Logical Fallacies

2. 1. Propaganda and Persuasion • PERSUASION is an attempt to convince your audience to agree with you. • PROPAGANDA is the application of particular techniques, tricks, and manipulations used to persuade an audience.

3. Types of Persuasion/Propaganda:2. NAME CALLING • Giving an idea or person a bad label, thereby condemning it without actual evidence • Examples: extremist, liberal, right wing, dirty hippie, maniac

4. Types of Persuasion/Propaganda:3. LOADED TERMS • Associating something with a word with a strong connotation, thereby making the audience like or dislike something without evidence to support it • Examples: “freedom,” “war,” “peace,” “justice,” “strength,” “perfection,” “oppression”

5. Types of Persuasion/Propaganda:4. TESTIMONIAL • Having a famous or well-liked person promote you • Examples: any time celebrities are in commercials to promote a product, or when celebrities speak in favor of a political candidate

6. Types of Persuasion/Propaganda:5. CARD STACKING • Using selective facts that only show one side of the story • Example: when politicians’ ads tell only the bad things their opponent has done; when movie ads use only the good parts of the critics’ comments

7. Types of Persuasion/Propaganda:6. BAND WAGON • Convince the audience that “everyone is doing it” and you will be left out if you don’t • Example: a commercial for alcohol that shows a huge group of young, “cool” people at a party all drinking that beverage; when a movie promotion says how many people have gone to see it already

8. Types of Persuasion/Propaganda:7. EMOTIONAL APPEAL • Playing on people’s fears, guilt, anger, pride, etc. in order to influence them • Example: “Choosy moms choose Jiff.”

9. Types of Persuasion/Propaganda:8. SEX APPEAL • Making it seem like you will be more attractive if you do what they want • Example: The Axe body spray commercials in which the dorky guy uses Axe, and suddenly beautiful women surround him

10. 9. LOGICAL FALLACIES • LOGICAL FALLACIES are tactics used to argue a point that are not logically sound.

11. Types of Logical Fallacies:10. HASTY GENERALIZATION • A forced stereotype not drawn from enough evidence or from inaccurate evidence • Example: That teenager from Thomasville got arrested; therefore, teenagers from Thomasville are criminals and should not be trusted.

12. Types of Logical Fallacies:11. CIRCULAR REASONING • Trying to make your point by simply stating it in a different way, rather than giving actual evidence • Example: High school students should not be allowed to park in the lot currently reserved for faculty because that parking lot should be for faculty only.

13. Types of Logical Fallacies:12. LEADING QUESTIONS • Posing a question to make your point that forces the audience to answer one way • Example: Is it a good idea to poison water that children drink? If you say no, then you must vote for David Breyer!

14. Types of Logical Fallacies:13. FALSE ASSUMPTION • Arriving at a conclusion or assumption that you do not have enough evidence to support • Example: Bill Fenders was not elected for a second term in office, so obviously he was a terrible leader.