The Instrument: Propaganda...?

     In an blog post that I wrote near the end of last year, I called advertisement a corporate instrument. The astounding attention to detail that is present in powerful and effective advertisements instantly made me think of how the use of advertisement was the corporate equivalent of playing an instrument aimed at pleasing "the listener's ear", so to speak. Recently, I have made the parallel hypothesis that propaganda is the instrument and tool of the government. Just as advertisements attempt to convince consumers to purchase the product or service being advertised, works of propaganda aim at influencing the will and perspective of the public. This is a much darker interpretation of instrumentation in general, and that definitely has something to do with the ellipses and question mark that ends this blog title, but I will further describe my hesitance later in the post. So, let us analyze the instrumental qualities of propaganda.

Propaganda from World War I

     This is maybe the most iconic piece of American propaganda. Distributed during the first world war, this picture depicts Uncle Sam, the patriotic mascot of America, pointing at you to enlist in the army to fight in the war. This article of propaganda was extremely successful because it appealed to the patriotic side of every U.S. citizen. The use of Uncle Sam and his expressed interest in recruiting "you" completely downplays the dangers and consequences of war, and gives enlistment a heightened standing as an action of patriotic duty and necessity. Now, I am not saying that the decision to enlist in the army is not a brave and patriotic one, but rather that the government played a large role in glorifying conflict in order to raise the number of soldiers in the American ranks through works of propaganda such as this one. 

An image from President Obama's Hope campaign

      I have already made the connection that propaganda is to the government as advertisement is to corporations and businesses; it is a method of telegraphing your character, business model, prized product, qualifications, or goals to the people. In this sense, Obama's Hope campaign is a modern example of government (in this case, the Democratic Party) propaganda. The appeal here is focused on the colors of the propaganda: the dense and starkly contrasting colors of red, white, and blue appeal to the spirit of patriotism in many Americans. The values of liberty and diligence that are symbolized by these very colors is transplanted onto the face of Obama; he inadvertently associates himself with these appealing and favorable qualities of the United States.

    However, I also have a problem analyzing government propaganda, a tool used to mentally influence and maintain a specific perspective in the minds of the masses, as an "instrument". After using this lens of instrumentation in a variety of ways over the course of months through this blog, I have come to see the lens itself in a completely different way entirely. At first, I was okay with the notion of the instrument being a tool used to achieve a specific result, whether that result was making a crowd dance or entertaining an engaged reader, but now I believe that instrumentation has a more complex connotation. Synonyms have very similar meanings, but with their own specific flair. The instrument's flair is that it is a tool of creativity, a tool meant to develop thoughts, both musical and not. Propaganda does not contain this essential characteristic of the instrument, so I am skeptical to call it one.