i consider myself lucky, because i grew up at a time and in places where education was still focused more on teaching children how to think, that basic concepts must be grasped to understand application of them, and that how to find information was a basci necessity...in the fifth grade we were introduced to a game called "The Prpaganda Game" in class to help us develop skills in logical thinking and debate. I have a great teacher that year, she believed learning should be fun, and interesting, which would encourage us to want to learn, rather than hating it....she was right....the game was very challenging, and while the rules were fairly siimple, learning and understanding the techniques and concepts were not, but it was fun, and it changed my entire way of looking at things...like most good games it is still available, though hard to find.
the game is designed to teach you how to recognize techniques of persuasion, otherwise known as propaganda...the techniques are brken into six sections, and each section had 8 to 10 techniques tied by the general method of the section.
Section A
Techniques of Self-Deception
1. Prejudice
2. Academic Detachment
3. Drawing the Line
4. Not Drawing the Line
5. Conservatism, Radicalism, Moderatism
6. Rationalization
7. Wishful Thinking
8. Tabloid Thinking
9. Causal Oversimplication
10. Inconceivability
Section B
Techniques of Language
1. Emotional Terms
2. Metaphor and Simile
3. Emphasis
4. Quotation Out of Context
5. Abstract Terms
6. Vagueness
7. Ambiguity
8. Shift of Meaning
Section C
Techniques of Irrelevance
1. Appearance
2. Manner
3. Degrees and Titles
4. Numbers
5. Status
6. Repetition
7. Slogans
8. Technical Jargon
9. Sophistical Formula
Section D
Techniques of Exploitation
1. Appeal to Pity
2. Appeal to Flattery
3. Appeal to Ridicule
4. Appeal to Prestige
5. Appeal to Prejudice
6. Bargain Appeal
7. Folksy Appeal
8. Join the Bandwagon Appeal
9. Appeal to Practical Consequences
10. Passing from the Acceptable to the Dubious
Section E
Techniques of Form
1. Concurrency
2. Post Hoc
3. Selected Instances
4. Hasty Generalization
5. Faulty Analogy
6. Composition
7. Division
8. Non Sequitur
Section F
Techniques of Maneuver
1. Diversion
2. Disproving a Minor Point
3. Ad Hominem
4. Appeal to Ignorance
5. Leading Question
6. Complex Question
7. Inconsequent Argument
8. Attacking a Straw Man
9. Victory by Definition
10. Begging the Question
a good basic description of the techniques, and an introduction decribing the rational for the game can be found here , and you can order the game directly from WFF 'N PROOF if this has you curious to play....the more you play the easier it becomes to recognize when the techniques are being used, and they are used everywhere, especially in politics and advertising...what the game really teaches is the basics of applied psychology and mass psychology, which are the core tools used by governments and advertisers to sway, bend or shape perception, occlude truth or say nothing at all while appearing to say a lot...it got my interest, and i ended up reading quite a bit over the years on the subject, even took a couple of classes, and it definately taught me to really pay attention to how things are phrased, and to what was not mentioned as much as what was said, to determine what is actually being said....politicians speeches are especially fun...good ones can spend an hour saying nothing at all of substance while appearing to say exactly what their target audience wants to hear....they also frequently seem to be promising much while in reality never providing a clear message....check it out, it won't hurt you, though you may not like what you see...or just dismiss me as a conspiracy theory nutcase, sit back in fromt of your tv, and let them tell you what to think, buy, and value
Posted by Angstman at August 22, 2003 04:49 AM | TrackBackCould have come from a politicians speech:
"i consider myself lucky, because i grew up at a time and in places where education was still focused more on teaching children how to think, that basic concepts must be grasped to understand application of them, and that how to find information was a basci necessity."
Frowns. Apply your the ideas from that list to your opening sentence--I don't mean to be bitchy, and I don't know if you see it or not... but... critically:
9. Causal Oversimplication
1. Emotional Terms
5. Appeal to Prejudice
3. Selected Instances
4. Hasty Generalization
10. Begging the Question
As if the 60's were some educational golden age, and the schools have done nothing but turn out non-critical automotons ever since... Fall for political propaganda and personal prejudice, much?
Or, more simply--they still teach all those things (in health classes, at the elementary level--it's gone into in more depth at higher levels.) Doesn't mean that the lesson sticks, regardless of the decade. There's a sucker born everyday and all.
Posted by: aldahlia at August 22, 2003 05:23 AMglad you noticed, yes i was aware of using techniques, but a politician's speech???60's was no golden age at all, but the focus of education has changed a lot from what it was...history is certainly less slanted than what we got, but from seeing what my daughter was taught there is more focus on preparing students to do well on the assesment and advancement tests, than on basic concepts....totally agree with you on lessons not sticking and suckers seem to be born every minute....one thing certainly is not taught as much now are sciences, geography and government, or if they are then it must sail in one ear and right out the other based on leno's quiz bits, and some suveys given....then again maybe they are only asking the suckers...lol....so have you tried suing the techniques on an average political speech???that get truly fun when you start by removing every contradictory set of words from a statement.
Posted by: Angstman at August 22, 2003 06:14 AMI have yet to watch a State of the Union address where anything of substance was uttered. It generally boils down to, "We are here. Here we are. I want to look good." LOL.
Yeah.. k-8 science is pretty rediculous. As for history and geography... I'm guessing that if anything has changed in education it's notions about "practicality." Learning for for the sake of learning it out. Liberal arts is out. Education, like many others things, seems to be increasingly aimed towards producing overarching results.
Posted by: aldahlia at August 22, 2003 09:24 AMyup, maybe even worse, cause at least in texas it is now all about passing taks....shools live or die by the pass rankings and teachers have to focus on maxinmizing their classes' pass rates or suffer termination...just as sats are almost useless with out other indicators now due sat preppping, so soon will go primary schooling...then the entire education system will end up like microsoft certifications....churn out reams of paper graduates that don't understand a fucking thing about what they studued, cause it's just memorization...bleh....why jeoff has harder time getting interviews, but will nail a job once he can talk to them, he didn't waste time on useless certs, and knows more than %99 of all mcse's....of course dumb ass companies hire morons with right certs and 0 knowledge every day, which makes life hell for professional support peeps.
Posted by: Angstman at August 22, 2003 10:15 AM