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Propaganda.

Nearly all Governments in this old world of ours use propaganda. If something goes wrong in the home country. Newspapers, radio stations talk or write about some thing that has happened in a neighbouring country.

Unfortunately it does not stop there, examples to turn people’s thoughts away from what is happening in one’s own country are many. This propaganda works in a small way in your town, even in your street. Someone tells someone else that such and such happened to old Mrs.? It is not true but for a few minutes the teller of this new piece of gossip is for a few minutes important.

You do not believe me, wait until the next home scandal happens in your country. You will see that the Government falls over backwards to blame another country about something totally different. The newspapers will take it upon themselves to go with the Government after all many newspapers rely on Government spending in the form of adverts to keep the paper going.

To prove my point, I would ask each of you to spread some kind of gossip in your own street or even in your hometown. Nothing hurtful or scandalous please, that is definitely not what I want. One example would be for someone to tell someone else that all of the children in the infant’s school had top marks at the end of term exams. It might not be true of course but no one will be harmed by such a rumour.

I remember seeing one example of Propaganda from the First World War. A picture of Lord Kitchener pointing with his index finger with the words, Your Country Needs You. Another such example was from the Second World War. A placard on many walls with the words Coughs and Sneezes, spread diseases, trap the germs in your handkerchiefs. Harmless you might think but how many young men joined the armed forces on the strength of the saying on the first placard with the picture of Lord Kitchener. How many did not return home. The second was not so harmful but it did make many people aware that coughs and colds are spread by people not using handkerchiefs.

Propaganda is harmful even in times of peace. In today’s world it is dangerous. Think before you pass on that juicy piece of gossip told to you by a friend or neighbour or even someone you heard talking about something involving one of the zones where countries are at war one with the other. Look in your own head to see how your brain has reacted to such a piece of gossip. Does your brain reject or accept that what you have just been told or heard. Think it might just be propaganda.