Propaganda In The Military

Introduction
As I sat in the waiting room at the San Francisco VAMC, I found myself staring at a picture on the wall. The picture (Image 1) was a poster displaying a Sailor marching with an American flag and the statement “Join the Navy, America’s new prestige in world affairs will mean a greater Navy. Be a part of it”. Our society has been bombarded by such images calling for support of the military and I am in a VA hospital, so I wasn’t completely shocked by this photo. After my visit, I walked a few of the many halls of the San Francisco VAMC on my way to the pharmacy and found three additional pictures (Images 2, 3 and 4) that were specifically calling for support and enlistment in the military, which made me begin thinking about the evolution

Has propaganda played a part in this war too? My answer is: absolutely. Propaganda techniques can be successfully implemented if the dogma is deliberate and targeted to a group with an intention or purpose on mind (Jowett and O"Donnell, 2014). Ethnic stereotypes can be portrayed differently throughout our society and is made up of both negative and positive connotations. An individual with a Middle East ethnicity is stereotyped as an Arab, regardless of the different countries within the region, which contains diverse cultures, beliefs and extensive religions. Looking at the propaganda that has been used to recruit military members and citizens support since September 11, 2001, one can see that history tends to repeat itself. There are many venues have been used to broadcast pro-war propaganda, from posters to commercials to the use of the internet. The truth about the war that started after 9/11 has not been fully unveiled to the public. This war has been driven by propaganda that preys on our country’s weakened mental strength post tragedy and our bias against

I was lured in by the many commercials and posters that are plastered everywhere advertising that I could make the difference through my commitment to the military. The reason why war time propaganda has been so successful throughout this current war is simple; there has been more than one type of propaganda: advertisements, posters, newspaper editorials, internet posts, blogs, vlogs, cartoons, speeches, movies and commercials, to name a few. Many different forms have been needed because the war effort needed to be promoted to all citizens in order to gain their support and involvement. Much of the younger population of the United States does not read newspapers. This is why posters, television, movies and the internet have become so important in persuading people and like advertising, propaganda has been made to target specific audiences such as women, young men, and different ethnic backgrounds. With all the different types of propaganda, the belief that war was a good thing spread like a pandemic around America. The power of propaganda cannot be underestimated. Propaganda will always be defined via the eyes and the ears of the audience and as such it is important that people look for the truth instead of falling into the propaganda trap developed by people