Propaganda and the American Military Establishment: How Television Influences Attitudes, Behaviours and Perceptions
How many times have you written a paper for a course, submitted it and then filed it away in the archives without a second thought? All of that time, energy and hard work forgotten; all of those ideas and research locked away with no one to read them. This is something that I’ve been working to change with a colleague of mine through the launch of the UO Creator Series (more to come on that later, for now you can check out the soft launch of our website here).
In the meantime, I’ve been digging through my own archives to find papers that I wrote during law school, my master’s degree and my undergraduate studies. It’s been a useful exercise that has allowed me to get back in touch with some of my earlier research interests - yes, there is a trend - as well as to reflect on the evolution of my writing.
It is therefore with great pleasure that I finally publish this paper from my master’s degree, submitted in January 2010, entitled:
Propaganda and the American Military Establishment: How Television Influences Attitudes, Behaviours and Perceptions
“Selling the war in the Middle East to the American people would not be easy. [George H.W.] Bush would need to convince Americans that former ally Saddam Hussein now embodied evil, and that the oil fiefdom of Kuwait was a struggling young democracy.”
(Stauber & Rampton, 2004, p.168)
The scenario described above has been present to varying degrees in all contemporary, non-covert, military operations, including the contemporary War on Terror. This strategy of “winning the hearts and minds” is imperative, both at home and abroad, for the success of military operations (Clausewitz, 1976, p.89; as well as Stubbs, 2008).
Following the events of 9/11, the Bush Administration launched the Global War on Terror. Abroad, U.S. Forces aggressively pursued alleged terrorist organizations and supporters in Central Asia and the Middle East – beginning with Afghanistan and Iraq.
Source: Business Insider
These military operations coincided with a rise in anti-privacy legislation and government surveillance operations at home – see, for example, the Combating Terrorism Act, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (USA PATRIOT Act), the Cyber Security Enhancement Act, Operation Terrorist Information and Prevention System, and the Total Information Awareness (TIA) tracking system – as well as a resurgence of wartime propaganda.
News programs and television series covered the Global War on Terror in both domestic and international settings, bombarding the American public with images of war in the form of information and entertainment. Media thus performed a propagandistic function: limiting, censoring, and presenting war content in both fiction and non-fiction programs.
The purpose of this paper is to examine propaganda, in particular wartime propaganda, in a post-9/11 context in order to understand the complex role that television plays as a tool of social control and mass persuasion. In doing so, this paper begins with an in-depth study of propaganda which explores the target audience and scope of propagandistic campaigns, the functions and objectives of propaganda, and, finally, the techniques and features employed in such campaigns. In order to distinguish between propaganda and other forms of promotional discourse, a discussion on the ethics of propaganda is conducted.
After establishing a solid definition of the concept and techniques of propaganda, it is further examined in the context of wartime operations. An emphasis is placed upon the techniques and objectives of wartime communication campaigns in order to determine how war propaganda can be employed to influence attitudes and beliefs. In doing so, this paper will also explore how ideologies and values can be employed to promote particular agendas.
Finally, a case study focusing on the television series 24 is conducted to illustrate how patriotic and idealistic images can be used to mobilize support for the American military establishment and its strategic operations, including the acceptance of morally questionable conduct.
Source: TV Series Finale.com
This case study demonstrates the influential role that television can play in the context of wartime operations by encouraging support for the military and law enforcement agencies.
Ultimately, this paper strives to develop a nuanced understanding of wartime propaganda and the role that television – as well as others forms of media – can play in shaping culture and values in society. This paper does not suggest or endorse Orwellian-esque conspiracy theories of thought- and mind-control, but rather endeavours to examine and illustrate the more limited, yet nevertheless important, issue of how television can be employed by vested interests to promote particular agendas.