"This is a fight between a free world and a slave world." Frank Capra's
Prelude to War began with this bold statement on Thursday. This piece of propaganda was meant to encourage Americans to fight in World War II against the Axis powers. The film depicted the "enemy" as lesser than the Allied powers by conveying how a democracy prevailed over the governments of Italy, Germany, and Japan. During this wartime era, pieces of propaganda such as this were common as they were used ensure the public opinion resonated with the actions of the government. A sort of brainwashing, this type of media left little room for any other discourse to peak through as disagreement would have been automatically flagged as siding with the enemy. What is intriguing to me is that this film was used to educate soldiers entering the military about the ensuing conflict. I understand the need for patriotism especially when you are agreeing to put your life on the line. A soldier needs some reason to want to risk his/her life, but is propaganda the key? With education materials such as this, troops may never understand any other side to the matter.
Questions of the Week- Is propaganda necessary for military troops?
- Is there a danger in showing multiple discourses?
Question Answered: Is propaganda necessary for military troops?
To a certain extent, yes. It is a tremendous feat to agree to place your life on the line for the country in which you inhabit. You need to made to believe, if you did not already, that your patriotism is something to die for. The beliefs your country stands for are so intertwined with what you hold near and dear to your heart that you would fight tooth and nail for them or at least this is all that the propaganda tells you. While this may be something you loosely attest to, films such as
Prelude to War drive these sentiments home. The danger in this is that one blindly allies with the propaganda without considering alternate methods of thought or even worse, the reasons identified by that media are the only reasons they enter the military without really finding their own.
