even this one.
political memes serve as a potent form of propaganda, irrespective of the viewpoint they espouse or the degree of nuance they convey. the term “propaganda” itself is morally neutral*; it’s the adherence to facts, level of honesty, and underlying goals of either empowering or oppressing that determine the moral value of political propaganda. thus, the essence lies not in the mere act of influencing opinions but in the integrity and intentions behind the message conveyed.
this principle also applies to other terms including “shill” “bot” and others. for example, calling someone spreading pro-maga sentiment a “russian bot” achieves little rhetorically and is essentially an ad hominem. more effective approaches might highlight how such behavior is rooted in protecting the status quo of violence against vulnerable communities.
*****or at least the morally neutral definition can and will be used against you if you make the error of not engaging with the actual wicked of wicked propaganda. this is a post about semantics, see the faq below.
tldr call them out for their shit, not just for how they are doing it.
caveat, of course, do not feed the trolls. calling out trolls for their behavior is effective because it encourages dismissal of their behavior altogether in the form of moderator reports and blocking.
FAQ: Isn’t this just semantics?
yes, and intentionally so. semantics exist and are useful to engage with when it comes to countering the malicious propaganda of bad actors.
calling out the propaganda itself rather than its malicious intent or falsehoods only scratches the surface of the issue. to effectively counter propaganda, one must expose the underlying agenda driving it. focusing solely on the term “propaganda” risks missing the broader context and allowing the harmful narrative to persist unchecked.
In popular uses, it means deceptive messaging in opposition to your ideological position. Notice how people never call out propaganda on their “side”.
this is the correct nuance for the “popular definition,” nice work.
it’s not about arguing one definition of a term is “more correct,” as top comment suggests. it’s about having the self awareness to construct effective rhetorical takedowns of offensive propaganda.
That doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t perceive something on their side as propaganda. Everyone is less likely to use a negatively connotated word for “their team”.
My side doesn’t release propaganda, it’s educational materials. Their side releases 100% propaganda.
Which by itself is propaganda.