The Power of Propaganda: Critical Issues

1. Leni Riefenstahl was a Nazi propagandist with an aim in her work to see national socialism take over Europe. This is a myth. Leni Riefenstahl was in fact, a Jew. While Triumph of the Will was used by the Nazis for propaganda purposes, when she was making the film she believed it was an artistic expression. It was not until after the film was released that Riefenstahl realized how her film was being used, and by then it was too late. Riefenstahl was duped into making Nazi propaganda, something she would never have done if she had known what the Nazis intended. She was also duped a Nazi and after the war she had to stand trial for her actions and although she was acquitted, for the rest of her life, she had to deal with the specter of being labeled a Nazi collaborator.

• Does the fact that she did not know how her film was going to be used affect how she made it?
• If she had made the film knowing how the Nazis intended to use it would it have been as effective?

2. Modern day television commercials rarely seem to have anything to do with the product they are selling. It is widely known that sex and violence sell. Advertisers incorporate these two concepts into their adds, even to the point of ignoring the purpose of the product they are selling. For example, beer commercials often portray men drinking their beer and talking to beautiful women. Although we all know that just by drinking the advertised beer men won't get beautiful women, the advertisements still sell more beer than the ones without sexual undertones. Therefore, most commercials seem to be a form of mind control similar to what was seen in Nazi Germany. The Nazis portrayed Jews in a way that had nothing to do with what they were really like. Stereotypes that formed over many years were played out upon, which led to a general perception of a "typical" Jew. This form of persuasion can be very powerful and hence very dangerous, as people can be misled into believing things that are not true.

• When does a commercial stop being a form of advertisement for a product and cross over into the realm of propaganda, or even a form of mind control?

3. During World War II the Nazis performed many experiments on Jewish prisoners in order to aid their war effort. After the war this information and the scientists who researched it were brought to the United States to work for our government. Our government knew full well where and how this information had been gained and yet they still used it. Because the information was powerful, the government overlooked the questionable means used to get it. Although the United States is not directly responsible for how the information was originally obtained, there is still some guilt involved for them using it. Also, if you look at how television commercials have developed over the years there can clearly be seen a relationship between the commercials and Nazi propaganda and its effects on the public.

• How ethical is it to use information that was gained under questionable or nefarious means? Is it ethical to make use of a form of information manipulation that helped to cause millions of deaths?