Critics claim it is nothing more than government propaganda, so what? What government doesn't use propaganda in some form? You come into an election year and politician's bombard your television with advertisements for their political party. The radio waves become full of campaigning. You cannot watch the news without some story or another involving a politician running for government. They travel around the country speaking with people, appearing to be concerned with the issues that affect each of the communities they visit. Sometimes, they engage in televised debates, extolling their political stance and why they are the better option than their competitors.
How is this not, in its own way, propaganda? Granted, the critics of the above mentioned television show likely mean it in a more derogatory reference, but really, is it not all just varying degrees of the same thing. One of the reasons Adolf Hitler was so successful was because of the propaganda that he was able to spread amongst his countrymen.
noun
1.
information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely tohelp or harm a person, group, movement, institution,nation, etc.
2.
the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc.
3.
the particular doctrines or principles propagated by anorganization or movement
I realise that when people use the term propaganda they mean to in a specific context, but can we not simply consider advertising in general a form of propaganda?
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