What the Hell Is… Propaganda?
By Brent Antonson
Propaganda isn’t just a dirty word—it’s an art form. It’s narrative warfare dressed in moral clothing, wielded by those who understand that truth is not a prerequisite for belief—emotion is. And in every era, the masters of manipulation have known one thing: control the story, control the people.
Soviet Ballet of Illusion
Take Stalin’s USSR—where propaganda wasn’t wallpaper, it was the architecture. Grainy posters of stoic workers and sunflower-smiling peasants concealed gulags and starvation. Every broadcast, every parade, every textbook was a chess piece moved by the state—not to inform, but to enforce belief. “Workers of the world, unite!” was less a call to action than a psychological rebranding of suffering as solidarity. Dissent wasn’t debated—it was deleted.
America’s Reality Show Revolution
Jump to modern America—same stage, new tools. Under Trump, propaganda mutated. “Fake news” became a weaponized mantra. Not to convince, but to confuse. Twitter? That wasn’t a social media platform—it was a political neural interface. With 280 characters, Trump didn’t just bypass the press; he rewired the narrative circuitry of millions. “Make America Great Again” wasn’t policy—it was prophecy, embedded with nostalgia and righteous anger, perfect for an era of algorithmic echo chambers.
But let’s not pretend propaganda wears only red hats.
Democrats too dance this dance—empathy-driven ads, tear-jerking healthcare stories, climate doom montages. These aren't lies—they're narrative anesthesia. They soften the mind, reduce resistance, and inject urgency. Social media becomes a battlefield of hashtags, memes, and TikTok testimonials—each one a micro-dose of belief, designed to bend thought toward the ballot.
The Broader Battlefield
Propaganda doesn’t need a party—it thrives wherever there's persuasion without permission. Commercials guilt you into donations. Brands sell identity, not products. Even Netflix docuseries sneak in ideological nudges beneath the soft glow of bingeable truth.
So what is propaganda?
It’s not just misinformation. It’s crafted cognition. It doesn’t aim to inform—it aims to transform. And like all good magic, its greatest trick is making you think you’re immune.
So next time you hear a slogan, see a sob story, or feel that twinge of tribal pride, pause. Ask yourself:
Who built this narrative?
What’s missing from the frame?
And most importantly—what are they trying to stop you from seeing?