Scapegoating
When the average American looks at this poster, it may seem like a poster about Health Insurance or something to that effect. If they look at the translation provided in the other document, they would realize it’s a poster about euthanizing in people with either birth defects or physical disability, as well as a magazine ad.
The number at the top, 60,000 is supposedly the average amount of Reichmarks it costs the government to keep the average disabled person cared for in their lifetime. Reichmarks were the German currency at the time and was worth about 4.2 U.S dollars.
This may seem callous (and it is), but it was the opinion of Nazi Germany and Hitler. Only if you work, and were part of the “Higher Race” you were an important part of life. Anyone else could go and die, quite literally.
This poster, was an advertisement for the magazine, Neues Volk, (New people) The official magazine of the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers Party. That’s a translation of course, but it wouldn’t be useful to type out the German, would it?) As advertisement and propaganda, this image had a severe impact both back then and today. It is an example of political extremism and overly racist ideals.
Although many people would like to hide this part of our past, it is a negative point which we must remember. As the saying goes, “those who do not remember the past, are bound to repeat Art History 200.” I mean, the past.
Even though millions of people died, it is important to honor their memory make sure it never happens again. Acknowledging the fact that this is only small portion of what happened during the Nazi regime, it is important that this image and many others are preserved as a reminder.
Approximate translation:
This person suffering from hereditary defects costs the community 60,000 Reich mark during his lifetime. Fellow German, that is your money too. Read ‘New People’, the monthly magazine of the race-political office of the NSADP.
To end this exhibit, the last image as a flyer created in 2004 by the American military in an attempt to either demoralize, or pull Al Zarqawi, a Jordanian military Islamist out of hiding. The image a caricature of Al Zarqawi trapped in what looks like to Americans a bird cage. In the Middle East, this is a rat-catcher, made obvious by the five or six rats on the page. The arm which is holding the rat cage has the flag of Yemen on it. The text on the side, is almost not necessary. The message in the image is clear.
This image, almost in doubles as a wanted poster. This flyer was distributed in Iraq by the United States Psychological Operations as a way to find the main character of this image. When this was first distributed, it was almost two years before the air raid that actually killed him, along with some of his family and two other people.
Al Zarqawi was one of the FBI’s top five most wanted. This flyer was one of many ways America and many other nations attempted to find him and dozens of other men held responsible for thousands of bombings and deaths. Although the art is childish, the point is made clear.
I chose this piece as the ending for this exhibit because, it uses one of them most preliminary forms of propaganda, Appeal to Fear. The image may seem comforting to, people who support the Iranian reform, but for those who don’t, this could be perceived as n obvious threat or American arrogance. Either way, the point is clear and the man we were trying to find, was located. His death could be considered unintentional but in the end, he would’ve been put on trial and put to death anyway.
This poster, like the rest in this exhibit, show a small part of the story of war and the main mindset of the time. It is important to remember these times so we can learn from them, and hopefully not repeat the mistakes of the past. This is as much as an art show as it is a history lesson.
Text translation:
This is your future, Zarqawi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Unclesamwantyou.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda
http://www.psywar.org/leaflets.php
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Propaganda of War, Part 3 of 4
Unstated Assumption
This image was created by Texaco, which is a gas company, still running today. The poster and was published from 1941-1945, during World War Two. Texaco created many posters supporting the war effort. This image in particular portrays the type of propaganda named Unstated Assumption. That means the actual meaning is never stated, usually because it is ridiculous, like in this one. The image is a caricature of Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, the ruling power of Japan at the time. The text reads “Go ahead, please- TAKE DAY OFF!” (sic) which implies a multitude of things.
First of all, it says that the Prime Minister would know (and care) if one person took the day off. Next it implies that taking one day off would not only curb production, but would actually help the Axis of Evil win the war. When stated like this, the entire idea seems ridiculous, but if it is implied, it makes a lot more sense.
When this poster was created, America was in a state of turmoil and paranoia. Ideas like this seemed very reasonable. Even though it seems ridiculous now, it was the common ideal that every person worked, and did everything in their power to stop the axis of evil from taking over the world.
Also, another reason for this poster, would it be that Texaco did not want to lose any workers unnecessarily. More people showing up, and feeling that they’re working for the greater good, would mean higher productivity. Although this dual-meaning may be implausible, it may have been there anyway.
Oversimplification
This image was produced in the year 1943, as an effort to conserve gasoline. Since gas was used in production of many things, it was important to conserve it. This image displays a man, supposedly sitting alone in his car, except there is the shadow of Hitler in the passenger seat. The text says, “When you ride ALONE, you ride with Hitler! Join a Car-sharing club today!” Car-sharing clubs were basically a carpool today.
The poster is an example of oversimplification, because it implies that the gasoline crisis could easily be solved by creating a carpool. Of course, this would be very useful if everyone did it, but would not magically cure the problem. This was important to the average American because It was something that they could do even if they weren’t actually fighting.
To be honest, this would be one of the most useful things could do at that time. Along with this poster, are dozens of other ones which also show simple ways that the average American could help the war effort. At the time, the war was a very important part of life. The general consensus of the time, was to do what ever was in your power to help the war effort, even if that meant sacrificing small parts of life, or starting your own garden. Food supplies were short, so to make the stamps you received last longer, many people started growing their own food, and canning it for the winter.
When this was created, there was a war going on over seas, and Americans wanted to do whatever they could to support their army. This simple method the average American could implement.
This poster appealed to the viewing audience because it played on a sense of fear that anyone would do anything that would help the third Reich. Supposedly, Americans at the time were willing to do anything to help the war effort, and also eager to believe anything they’d heard on the radio or in the newspaper. As silly as this image seems now, back then, it was a serious topic, and a large part of our history today.
This image was created by Texaco, which is a gas company, still running today. The poster and was published from 1941-1945, during World War Two. Texaco created many posters supporting the war effort. This image in particular portrays the type of propaganda named Unstated Assumption. That means the actual meaning is never stated, usually because it is ridiculous, like in this one. The image is a caricature of Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, the ruling power of Japan at the time. The text reads “Go ahead, please- TAKE DAY OFF!” (sic) which implies a multitude of things.
First of all, it says that the Prime Minister would know (and care) if one person took the day off. Next it implies that taking one day off would not only curb production, but would actually help the Axis of Evil win the war. When stated like this, the entire idea seems ridiculous, but if it is implied, it makes a lot more sense.
When this poster was created, America was in a state of turmoil and paranoia. Ideas like this seemed very reasonable. Even though it seems ridiculous now, it was the common ideal that every person worked, and did everything in their power to stop the axis of evil from taking over the world.
Also, another reason for this poster, would it be that Texaco did not want to lose any workers unnecessarily. More people showing up, and feeling that they’re working for the greater good, would mean higher productivity. Although this dual-meaning may be implausible, it may have been there anyway.
Oversimplification
This image was produced in the year 1943, as an effort to conserve gasoline. Since gas was used in production of many things, it was important to conserve it. This image displays a man, supposedly sitting alone in his car, except there is the shadow of Hitler in the passenger seat. The text says, “When you ride ALONE, you ride with Hitler! Join a Car-sharing club today!” Car-sharing clubs were basically a carpool today.
The poster is an example of oversimplification, because it implies that the gasoline crisis could easily be solved by creating a carpool. Of course, this would be very useful if everyone did it, but would not magically cure the problem. This was important to the average American because It was something that they could do even if they weren’t actually fighting.
To be honest, this would be one of the most useful things could do at that time. Along with this poster, are dozens of other ones which also show simple ways that the average American could help the war effort. At the time, the war was a very important part of life. The general consensus of the time, was to do what ever was in your power to help the war effort, even if that meant sacrificing small parts of life, or starting your own garden. Food supplies were short, so to make the stamps you received last longer, many people started growing their own food, and canning it for the winter.
When this was created, there was a war going on over seas, and Americans wanted to do whatever they could to support their army. This simple method the average American could implement.
This poster appealed to the viewing audience because it played on a sense of fear that anyone would do anything that would help the third Reich. Supposedly, Americans at the time were willing to do anything to help the war effort, and also eager to believe anything they’d heard on the radio or in the newspaper. As silly as this image seems now, back then, it was a serious topic, and a large part of our history today.
The Propaganda of War, Part 2 of 4
The Price Of Freedom
This painting was created in 1915, by James Montgomery Flagg, one of the leading illustrators at the time. This piece was created to serve as an enlistment poster in World War One, but was also used in World War two, and afterwards, became one of the most commonly known American recruitment posters. Also, over the years, it is one of the most altered propaganda posters, keeping it popular through out the ages.
This piece is an example of Repetition, the repeat of an image or catch phrase. The image of Uncle Sam was created during the Civil war, and became the iconography of America to this day. This image was posted everywhere, but doesn’t give any true information, thus becoming propaganda.
The actual poster is a very stern Uncle Sam, staring and pointing forward, towards the fourth wall (the imaginary barrier between art and viewer). The text underneath is supposed to be what he’s saying, “I WANT YOU FOR U.S. ARMY” then in smaller text “NEAREST RECRUITING STATION” (sic). Poor grammar aside, the intent is clear and concise. Enlist. Now.
This is also one of the reasons it could be posted everywhere, the image simply tells the viewer to enlist, but only tells you to go to the nearest recruitment station, no address, which means it could be posted in any city without having to be altered. Also, since there is no true political statements, the image doesn’t get out dated, save for the style of work. Now the piece is considered traditional, therefore dated look doesn’t matter anymore.
This poster has become one of the most iconic of the U.S. Army for almost 100 years. Even though there are dozens of alterations out there, almost every American knows the original image. This piece of iconic art is an important piece and his story which should be passed down through the ages, and thanks to the countless wars we’ve had, will probably always serve a purpose in our lives.
Charlie The Gunner
This leaflet is my personal favorite. This image was created in 1945 as a demoralization leaflet which was dropped on American soldiers via an airborne leaflet bomb, (A bomb which when upon hitting the ground throws leaflets instead of shrapnel and explosive matter). The image itself (not just the letter on the back) is an ingenious example of Demoralization and Common Man.
Common Man is a type of propaganda which appeals to the ‘average person’. The image is of a man, in uniform, but ambiguous uniform, smiling at the viewer over a fence. On the fence is a black bird-like thing which is also smiling. It looks straight out of one of the Warner Brother’s Vaults. The ’bird’ in the left hand corner is one almost identical to one of the extras in a few Warner Brother Shorts (Which ones, I don’t remember, but I have seen it before).
Demoralization is what it sounds like, an attempt to crush the spirits of those whom the image was intended for. This is an important part of Psychological Warfare. It is possible to defeat a strong, driven and well-prepared enemy, but why bother when you can fight an emotionally unstable enemy who’s been given misinformation for months?
With that aside, the image on the front of the flyer was not what German artist were creating at the time. Hitler had enforced realistic paintings only, by saying artist that use abstraction in their art were, in simplicity, inferior and couldn’t see the world for the way it was. The art is extremely similar to American cartoons at the time, the Disney Company and Warner Brothers, so the image looks like something created in America.
On the back of this, is a short letter by ‘Charlie the Gunner’ who is “No more than one of millions of suffering soldiers in the world. I’m an Allied Soldier!” (sic). This was blatant fabrication. Although the art is very American-esque, the letter on the back’s syntax is slightly off. It isn’t off enough to truly be considered bad but, it’s clear that the author’s native language was not American-English. It’s almost as if the writer was trying to hard to sound American.
The summary of the letter is “Say, I’m just like you, I’m a soldier, I’m your buddy. I bet we could win this war without having to attack Italy. Doesn’t it suck that the higher ups are forcing us to do it anyway? So, now it is our time to kick the bucket for them, even though we don’t have to. Yay!” The entire thing is written in a light hearted manner, but the last few paragraphs are rather intense. This was an effective way to demoralize the target audience, especially if they didn’t realize it was the enemy that had created this.
This piece fits into the rest of the collection mainly because it is propaganda, but it also uses pop culture art to express it’s message. The main point of this is to get American soldiers to flip the page over and read the ‘letter’ on the back, which is to them could have been horribly demoralizing, but for us is an interesting concept.
This painting was created in 1915, by James Montgomery Flagg, one of the leading illustrators at the time. This piece was created to serve as an enlistment poster in World War One, but was also used in World War two, and afterwards, became one of the most commonly known American recruitment posters. Also, over the years, it is one of the most altered propaganda posters, keeping it popular through out the ages.
This piece is an example of Repetition, the repeat of an image or catch phrase. The image of Uncle Sam was created during the Civil war, and became the iconography of America to this day. This image was posted everywhere, but doesn’t give any true information, thus becoming propaganda.
The actual poster is a very stern Uncle Sam, staring and pointing forward, towards the fourth wall (the imaginary barrier between art and viewer). The text underneath is supposed to be what he’s saying, “I WANT YOU FOR U.S. ARMY” then in smaller text “NEAREST RECRUITING STATION” (sic). Poor grammar aside, the intent is clear and concise. Enlist. Now.
This is also one of the reasons it could be posted everywhere, the image simply tells the viewer to enlist, but only tells you to go to the nearest recruitment station, no address, which means it could be posted in any city without having to be altered. Also, since there is no true political statements, the image doesn’t get out dated, save for the style of work. Now the piece is considered traditional, therefore dated look doesn’t matter anymore.
This poster has become one of the most iconic of the U.S. Army for almost 100 years. Even though there are dozens of alterations out there, almost every American knows the original image. This piece of iconic art is an important piece and his story which should be passed down through the ages, and thanks to the countless wars we’ve had, will probably always serve a purpose in our lives.
Charlie The Gunner
This leaflet is my personal favorite. This image was created in 1945 as a demoralization leaflet which was dropped on American soldiers via an airborne leaflet bomb, (A bomb which when upon hitting the ground throws leaflets instead of shrapnel and explosive matter). The image itself (not just the letter on the back) is an ingenious example of Demoralization and Common Man.
Common Man is a type of propaganda which appeals to the ‘average person’. The image is of a man, in uniform, but ambiguous uniform, smiling at the viewer over a fence. On the fence is a black bird-like thing which is also smiling. It looks straight out of one of the Warner Brother’s Vaults. The ’bird’ in the left hand corner is one almost identical to one of the extras in a few Warner Brother Shorts (Which ones, I don’t remember, but I have seen it before).
Demoralization is what it sounds like, an attempt to crush the spirits of those whom the image was intended for. This is an important part of Psychological Warfare. It is possible to defeat a strong, driven and well-prepared enemy, but why bother when you can fight an emotionally unstable enemy who’s been given misinformation for months?
With that aside, the image on the front of the flyer was not what German artist were creating at the time. Hitler had enforced realistic paintings only, by saying artist that use abstraction in their art were, in simplicity, inferior and couldn’t see the world for the way it was. The art is extremely similar to American cartoons at the time, the Disney Company and Warner Brothers, so the image looks like something created in America.
On the back of this, is a short letter by ‘Charlie the Gunner’ who is “No more than one of millions of suffering soldiers in the world. I’m an Allied Soldier!” (sic). This was blatant fabrication. Although the art is very American-esque, the letter on the back’s syntax is slightly off. It isn’t off enough to truly be considered bad but, it’s clear that the author’s native language was not American-English. It’s almost as if the writer was trying to hard to sound American.
The summary of the letter is “Say, I’m just like you, I’m a soldier, I’m your buddy. I bet we could win this war without having to attack Italy. Doesn’t it suck that the higher ups are forcing us to do it anyway? So, now it is our time to kick the bucket for them, even though we don’t have to. Yay!” The entire thing is written in a light hearted manner, but the last few paragraphs are rather intense. This was an effective way to demoralize the target audience, especially if they didn’t realize it was the enemy that had created this.
This piece fits into the rest of the collection mainly because it is propaganda, but it also uses pop culture art to express it’s message. The main point of this is to get American soldiers to flip the page over and read the ‘letter’ on the back, which is to them could have been horribly demoralizing, but for us is an interesting concept.
The Propaganda of War, Part 1 of 4
By Mary Kelleher
Since the early years of politics, propaganda has been used to promote ideas and to justify both wars and the empowerment of the rulers at the time. Propaganda is fliers, art, news coverage or any other means of communication meant to influence a populaces’ opinions and beliefs, using emotional influence instead of facts or information. Sometimes data is used, but is often skewed, extremely altered or out of context. Some of the ways propaganda is distributed now is through news, museums, and through airborne leaflets (when bomb-like devices are dropped on an area, but instead of throwing shrapnel, throws fliers everywhere).
The different ways propaganda portrays its message have been categorized into about thirty different types (full list at The Wikipedia Page). Out of these, this exhibit focuses on six different types; repetition (the repeat of a word, phrase or the image itself,) common man (appearing to be the common sense of the general target audience,) unstated assumption (Implies a message that if stated, would be ridiculous), oversimplification (creating an overly clear-cut answer to a complicated problem,) scapegoating (blaming someone or a group on issues instead of addressing the problem) and appeal to fear (creating support by creating anxiety or paranoia.)
The six pieces which were chosen are from 1916 to 2004, but mostly from 1941-1945, the middle of World War Two. Three of them are American posters to Americans, but one is from the Nazi‘s to the Allied troops, another from Nazi Germany to the German populace, and the last, America to Iraq, in the modern war (translations has been provided for the last two).
Each one of the six art works are a different style of propaganda, and some could be classified as more. This exhibition is more than just that, it is an historical education piece. These are a small snapshot of when they were made. Each clearly states the view there were portrayed for, with different perspective, but all correlate because of why they were made.

The images which accompanies the introduction don’t actually have anything to do with the exhibit, it’s just an altered image and it’s original I created that I thought fit.
Since the early years of politics, propaganda has been used to promote ideas and to justify both wars and the empowerment of the rulers at the time. Propaganda is fliers, art, news coverage or any other means of communication meant to influence a populaces’ opinions and beliefs, using emotional influence instead of facts or information. Sometimes data is used, but is often skewed, extremely altered or out of context. Some of the ways propaganda is distributed now is through news, museums, and through airborne leaflets (when bomb-like devices are dropped on an area, but instead of throwing shrapnel, throws fliers everywhere).
The different ways propaganda portrays its message have been categorized into about thirty different types (full list at The Wikipedia Page). Out of these, this exhibit focuses on six different types; repetition (the repeat of a word, phrase or the image itself,) common man (appearing to be the common sense of the general target audience,) unstated assumption (Implies a message that if stated, would be ridiculous), oversimplification (creating an overly clear-cut answer to a complicated problem,) scapegoating (blaming someone or a group on issues instead of addressing the problem) and appeal to fear (creating support by creating anxiety or paranoia.)
The six pieces which were chosen are from 1916 to 2004, but mostly from 1941-1945, the middle of World War Two. Three of them are American posters to Americans, but one is from the Nazi‘s to the Allied troops, another from Nazi Germany to the German populace, and the last, America to Iraq, in the modern war (translations has been provided for the last two).
Each one of the six art works are a different style of propaganda, and some could be classified as more. This exhibition is more than just that, it is an historical education piece. These are a small snapshot of when they were made. Each clearly states the view there were portrayed for, with different perspective, but all correlate because of why they were made.

The images which accompanies the introduction don’t actually have anything to do with the exhibit, it’s just an altered image and it’s original I created that I thought fit.
Welcome to our virtual museum!
The following series of post and links are the work of thirty-three talented and creative individuals at The State University of New York-College at Oneonta in response to an assignment to create a virtual exhibition. Each student was charged with finding a theme and telling a story through the objects they selected and their commentary on each object.
The projects range from images of the goddess of Love in Ancient cultures to Post-Modernism and how it has changed the answer to the eternal question, "What is Art?" and how it is incorporated into our daily lives. There is also a riveting two-part documentary film on images of Manhattan posted on You Tube for which there is a link.
I hope that you will enjoy this collection of "stories." Please feel free to take your time and come back. Works of art are like old friends, they always make you smile when you see them again.
The projects range from images of the goddess of Love in Ancient cultures to Post-Modernism and how it has changed the answer to the eternal question, "What is Art?" and how it is incorporated into our daily lives. There is also a riveting two-part documentary film on images of Manhattan posted on You Tube for which there is a link.
I hope that you will enjoy this collection of "stories." Please feel free to take your time and come back. Works of art are like old friends, they always make you smile when you see them again.
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