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It was the early 1960s in Vietnam, soldiers clung to their firearms, bloodied and dirtied, as a voice reverberated through the fields.

"G.I, your government has abandoned you."

"Defect, G.I., you know you cannot win this war."

"Your rich leaders grow richer, while you die in the swamp."

A stop in their tracks, a slight hesitation in their fingers, their eyes blinking with realisation. For a minute or two, the air was still. The instinct to run away and escape was growing ever larger. This is propaganda.

A tool used in war to influence public opinion and support war efforts, typically done in emotional and persuasive techniques. Whether it is to instill fear or a sense of patriotism to fight for their country, propaganda plays a huge role in war. It is often presented in a biased way, with incomplete information and narrative manipulation. Propagandists have a specified goal in mind, and it is to control and sway the public opinion. To achieve this, they purposefully use selective facts and present them in a way they think have maximum effect.

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The fact that wars give rise to intensive propaganda campaigns has made many persons suppose that propaganda is something new and modern. The word itself came into common use in the US as late as 1914, when World War I began. The truth is, however, that propaganda is not new and modern. The battle for men’s minds is as old as human history.

In the ancient Asiatic civilization before the rise of Athens as a great center of human society, many people lived under despotism, where freedom of speech was very minimal. There were no channels or methods for them to use in formulating or expressing their feelings and wishes as a group. In Athens, however, the Greek citizens were conscious and passionate of their interests as a group and were well informed on the problems and affairs of their city-state. Differences on religious and political matters gave rise to propaganda and counterpropaganda. The strong-minded Athenians, though lacking such tools as the newspaper, the radio, and the movies, could use other powerful engines of propaganda to promote attitudes and opinions. The other powerful engines being Greek games, the theater, the assembly, the law courts, and religious festivals. These gave opportunity for propagandizing ideas and beliefs. Furthermore, the Greek playwrights made use of the drama for their political, social, and moral teachings. Another effective instrument was oratory -- the art or practice of formal speaking in public -- in which the Greeks excelled. And though there were no printing presses, handwritten books were circulated in the Greek world in efforts to shape and control the opinions of men.

World War I dramatized the power and triumphs of propaganda. And both fascism and communism in the postwar years were the centers of intense revolutionary propaganda. After capturing office, both fascists and communists sought to extend their power beyond their own national borders through the use of propaganda.

Recent economic changes have expanded the volume of propaganda. Under the conditions of mass production and mass consumption, techniques of propaganda and public relations have been greatly developed to help sell commodities and services and to give rise to good will among consumers, employees, other groups, and the public at large.

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This is a famous poster used during World War I. We see here that the man is dressed in american flag colours. This is to plant a sense of patriotism in the victim. The suit, the tophat, the age, the serious expression. That is a person of class, of higher authority, a person to be listened to. The pointing and underlining of "you" makes the reader feel obligated, as if it is their duty to fight, to win this war for them. It also makes them feel honored because the poster is designed to make them think as if it is only them, and them alone they are reaching for. The words "enlist now" in bold red capital letters to embed a sense of urgency, to immediately rush into their enlistment headfirst because there is no more room for them to ponder, the decision is obvious.

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As per usual, the american flag is present on the cuffs of the hands and a staple part of the poster. The nurse is in a kneeling position and the cap is put on top of her head as if it was a crown, symbolising an honor that is indescribable.

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To put things into perspective, propaganda is neither good nor bad. It can be both a truth and a lie. It only has a negative connotation to it because of its political background.

To me, propaganda does not create new beliefs, it does not convince another person to join the other side, it only amplifies what is felt emotionally. It feeds off of the fear, the opinions, and the resentment that is already felt within the person. It provides a justification and a sense of validation for their emotions, because human beings won't ever act contrary to their nature and beliefs. It incites a new motivation to fight for their cause.

As for propaganda used to encourage enlistment however, my opinion is that it is simply unethical. Glorifying war as something that is worth sacrificing your life for is inhumane. When a war is won, there is no triumph, there is only relief that the massacre is finally over because typically, the ones who insist on war are not the ones who are fighting it. All that wildfire while the ones who commenced it watches from the sidelines.

There are two sides of war, and unsurprisingly, both sides try to depict themselves as the true heroes, while the opposing side is the enemy, the devil in disguise. Each country has their own history books, their own artifacts, and their own interpretation of past events. Whether it is true or not, they do not care, what matters is their reputation, hence why they try to paint themselves in a good light. It is inevitably human nature that always wants to be the hero, even when their actions says otherwise.

The world is awash with misinformation and deception that colours how we see it. We choose to believe what is given to us since the very beginning, and most people tend to stay true to that belief. Humans are driven by emotion, and propaganda plays with our emotions. It is tailor-made to appeal to your wants, needs, fears, and desires. Because if they can get you to feel, you’ll forget to think. That’s the whole game. Everyone is susceptible to it.

You are not immune to propaganda. No one is.