Persuasion

Posted by Keren Wang, FA 2025 Table of Content Public Relations and Propaganda Inside the PR Industry Common PR Activities PR and Disinformation Democratizing PR? 1) Public Relations and Propaganda Let’s start today’s discussion with one of the most famous political ads in American history: Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1964 “Daisy” ad. It’s only about a minute long, but it changed the entire landscape of political persuasion. Go ahead and give it a watch: LBJ campaign’s “Daisy” ad (1964). ...

Key Concepts: Visualizing Propaganda Jenne, Erin K. “Varieties of Nationalism in the Age of Covid-19.” Nationalities Papers 50, no. 1 (2022) Antagonistic sovereignty: Antagonistic sovereignty refers to two types of divisive portrayals. The first is an in-out depiction, which alienates and demonizes individuals who are not citizens of the nation (“non-nationals”). The second is an ‘up-down’ depiction, targeting and vilifying the upper echelons of society, including the ’elites’ and the ’establishment’. [1] ...

Confucian Rhetoric: Among the Hundred Schools of Thought, Confucianism, also known as Ru xue (lit. “humanism”) or Ruism, arguably played the most significant role in shaping the Chinese rhetorical tradition. This is in part due to the fact that Confucianism was established as the official state ideology throughout most of Imperial Chinese history. Originated from the writings and teaching of Confucius and his disciples, most notably Mencius (Mengzi) Xun Kuang (Xunzi), its philosophy can be characterized as humanistic and rationalistic, and a tendency to emphasize the importance of ritual and upholding traditions. After multiple centuries of continuous development and official endorsement, Confucianism expanded into an umbrella that covers a range of philosophical, moral, literary, religious, and legal traditions. To this day, Confucian ethics remains a defining element of Chinese culture. ...