Subliminal MSG

See how subliminal message is used here

( see the 25 second)

The US-Public Diplomacy as perceived by Karen Hughes

In the interview with Karen Hughes I was first very impressed by the way they used sport for targeting a special audience. Public diplomacy is used by employing sports. Cal Ripken first stated that because of different languages it is impossible to communicate with Chinese people for example, but while putting them in soccer filed it become easier to communicate and exchange. Sport is considered as universal.
Additionally, we can talk about the role that Karen Hughes had made for public diplomacy in US. She brought a definition of it and tried to use dialogue as tool of communication with the other part of the world as German even if US don’t use the concept of dialogue correctly since they just it is a ONE way communication.
There is also the point of liberalization and occupation in Iraq, since Us say that they were in Iraq to liberalise it from Sadam, but now that Sadam died what do they still do their? Hughes stated that public diplomacy play a major role to combat terrorist after the 11 september. So USA tries to share it culture with the whole world and give a positive image in a universal scale.

The Seven Common Propaganda Devices

Here are the seven common propaganda devices:
1. Name-calling :

This involves the use of words to connect a person or idea to a
negative concept. The aim is to make a person reject something without examining the evidence because of the negative associations attached to it.
Examples of words include ‘Terrorist‘, ‘Nazi‘ and ‘Queer’.
Name Calling is used as a substitute for arguing the merits of an idea, belief, or proposal. It is often employed using sarcasm and ridicule in political cartoons and writing.

2. Glittering Generalities
The opposite of name-calling, this involves the use of highly valued concepts and beliefs which attract general approval and acclaim. These are vague, emotionally attractive words like ‘freedom‘, ‘honor‘ and ‘love‘.
This method works because these concepts/words mean different things to different people, while still having a positive implication.
When someone talks to us about democracy, we immediately think of our own definite ideas about democracy, the ideas we learned at home, at school, and in church.
Our first and natural reaction is to assume that the speaker is using the word in our sense, that he believes as we do on this important subject. This lowers our ’sales resistance’ and makes us far less suspicious..

This is the list of "positive, governing words" that GOP candidates were told to use when speaking about themselves or their policies.
Active(ly)
Activist
Building
Candid(ly)
Care(ing)
Challenge
Change
Children
Choice/choose
Citizen
Commitment
Common sense
Compete
Confident
Conflict
Control
Courage
Crusade
Debate
Dream
Duty
Eliminate good-time in prison
Empower(ment)
Fair
Family
Freedom
Hard work
Help
Humane
Incentive
Initiative
Lead
Learn
Legacy
Liberty
Light
Listen
Mobilize
Moral
Movement
Opportunity
Passionate
Peace
Pioneer
Precious
Premise
Preserve
Principle(d)
Pristine
Pro-(issue) flag, children, environment
Prosperity
Protect
Proud/pride
Provide
Reform
Rights
Share
Strength
Success
Tough
Truth
Unique
Vision
We/us/our
Workfare

3. Transfer
This is a technique used to carry over the authority and approval of something you respect and revere to something the propagandist would have you accept. One does this by projecting the qualities of an entity, person or symbol to another through visual or mental association.
This stimulates the recipient and makes him/her identify with recognized authorities.
In the Transfer device, symbols are constantly used. The cross represents the Christian Church. The flag represents the nation. Cartoons like Uncle Sam represent a consensus of public opinion. Those symbols stir emotions. At their very sight, with the speed of light, is aroused the whole complex of feelings we have with respect to church or nation.

Single hand symbols: 1.Dissenting person, 2.Beetle, 3.Ray, 4.Anger, 5.Excellent, 6.Bangle, 7.Neck, 8.Armlet, 9.Negative

Double hand symbols: 1.Tusk, 2.Seperation, 3.Forlimb, 4.Waist, 5.Vedam, 6.Brother, 7.Pillar, 8.Mortar, 9.Speedy, 10.Devil, 11.Growth

4. Testimonial
The aim of testimonial is to leverage the experience, authority and respect of a person and use it to endorse a product or cause. Testimonials appeal to emotions instead of logic because they generally provide weak justifications for the product or a cause of action.
‘The Times said,’ ‘John L. Lewis said…,’ ‘Herbert Hoover said…’, ‘The President said…’, ‘My doctor said…,’ ‘Our minister said…’ Some of these Testimonials may merely give greater emphasis to a legitimate and accurate idea, a fair use of the device; others, however, may represent the sugar-coating of a distortion, a falsehood, a misunderstood notion, an anti-social suggestion…”

5. Plain Folks
A technique whereby the propagandist positions him or herself as an average person just like the target audience, thereby demonstrating the ability to empathize and understand the concerns/feelings of the masses.
One may perform ordinary actions or use language and mannerisms to reach the audience and cohere with their point of view.
We are all familiar with candidates who campaign as political outsiders, promising to “clean out the barn” and set things straight in Washington. The political landscape is dotted with politicians who challenge a mythical “cultural elite,” presumably aligning themselves with “ordinary Americans.” As baby boomers approach their sixth decade, we are no longer shocked by the sight of politicians in denim who listen to rock n roll.

6. Card Stacking
A way of manipulating audience perceptions by emphasizing one side of an argument which reinforces your position, while repressing/minimizing dissenting opinions. An example of this articles/media events which compare and contrast the best possible scenarios with the worse examples.
Assume a newspaper editor were in favor of the non-enforcement of immigration laws. Should the issue of immigration law enforcement ever be debated among legislators, the editor might publish articles and editorials that ignore all mention of illegal alien criminals, gang members, and prisoners and report only on decent, hard-working foreigners instead. This sort of card stacking could go on for weeks and influence public opinion on the issue.

7. Bandwagon
The basic premise for the bandwagon technique is to suggest that ’since everyone is doing it, you should too’. It’s aim to persuade people to follow a general trend by reinforcing the human need to participate on the winning side. One can suggest to an audience that he or she will lose out by not moving with the rest of the crowd, thus preying on their insecurities and fears.
With the aid of all the other propaganda devices, all of the artifices of flattery are used to harness the fears and hatreds, prejudices and biases, convictions and ideals common to a group. Thus is emotion made to push and pull us as members of a group onto a Band Wagon.

Morocco is lagging behind

As reported on the BBC articles, Djibouti, Yemen, Iraq and Morocco were ranked the worst educational reformers. Those countries must improve their educational field because its affect the economic development. They must focus on the quality of education and try to improve it. For instance, Morocco system of education is based on memorising rather than trying to develop the critical thinking and innovation of its population. The problem does not come from the teacher manner of teaching, but from the government policy.

Beside the fact that the government changes the system frequently, the bad infrastructure of the schools and crowded class (36 student in same class) also exists. Sometimes in rural cities, they even do not have light. This fact do not help students to achieve their goals. All in all, the Government must allocate more attention and cash to remove the illiteracy that still exist, it is a shame for us to found illiterate people in the 21century.

As a solution, I think that the basics must change which means that the the governement must work hard enough while conducting the system, buiding the schools and also while informing the professors and teachers. If the persons that teach are not well informed, automatically, the students will have a low level of education. Those teachers must have a sense of teaching so that they can know the program but they do not know how to deliver it.

McDonald's and glocalization

This video shows how McDonald's use to change the design of its stores depending on the location. Moreover, McDonalds company alter their menus depending on the localityexigences. For instance, in India no meat exists in McDonalds, During Ramadan in Morocco "Ftour" menues is launched.

Digital visionary: Nicholas Negroponte

Nicholas Negroponte the founder of the 100$ laptop, has done a great job since the goal is fundamental role in educational programmes for children in remote, rural, and poor regions of the world. Nicholas creates this laptop at low price for educational purposes he told in the NY times "You have to remember that what this is about is education." He tried to enable knowledge to be accessible to everyone.
But will it be effective in the developing countries? Since a large number of people in the developing countries are poorly or not educated at all, it will be difficult for them to use this laptop. It is true that it will help to connect to the world but how will they use it. Nicholas initiative is good because of the symbolic price, but it could be excellent if people in the developing countries could take advantage from it.

Spreading peace over the net

BBC article about the 16 years old teenager from ethica, Trevor, was motivated to try to get a big number of people to sign a treaty of peace. This young man managed to get more than 5OOO person to attend this important event to form the a peace symbol and to be in the Guiness records. He managed to do this things despites of his exams and he was able to spread his new from one of the stongest weapons which is the Internet.

The way this article is related to interculutural convergence is by the fact of having to invite many people that he manage to reach through Facebook in order to attend the Dday. From those 5000 people their must be people from different cultures and backgrounds; however, this young man was able to influence their culture by convincing them to attend this day and to make them believe that peace is vital.

As included in the BBC article, people do a lot of effort to market through using brochures, flyers, posters, etc. However, this boy made it from the internet. We can say that the internet is a primary cause for uniting these people and form the highest Guiness record.