You, Them and Us

[The Artist]

Just a friendly reminder from the Cold War era.

This poster is in the collection of the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum.

 

[flateric]

 

[Archibald]

Just a friendly reminder from the Cold War era.

This poster is in the collection of the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum.

Boy, an advert featuring Dr. Manhattan. ;D

 

[The Artist]

Thanks flateric. I was hoping my posting would get a Loose Lips Sink Ships propaganda thread going. I love that stuff - no matter which side created it.

 

[Stargazer]

Great idea for a thread, indeed. Here are a few I've collected from the web in the past:

 

[Orionblamblam]

The propaganda poster is a lost art today, at least in the US. The best propaganda images are for *internal* dissent, but Odin forbid we produce anything that talks smack about external threats.

 

[Jemiba]

An example from "the other side" :

But that "propaganda poster is a lost art today" I wouldn't agree ...

 

[Abraham Gubler]

But that "propaganda poster is a lost art today" I wouldn't agree ...

They have their moments. Hamas Bloodhound...

 

[Stargazer]

And what about parodies of propaganda? ;D

 

[Stargazer]

More parodies:

 

[The Artist]

Stargazer2006,
The first image you posted is probably the most successful of the Loose Lips... theme. A whole novel's worth of a story reduced to three symbols and three words. Anyone looking at that image will have their version of the full story. And for the other part of the theme - The Enemy Might Be Listening - I think two of the images (two versions of the same idea) posted by flateric are more successful than the one I started this thread with.

The parodies are interesting. One or two of them could be read as redirected propaganda but mostly they became more political or social commentary then propaganda.

I can agree with Orionblamblam about the propaganda poster being, or becoming a lost art but I don't think it's so for the same reason. The poster isbeing replaced with the posting. Web site and blog entries such as the graphic posted here by Abraham Gubler are speaking to the newer generations. Posters are static. Advertising posters in stores are being replaced by large screen flat TVs that run animated graphics and even full commercials. Web and blog graphics can contain links to additional "information". However. Whatever the future will determine to have been the best propaganda of today will still have to depend on the skills used in that "Because Someone Talked" poster - clear, concise storytelling.

Thanks everyone and I'm looking forward to seeing whatever else shows up in this thread.

 

[Stargazer]

Also, propaganda posters were created at a time when the general public had no direct access to real-time information. All you learned about was from the newspapers or the radio. The power of a large, colorful image with a short slogan was therefore very strong. Today we are bombarded with large color images, lots of advertising, and we know that what we hear ought to be taken with a pinch of salt. Also at that time there was blind trust in our leaders, which is no longer the case... and as you said, the internet has played an crucial part in changing this (for better and for worse, because it is also responsible for a lot of nonsense and rumors).

 

[Flogger15]

Old thread put worth a try! One of the feel-good Civil Defense posters dated 1952.

 

[publiusr]

They have their moments. Hamas Bloodhound...

ISIS could put on quite the show--I think they even had a cat video section.
A far cry from Axis Sally though...