Propaganda
and censorship are two different entities, but the goal of both is to distort the truth. Both
are used by the powerful as forms of control. They are employed either to reinforce existing
power or to gain more power.
Propaganda gives out false or misleading
information for political purposes. Propagandists often communicate only the sunny side of their
cause, leaving out the grimmer realities of what they are doing. Conversely, they demonize their
enemies as the epitome of evil. Propaganda, in general, tends to oversimplify the complexities
of life, offering instead simplified black and white solutions that serve those in power.
Propaganda is generated by those in power. For example, in Stalinist Russia, every Five-Year
economic plan was deemed a success by the government, even if it was a disaster.
Censorship, on the other hand, means shutting down dissenting voices. In censorship,
the powerful will not allow groups or individuals they consider a threat to speak or publish
their opinions. In more repressive regimes, people are imprisoned for articulating ideas the
government does not approve of. For instance, the dissident writer Havel in the Czech Republic
was imprisoned by the communists for publishing his ideas about freedom in the underground
press. In places like the United States, where the First Amendment safeguards freedom of speech,
censorship can be more subtle. People may learn to self-censor radical ideas, for example, so as
to be hired or get a promotion.
Propaganda is false or misleading
information; censorship is when information or opinions are suppressed.
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