Propaganda Assignment: Political

Political Issue
Fear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urPwfuOWRSE

A.      The Conservative party of Canada created this commercial. They are promoting themselves, using their competition as bait to their supporters. By creating this commercial, the Conservatives are trying to gain votes and support their party. This in turn helps them create a majority government.

B.       This advertisement is directed at people who are affected by the issues of a coalition. In this case, it is specifically targeting those who are against a coalition. They are saying that Ignatieff could support a coalition, and that this would not be good for the general public. They are using fear to get to the public, because if Ignatieff is elected into parliament, a disaster might occur across the country because of the proposed coalition said in the advertisement. This disaster could affect everybody in the country, and that could be a fear of the public. In general, this advertisement is targeting the public, specifically those who can vote. Because they can make a change by voting, and supporting specific parties, the general adult public can be affected by this commercial.

C.      Fear can be seen in this advertisement because the Conservatives are trying to scare you away from the Liberal party. It is especially seen at the very end where it says, “Michael Ignatieff. He didn’t come back for you.” This is showing fear towards the audience because the creators are trying to persuade them to go the ‘safe’ way so that you do not end up in the wrong hands. They are using this technique usefully because when fear is involved, people will second guess themselves and move towards the party where they feel most safe.

D.      To defend yourself against fear in this commercial you can do the following steps:
1) There is no direct threat; it is an implied threat that the government may become a disaster
2) They are trying to win my support for the Conservative party
3) If you do not vote for Ignatieff, then the government may stay the same and the issues that are being brought up will not be an issue anymore
4) Try to research what Ignatieff really believes in; what his plans are, seeing it through the eyes of a liberal.

E.       CPCPCC. Re: “Ignatieff Coalition.” Online posting. Jan 24, 2011. Youtube. February 26, 2011.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urPwfuOWRSE>