From the Green Berets to America’s Army: Video Games As a Vehicle for Political Propaganda

Summary of Reading:

This week’s reading discusses propaganda and its mechanisms for effectiveness. According to Delwiche, propaganda is “developed by an organized group and systematically disseminated with the intent of prompting certain attitudes and behaviors” (93). Propaganda is diverse and encompasses advertisements, TV, video games, political leaflets and more.

Outside Example:

One example I thought of while reading the chapter was Rosie the Riveter. Rosie the Riveter was the face of a campaign aiming to recruit female workers into defense industries during WWII. The campaign was launched to compensate for the hit industries such as munitions and aviation took following the enlistment and deployment of men to the front-lines.

Connection to Reading:

Rosie the Riveter is a classic example of propaganda, working effectively to recruit women as they aspired to and identified strongly with her. Rosie is portrayed as a strong, independent and confident woman through the positioning of the character (a flexed arm is symbolic of strength), her calm and even facial expression as well as the large speech bubble enclosing the words “We Can Do It!”. By portraying Rosie as a woman doing her part to help her country in the war effort, the every-day woman identified with the character not only on the basis of gender but also as a fellow American patriot, spurring them to enter the workforce.