Western Political Thought Dr. John Paul Tabakian

Political Science 5 Fall 2012 – Power Point #6

COURSE LECTURE: WEEK #6

Today’s Lecture Covers The Following: • The Red Scare #1 • Mitchell Palmer’s “The Case Against The Reds” • William Allen White’s “The Red Scare Is Un-American” • The Red Scare #2 • Senator Joseph McCarthy’s Accusations of Disloyalty –

Speech” • Information Flows Top Down • Messages And Manipulation • Mirror Myth

THE RED SCARE #1

•The first “Red Scare” takes place after the labor strikes and race riots of 1919. In 1917 the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia inspired leftists who believed that a “world” revolution would be possible. Formation of the Third International (later dissolved by Stalin during WWII). In fact, as a result of the success of the Bolsheviks, some American radicals moved away from the Socialist Party and became active in the American Communist Party. In 1919, the post office intercepted 40 bombs, and a bomb exploded in front of the house of Attorney-General A. Mitchell Palmer.

•This was the beginning of a series of “witch hunts” by the government against radicals and aliens. Raids were conducted and many people were deported. In 1920, a police sweep took 5000 suspects into custody, many without arrest warrants..Dampened Progressive reforms which grew out of the grassroots reform movements of the 19th century.

MITCHELL PALMER’S “THE CASE AGAINST THE REDS” (1)

Notice the first phrase (“Like a prairie fire…”) is meant to underscore the spreading danger that the radicals posed. This phrase, ironically, was later used in the 1960s to promote the revolutionary causes of the radicals of the New Left. Rhetoric of Demagogues:

• {Discourse Analysis}No doubt, Palmer’s argument is based on the rhetoric of pathos, the use a language of fear and patriotic emotion.

•To the public, the “Reds” are the enemy, whether anarchist, socialists or communist, and Palmer makes no distinction among the various radical political philosophies. In fact, Palmer equates the politics of the left with criminal activity, “the degenerate factor in society.”

•He establishes his own “facts”: (“the Reds are criminal aliens”) and by the government fighting the Reds, the government is fighting crime (“there could be no nice distinctions drawn between the theoretical ideas of the radicals and their actual violations of our national laws”).

MITCHELL PALMER’S “THE CASE AGAINST THE REDS” (2)

•Notice the choice of words (connotative meanings) and characterizations he makes: (“clique of outcasts”); (“organization of thousands of aliens”); (“promises of lawlessness, of criminal autocracy to Americans”); (“purpose of communism appears to be a mass formation of the criminals of the world to overthrow the decencies of private life”).

•Palmer groups all the radicals together including individuals he calls “moral perverts” and “hysterical neurasthenic women.”

WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE’S “THE RED SCARE IS UN-AMERICAN”

•A liberal response of a progressive reformer attacking Palmer’s position. •There is a Constitution and there are certain rights that permit debate, expression of unpopular ideas, and the right to politically dissent.

THE RED SCARE #2

The second Red Scare took place after the Second World War as the Cold War began. America had an enemy: the Soviet Communists. •By the end of the 1940s, “loyalty oaths” were becoming common for people who worked in the government. •Hysteria arose about the possible presence of spies working within the U.S. In some cases people’s reputations and careers were ruined when they were accused of belonging to or sympathizing with the Communist Party.

THE RED SCARE #2

During the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy began a one-man crusade to root out the “Commies”. He used “name-calling” and “smear tactics” to attack people who disagreed with him, claiming they were unpatriotic or worse, agents of foreign governments. “McCarthyism” is the term we still use to describe this type of political attack. We also refer to such political campaigns to investigate adversaries as “witch-hunts”.

•Reading this speech accusing individuals of un-American activities, one becomes aware of the same use of the rhetoric of pathos that was apparent in Palmer’s 1920 statement about the aliens in our midst. •The appeal of McCarthy’s attack is to characterize an individual’s political position as irreligious (“engaged in a final all-out battle between communistic atheism and Christianity”) and unpatriotic (describing the greatness of the nation and promoting America as the great “beacon”). •McCarthy makes the wild claim that the government is “thoroughly infested with Communists.”

SENATOR JOSEPH MCCARTHY’S ACCUSATIONS OF DISLOYALTY – SPEECH”

ELITISM – HOW INFORMATION FLOWS

Elite theory also argues that information flows from opinion elites down to opinion leaders who are looked to the public for information. News is first “created” by opinion elites and then sent to opinion leaders to help disseminate the information. Those at the very top of the elite network decide what information is deemed as necessary to offer society. These elites may be news makers themselves or in charge of large media corporations. Opinion leaders may be thought of as journalists, news anchors, expert pundits or even celebrities who possess legitimacy among those in society.

MANIPULATION EXAMPLE: DUCK AND COVER

Governmental elites find it necessary to manipulate the masses if doing so serves a vested interest. Here is a great example of how a safety video can serve as a tool for manipulating the masses from childhood. Who does the monkey represent?

MANIPULATION & MIRROR MYTH

News media outlets possess a great power. They are able to “decide what will be decided”. Bias is exhibited throughout the mainstream press. This is also true for nontraditional news sources as everyone is biased in some way. Many in the news media stress that they are nonbiased since they only reflect reality. Even if the news is merely reflected or reported, it is their choice of subjects that proves their bias. All news is biased. This is the “Mirror Myth”.

BIOLOGICAL WARFARE - MANIPULATION

How can we protect ourselves against the threats of germs and toxins? Cold War America gears up to fend off threats from unconventional bioweapons. This is another example of how propaganda is utilized to foster fear within society. Enjoy the video.

PROPAGANDA – CINEMOCRACY

Governmental elites may believe that their national policies are so concrete that it is necessary to utilize various forms of propaganda gage in propaganda to incite specific reactions from its citizens. Various forms of propaganda have been utilized to drum up mass support to better assure elite legitimacy. Cinemocracy, the relationship between motion pictures and government is one way governmental elites sell their agenda. Enjoy this classic cartoon, “The Ducktators”.

COLD WAR PROPAGANDA

Elite manipulation has existed in our country even prior to the days of our founding. Masses are susceptible to manipulation as they are highly emotional. Elites utilize symbolism to pull these emotional heartstrings at will. Enjoy this 1952 government sponsored film vilifying communism.