MetaFilter posts tagged with propaganda and ww2

Advertising in the public interest

Rhaomi — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:54:54 -0800

"What if America wasn't America?" That was the question posed by a series of ads broadcast in the wake of the September 11th attacks, ads which depicted a dystopian America bereft of liberty: Library - Diner - Church. Together with more positive ads like Remember Freedom and I Am an American, they encouraged frightened viewers to cherish their freedoms and defend against division and prejudice in the face of terrorism (seven years previously). The campaign was the work of the Ad Council, a non-profit agency that employs the creative muscle of volunteer advertisers to raise awareness for social issues of national importance. Founded during WWII as the War Advertising Council, the organization has been behind some of the most memorable public service campaigns in American history, including Rosie the Riveter, Smokey the Bear, McGruff the Crime Dog, and the Crash Test Dummies. And the Council is still at it today, producing striking, funny, and above all effective PSAs on everything from student invention to global warming to arts education to community service.

Additional resources: A-to-Z index of Ad Council campaigns - Campaigns organized by category - Award-winning campaigns - PSA Central: A free download directory of TV, radio, and print PSAs (registration req'd) - An exhaustive history of the Ad Council [46-page PDF] - YouTube channel - Vimeo channel - Twitter feed

Keep Calm and Carry On

6am — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:42:26 -0800

In 1939, King George VI commissioned the Ministry of Information to produce three posters designed to reassure and prepare the British nation for an inevitable war. The posters were designed not so much to deliver any specific instruction, but rather to suggest an attitude - from King to country - towards the unknown. Stiff upper lip, old boy. KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON. YOUR COURAGE, YOUR CHEERFULNESS, YOUR RESOLUTION, WILL BRING US VICTORY FREEDOM IS IN PERIL, DEFEND IT WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON This extract from a PhD thesis outlines in more historic detail the concept, execution and reception of the three posters.

Keep it under your Stetson.

OmieWise — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 07:04:33 -0800

Free Speech Doesn't Mean Careless Talk! World War II posters from the US Merchant Marine at War. More posters (Rivets are Bayonets, Drive them Home). There's lots of other cool stuff, like this brief history of privateers during the Revolutionary War.

Huge Collection of WWII Propaganda Posters

jonson — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:23:09 -0800

Huge Collection of WWII Propaganda Posters (Axis & Allied powers represented). Via.

The role of sniper particularly suits the mentality of the Jap soldier.

guruguy9 — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 17:24:17 -0800

The Punch Below The Belt is a WWII U.S. Government propaganda pamphlet scanned & hosted by our own fake & jonson. [Via Projects]

Try LALAPALOOZA on them -- it's a panic!

crunchland — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 16:29:06 -0800

How to Spot a Jap ... scan of a 1942 US military educational comic strip, illustrated by Milton Canniff.

Something racist goes here

jonson — Mon, 15 Aug 2005 23:42:22 -0800

Japanese Propaganda from WWII I've seen & been fascinated by a fair amount of Allied propaganda from the second World War, including an exhibit at the Smithsonian a decade back, but this is the first bit of "enemy" propaganda I can remember running across. It's a pamphlet detailing Japan's plans for a better future. Another piece, "Farewell American Soldiers" piece which was leafleted to the troops is in English and is particularly chilling.

Legendary film maker, photographer, alleged Nazi sympathiser

tomcosgrave — Tue, 09 Sep 2003 04:31:28 -0800

Leni Riefenstahl, dead at 101 In response to her film making for the Nazi regime, she said "It reflects the truth as it was then, in 1934. It is a documentary, not propaganda." (more inside)

It's official YOU are a SMACKTARD!

riffola — Wed, 26 Mar 2003 12:40:54 -0800

Battlefield 1942 Propaganda Posters are very handy for the times when you need to call someone a smacktard.

tpoh.org — Wed, 09 Oct 2002 00:53:44 -0800

The virtuous image of the Bertelsmann media empire has been destroyed by a devastating historical study into the company's Nazi links that exposes its post-war success as built on a lie. The report, published this week, not only details the company's role in the Nazi propaganda machinery, but provides evidence of the company's use of forced labour during the war.

crunchland — Sat, 15 Sep 2001 00:06:28 -0800

BUY WAR BONDS! An archive of vintage WWII posters, in case you've got a hankerin' for a little bit of that ol' timey propaganda.