When You Ride Alone You Ride With Hitler!

Propaganda defined as information spread for the purpose of promoting a cause is not only used by countries or governments to persuade the ideas and actions of another. In some cases, governments use propaganda to spread ideas to their own countrymen, which then portrays a picture of unity and togetherness to the outside world. We saw an example of this in class as we watched the Germans gather solemnly and in massive numbers to symbolically portray their pride in Hitler's regime. The United States however, also has created advertisements and slogans of all kinds to rally the American people together for or against an idea.

A few weeks ago I visited the Smithsonian museums for the first time and was truly entertained when I stepped into a room that displayed the memoirs and scenes of times in the U.S. during WW II. There were army vehicles and displays of what the typical soldier's barracks looked like. But even more interesting were the walls full of posters and signs that were directed at the every day American, showing them how they can do their part to help their country win the war. Of course 'help America win the war' is never directly stated... instead we see posters that portray a daughter and her mother in the kitchen packing preservatives with a caption that says 'We'll have lots to eat this winter won't we mother?' This family scene is really portraying the importance of stocking up on food in preparation for the worst that could happen during war time. Another poster shows a smiling man driving in his convertible with the outline of an invisible Hitler in the passenger seat. The caption for this scene says 'When you ride ALONE you ride with Hitler: Join a car-sharing club today!' This scene is portraying the importance of preserving gasoline and oil during time of war. There were so many different 'happy' scenes and messages that were well framed to make an audience believe that they could do these easy things and make a big difference for their country.

To me, these posters were obvious examples of propaganda... but it may not have been so obvious to the people during that time. It makes me think about American life today and the messages we see so frequently about a 'war against terrorism' and others. We too are no doubt hit with a barrage of words that are packed with ideology but presented in the most common and care-free tone. I wonder what the display will look like in twenty years at the Smithsonian to portray this time in our history depicting the country at war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other middle eastern countries...