How Governments Use Design & Propaganda to Control You

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All content directed and written by John Mauriello. John Mauriello has been working professionally as an industrial designer since 2010. He is an Adjunct Professor of industrial design at California College of the Arts.
Edited by Brad Heath: bradleyheath.com/
Every single day, the designed objects around you subtly influence your thoughts about governments and ideologies. You see it in the products you use, the architecture in your cities, art that is state-funded, and the graphic design of public service announcements. This video will uncover all the tools and tricks that designers, artists, and architects use when trying to influence your thoughts with crafty propaganda.
Time stamps:
0:00 Intro
1:16 Scribes as Propaganda
3:05 Font Design as Propaganda
6:25 Henson
7:40 Modern Document Design as Propaganda
10:45 Constructivism
12:45 Socialist Realism
14:35 US Propaganda & Consumerism
17:20 Mid-century Modern
21:54 Abstract Expressionism and the US Government
23:36 Weapons Design as Propaganda
28:10 Shock & Contrast in Propaganda
33:55 Truth In Propaganda
36:19 Palazzo Braschi

[@Design.Theory]

This video will probably receive fewer views than usual because of its controversial subject matter. The KZbin algorithm only promotes content that is advertiser-friendly. This will negatively impact my earnings on this video. I thought about taking out the controversial topics discussed in the video to make YT advertisers happy...but in the end, I decided that this subject is too important. If you'd like to support my work, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/JohnMauriello , where you'll find various benefits to being a member. By supporting me on Patreon, you will allow me to talk about these important topics uncensored. Alternatively, you can support me by liking this video and sharing it with others who might find it valuable. To date, this is the video I am most proud of. I hope you enjoy it! EDIT: Many people have commented, asking why I fail to use proper terms for certain political regimes. Once again, I’m trying to be mindful of KZbin content guidelines. When referring to the USSR, I call them "Russians", even though that is not the proper term, for example. When referring to the 1930s/1940s political regime in Germany, I never call the political party by its name. KZbin automated systems are very sensitive to terms that might be considered even slightly controversial, even if what I am doing is well within the rules of their content policy. But an actual human may never review my video to see the full context. I find this very annoying, but if you want to post on their platform, you gotta play by their rules. EDIT 2: Lots of comments are saying "this video is propaganda". Well, yeah. Pretty much all media is capable of influencing your thinking, and therefore could be loosely considered propaganda. Even the comments saying "this is propaganda" are propaganda.

[@kurtjenkins]

Yep. Great thumbnail, but low views. Plus, YT won't auto-play the video.

[@imanhafiz9846]

Maybe the video's thumbnail plays a bit role on that. Like,people aren't going to bet all of their trust on things(their government)that control almost everything in their whole life for just one supposedly video made for entertainment.

[@fairygurl9269]

*Respect

[@UGPepe]

sorry about that but the video turned out amazing the way it is, I bet it will open the minds of a lot of people, I certainly learned a lot

[@bonovoxel7527]

"Bureaucracy is violence." 🖤

[@Diax1324]

The narrative of this video reminds me of something: A KGB agent and a CIA agent meet at a bar. The CIA Agent says, "Your propaganda is incredible. It's almost believable!", To which the KGB Agent says, "No comrade, our propaganda is but a pale shadow compared to yours. Your people actually believe it!" to which the CIA Agent replies, aghast, "The United States doesn't have any propaganda!"

[@Design.Theory]

lol that joke is SO on point with the style that American propagandists employ

[@cliveadams7629]

Only gotta look at Trump and his cult. Americans have their minds broken by religion, they're mush in the hands of their priests.

[@goldbrick2563]

Dumb

[@JohnSmith-op7ls]

Meh. The Soviets never admitted to lying to their people either.

[@stop.juststop]

@@JohnSmith-op7lsYou missed the point.

[@mateospennati350]

38:23 i have a modern example of this. When a website asks you to accept cookies the yes option is always in colour while no is bland black and white.

[@Design.Theory]

I've noticed that too. V sneaky

[@iXenox]

I think it's more about directing attention than highlighting you amongst the crowd and exposing you to public judgement/humiliation.

[@lexa7250]

Yes fr,

[@oldcowbb]

wait until they start using si si si si si si si

[@jkr9594]

The worst part is that I recently noticed some websites turning the colours around, tricking the user into accidentally accepting all cookies.

[@liberty-matrix]

"No matter how paranoid or conspiracy minded you are, what the government is actually doing is worse than you can imagine". ~William Blum

[@Rocketbunny180sx]

More like William Bum

[@augustusbetucius2931]

Yup. No one will even consider this. Most people have had their minds closed to these possibilities thanks to the inculcation and use of the phrase "conspiracy theory". Most people are well trained. What did Frank Zappa say about most people? That they were "well groomed, odor free, consumer amoeba."

[@OfftoShambala]

Hey,that’s my quote. I should really get credit for that.

[@claytonwhite136]

I want to doubt that but, yeah, we only conspire against what is known.

[@anthonycarlisle6184]

Reminds me of the: Known knowns Known unknowns Unknown unknowns thing🤷

[@oxylepy2]

I love that a joke about birds not being real literally gets brought up all the time.

[@kyledexheimer6548]

But horses...they aren't real.

[@aBKNYO.-tz2mi]

Love the line 'The most powerful weapon against propaganda, isn't more propaganda. It's our curiosity to look beyond the facade' Great video essay

[@GodWorksOut]

Unfortunately, especially given recent events, that curiosity doesn’t seem to be readily available.

[@muthatrucker6485]

The curiosity is why the internet killed religion (Christianity) the ability to research others thoughts

[@harrylane4]

@@muthatrucker6485 idk if you know this but there are still like 2 billion Christians in the world and multiple states are pushing anti-LGBT laws based on the Christian fundamentalist beliefs of their politicians and voter bases

[@lightworker2956]

People say they love curiosity. But then when I'm actually curious, I get called a conspiracy theorist and a far-right extremist.

[@Vic_Trip]

@@GodWorksOut Curiosity will always be painstakingly hard to understand, especially when the propagandists decide to set fire to information overal. The chaos is there to desmotivate people from looking further not only because of the workload, but because it is emotionally unbearable to the brain.

[@BenAlternate-zf9nr]

The repetition of 'SI' is a message: "This is what everyone around you thinks. If you're the one 'no', you'll stand out and everyone will know."

[@ChrisLentik]

Case in point. No one argues for the politician they like anymore, at all. When asked to defend their choice, they just attack the character of the other person without ever even admitting who they support. This is because everyone knows it’s all a big joke now but they’re too scared to admit it to themselves because the propaganda machine is too strong. Subconsciously though their brains won’t let them actually support anyone anymore because they inherently know the truth that it’s all a sham and will only bite them in the ass when the truth is revealed. It is weird to see it broken down to this level on a mass scale though. You’re either still touring the fake system as a corpse of an American, or you’re watching from the outside and waiting for it to collapse in on itself.

[@bradchambers5886]

I'm a contrarian by nature. I always go against the crowd and only agree after being properly convinced.

[@Jasondurgen]

@@bradchambers5886ok?

[@MaticTheProto]

that's dumb@@bradchambers5886

[@NeostormXLMAX]

@@bradchambers5886 yes but people like you are rare, or are you really doing this to go against the crowd? because i see that being a contrarian is actually a more popular think to do, especially in a more individualistic culture like america. so what you are doing is paradoxically with the crowd

[@alexhartan]

"Does copying the enemy's tactics, even in the service of good, tarnish our cause?" GREAT Question

[@Mossyz.]

Fire Vs Fire .

[@alexknox814]

No because its not values, adapting in conflict or to mimic effective tactics of your enemy shows intelligence. There is not a side ever that has been the good guys 😂😂😂😂😂Americans😂😂😂😂

[@ernstthalmann4306]

Stalin vs. Hitler Summarized

[@VeryPeeved]

Depends on the morality of the tactics themselves. The key bit of dysfunction that we've allowed to creep into our thoughts is the distinction we make between means and ends, when there is zero difference between the two. The means are the ends are the means.

[@jessematthews7294]

Absolutely

[@yeseniarobles4289]

Not just government, everyone has the ability to influence. We even learn that as little kids, when we wanted something we knew exactly how to ask for it and whom to ask for it, and if they didn’t want to we’d also threaten to stop or do something in order to get it.

[@johndough23]

mimesis is the default control grid. The unquestioned tendency for humans to learn by simply imitating others and conforming to the set societal norms. referred to by some as the matrix. In the modern World much of this is set by Celebrity and Fashion. Far more than Politics or Science. The masses have no idea something like Taylor Swift is a brand, an idea, a trend being promoted by the Ruling Elites. The Idea a young woman can be like a single male is intoxicating and increase sales of many products and services. It dovetails on the whole campaign to make ethnic cultures mainstream. Conforming ran its course in the 1980's now its celebrating your differences which sells. Celebrate your booty. Celebrate your Husband guys. Celebrate your culture centered on jobsite food trucks and popup sandwich tents.

[@amazinggrapes3045]

Uh, maybe you did 😂

[@wadeodonoghue1887]

True yet if people looked in to the things that motivate them truly, they might feel naked on the inside. Most people aren't self aware enough to realise what propaganda they employ themselves IMO.

[@ogdanson6464]

Facts I can ride around downtown blasting music on my speaker riding my bike, depending on what kind of music I play I can influence how people will react almost like I’m casting a magic spell with my wand 🪄

[@JacobCanote]

Great essay. The horses are watching.... 🐴

[@maqyk4648]

Ok seriously what is the horse thing? Im so confused 😂

[@pizzaandproperty1246]

me too bro, love this video but I just don't get the horse comments @@maqyk4648

[@Marta268]

​@@maqyk4648, I am confused too. Could there be a hint to the Trojan horse? But the Trojan horse was not watching anybody, it just hosted offenders inside it

[@gorgeousgentleman5390]

Petaahh... The horse is watchimmng

[@Marta268]

@@elemenopi55 , horses are just transportation means. This way we can say that police cars are watching us now.

[@MathieuChauvin]

Wow. I’m French and I never knew about the King’s Roman Font. Super interesting, as always!

[@Daniil_Ryvak]

Nice surname

[@shavoshaco2402]

Oui oui

[@Karlach_]

Oh hon hon baugette

[@oerwerk]

Omelette du Fromage

[@meilinchan7314]

Et jusqu’à tout récemment, il était interdit au peuple chinois d’utiliser l’encre rouge ; seule la monarchie pouvait utiliser l'encre rouge et elle était utilisée pour publier des édits. Aussi : dans le passé antique, seuls les bâtiments publics et les domaines de l'élite pouvaient avoir des piliers rouges.

[@banuyam3097]

"Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state." ―Noam Chomsky

[@thatonegirl1007]

As a design student who loves learning about propaganda design this great. Ive always been interested about the influence of design, to understand what about it gave it power. Design is something most look over which i believe is what can make it so powerful.

[@Sohave]

I have always had the distinction between propaganda and commercials that: Commercials sells you stuff through ideas. Propaganda sells you ideas through stuff.

[@NuclearDystopia]

meaningless difference.

[@Sohave]

@@NuclearDystopia That is the point big brain.

[@annieZOK]

This isn't about you

[@Jasondurgen]

⁠@@annieZOKwtf is up with the unwarranted hostility?

[@annieZOK]

@@Jasondurgen this isn't about me

[@draco6m311]

This is some fire. Best Video essay i actually listened to playing competitive games and not spacing out on.

[@elenabout3282]

Thank you keeping us intellectually stimulated! As a European living America I can see how much it needs it ! To think out of comfort boundaries and consumerist loop the system puts you in here.

[@Daniil_Ryvak]

I've written my thesis in history of propaganda and this is an incredible study into the subject but I've been shocked when it ended after 42 minutes. Waiming for the second part of it, sensei?

[@Daniil_Ryvak]

*aiming

[@Design.Theory]

Thanks for checking out the video! Would love to read your thesis

[@kooshanjazayeri]

Adam Curtis's Can't Get You Out of My Head and his other works are a MUST

[@ScalesQT]

This is a crazy amount of research, congrats on one of the most informative videos on the internet 👏👏

[@windihari]

This was probably the best and most important video essay I have seen on KZbin ever and plan to forward it to everyone I know. Loads of interesting historical information and clear examples of the concepts. I knew about Bernays and the history of propaganda, but your breakdown of specific examples was brilliant. Thank you for helping me understand why Jackson Pollock was so "important" during the Cold War. This make me want to go back and watch the movies "Branded" and "The President's Analyst" all over again. The only thing that irritated me, although I understand the necessity and appreciate the irony, was your beating of a dead surveillance horse. Cheers.

[@EricJacobusOfficial]

The material on fonts is the niche wisdom that we all crave on KZbin. Great stuff.

[@jtrealfunny]

Great piece and very timely. I love how well thought through and detailed your stuff is. It's long but it's still packed with important detail and context. Take it from the man.

[@Design.Theory]

Glad you like it :)

[@trouserarmadillo8616]

42 minutes is long?

[@carlmagnussen7773]

They all carry the Maltese Cross (Iron Cross), why is it that non of you cant add the numbers?? That the Freemasons, the KKK, The Knights Templar and the European royals (descendance of Roman royalty) etc are all the one and same entity.

[@jtrealfunny]

All IS one, we are all one.@@carlmagnussen7773

[@teddnagurski5583]

You should highlight the Soviet anti-alcohol propaganda posters. Check out the book "Alcohol: Soviet Anti-Alcohol Posters" by Fuel Design.

[@Animalis_Mundana]

I have a Soviet Bulgarian UN poster, beautiful. From some famous artist who was commissioned to create some posters. Pretty big too original from the 50s

[@dscott1699]

Be clear on what AR stands for. It is not "automatic" or "assault rifle". It stands for Armalite Rifle. This is the original company that produced these. Very informative video! Thanks!

[@GR8APE69]

Yes, we know. You and a million other troglodytes say this every single fucking time the topic comes up. You're beating a dead horse.

[@dcat9558]

Yer and you still don't hear on the breaking news...''today, an active shooter with an armalite rifle!''🤣..always...''a.r style''...''a.r15''..."assault weapon"...

[@secretpeace-wp6xg]

I'm 5 minutes in and I love this conversation. Propaganda is such a powerful tool especially now with Ai becoming more mainstream.

[@timd1893]

I just wanted to take a moment and say that this is one of the most interesting channels i find on youtube. In this unstoppable machine of commercial content, It's rare finding something that sparks up true interest and curiosity. Thank you so much for making this videos! Few people realize how much research, work, editing goes into this videos.👍

[@rugerdie4054]

19:55 Love/Hate That! Brings to mind a line from Billy Talent's Song Surprise Surprise! "We have a counter culture you can buy off the shelf, if you are losing your Identity Try Somebody Else!"

[@unluckycharms9017]

The AR-15 was actually originally designed as a civilian “sporting rifle”, translation-small game hunting or target practice rifle. The navy originally purchased several thousand of the civilian version with no modifications before eventually the army had colt design some changes and make the original M-16. Also the mini 14 is absolutely similar in operation and just as capable, that’s completely fair lol.

[@joshelliott9350]

Ummmmm. I'm not sure what you're talking about. Eugene Stoner showed the rifle to Curtis Lemay on his birthday and Lemay bought thousands for the Air Force. Also, Armalite designed it due to the limitations the military saw with the M3 and M1 in Korea. So much misinformation on your part.

[@unluckycharms9017]

@@joshelliott9350 Armalite colt was one company at the time, yes Eugene stoner designed it, but that was the manufacturer. The AR-15 was designed in 59, before the M-16 A1.

[@Teneu-ym9yd]

Thank you for having the courage to publish this content and to start an explanation of the powerful impact of our visual culture! I respect and applaud you.

[@Design.Theory]

My pleasure! Glad you learned something.

[@garydiamondguitarist]

If knowledge is power then this is to propaganda what Kryptonite is to Superman. Well researched, cites sources to a precise degree, really opened my eyes to how much art is misappropriated to an insane degree. It's a lot more insidious by design - and with design, literally - than I realised. It unifies topics as seemingly disparate as mass produced automobiles, heavy weaponary, voting and several others. It was a history/philosophy lesson I didn't mind taking. Incidentally, the part about horses which is never fully explained is exceptionally clever. As a big fan of _Red Dead Redemption II_ and an animal lover in general that did crack me up. 😂 Final thought: I find it funny that the observation about subjects being at the mercy of their patrons wasn't used as a natural segue into the part about Patreon and the amount of craft that went into this video, which was substantial.

[@VR_Wizard]

30:29 It also contains a ryme now stucking in my head. "Leichen" (dead people) and "Reichen" (rich people) sound similar in german except for the beginning of the word. So much thought went into the visuals but also into the words and how the words affect the readers brain. Because it rymes I read it multiple times and it is like an "Ohrwurm" in music that will not leave your mind. Maybe thats also the propaganda behind military music which has easy to pick up rytms.

[@Design.Theory]

Yeah, Heartfield really puts a lot of thought into his compositions. He's one of my favorite artists of that era. Thanks for providing additional context around the language aspects of it!

[@justgottadoit2]

When they say its for your safety, i say no,I'll be responsible for my safety, you better worry about your safety

[@jordangaul7291]

Great Video John. The discourse of your viewers is respectful and insightful. I am excited to see you hit 400 K Subscribers soon. Good work bud!

[@DrLesterTheSmith]

This is an incredible video. There is so much history and theory and it's great how you pointed out how they remain viable today (particularly faces on coins). I'm also reminded of the bold, high contrast Obama "Hope" Poster and the bold, high contrast design of hats from Trump's campaign. They were both attention grabbing and emotion stirring. I also remember thinking how alluring they could be as propaganda. Your video is a documentary that compels its viewer to pay close attention to, and think critically about, everything that is designed, which is basically everything. You and Dami Lee are producing works that entertain, educate, and empower. Thank you!

[@Design.Theory]

Thanks for checking it out. I thought about including those examples you mentioned, actually. DamiLee is one of my fav creators on KZbin, so that's a major compliment.

[@Yezpahr]

The KZbin algorithm doesn't **only** show advertiser-friendly stuff, but it's at least 80-90% ... wait a tick... Horses are just weird dogs? The world has to know!!

[@arsononemwv]

This is absolutely one of the most incredible videos I’ve ever seen. Your research is so thought-provoking and so inspiring as a writer and designer myself. I look forward to consuming your content going forward. Blessings to you.

[@melissagrosse1185]

Love your very deliberate normalizing of baphomet style horns behind you. I don't miss much detail and subliminal. 😉

[@mikeciul8599]

I used to read Adbusters magazine in the 1990s. I learned about Edward Bernays there. But ultimately I stopped reading because the magazine was so full of counter-propaganda. Thank you for this contribution to media literacy and emphasizing nuance and critical thinking. I'm always grateful to be given credit for the ability to form my own opinions as an audience member.

[@augustusbetucius2931]

I too read Adbusters in the 90s (I think I may have first seen them in the late 80s). Counter propaganda is a good way to put it. But for me it was helpful as a jumping off point to my own critical thinking. I've read a ton of Robert Anton Wilson, and people have said similar things about him. True in one way, yet also very helpful as a jumping off point to do your own independent thinking. Sometimes I feel that *anything* counter to the dominant paradigm narrative is a good thing. Well, almost anything.

[@raffiminasian7160]

Another exceptional video John. I'm always amazed at the final content/presentation. One thing that should be noted is that your perspective as a designer is very in-depth - rooted in the nature of the word as I have come to define the role we serve as designers. The designer "DE-signs" the familiar. Taking down the signatures of the cultural norm and delivering a new signature based on client objectives. Propagandists have known the root of this practice for years as mankind has always been impacted by signs, symbols, and brands. A good designer not only de-signs the image, they study the landscape around the signage, the flow of traffic around it, and the legacy of behaviors that support it. Your video is an excellent example of this.

[@RichardSmith-cl8qh]

My experience exactly- Scientist data is manipulated the same way. Bar graphs with only Y values can change the bar for emotional viewer value, otherwise only a line would be needed. Science does this sort of thing a lot. This show above was great. ( graphic artist /artist from 1967- he is right on!)

[@AndischeAzad]

Dude I've already watched this once knowing that I'm also gonna be watching it a second time, don't worry about the views. Love the content. Keep up the good work!

[@phillipharris8277]

The Armalite15 semi-automatic rifle was not designed for combat, but for general use by civilians. The military rejected it as a cheap and flimsy toy. The benefits contributing to its ease of use primarily impacted poorly trained self defenders, like your grandmother, rather than highly trained soldiers capable of handling heavier weapons. I believe it was the first weapon Armalite attempted to offer to the military, and they had to overcome several rejections to get an evaluation.

[@GR8APE69]

I thought ARs were made specifically to be a civilian weapon based on the core functionality of the M16 (e.g. dust cover, rear sitting two finger charge handle, 30 round magazines, gas system cycling, a construction of steel and strong but light polymers, forward assist, and a barrel shroud with Picatinny rails).

[@MoritzArndt-ok1ti]

Uhhhh that part about why the modern abstrakt art was pushed to symbolize the free will of america in stark contrast to classical soviet art made so much sense. I never got why it was so popular. That's eye opening.

[@enricobianchi4499]

if you think that the sole reason that the entire category of abstract art was created by the united states i don't know what to tell you...

[@Abc-ii1he]

Every single video you make is excellent and novel. Yours is one of very few channels on this platform worth clicking the "bell icon" for. Keep up the good work!

[@samanvayasrivastava559]

I have been enjoying your content thoroughly for past few days and I couldn’t thank you enough for talking about these topics. Amazing work please keep doing what you are doing

[@AnthonyDibiaseIdeas]

You did it again. This video is a more in-depth explanation of the subject than I have ever experienced. Brilliant work. Thank you.

[@Thomas-xd4cx]

Just a note on the usage of the word “propaganda” - basically any and all media was called propaganda a century ago. The word had a completely different meaning and wasn’t a solely negatively used word as it now. TLDR people just knew all media was a way for the creator to influence the thoughts of the perceiver. They were more resistant to the swaying of their opinions than us.

[@kevinvanmierlo-amezcua4977]

This. And ofc the state/ruling family would want to look sleek in their presentation and show authenticity of any document published my them. I would want to know whether the thing I read is published by, say, the Government of Canada. So to call it “mind control” is overstretching the essence. Just like money must be guaranteed somehow otherwise we are back to a trading/bartering economy and the international capitalist market collapses.

[@GR8APE69]

​@@kevinvanmierlo-amezcua4977 "Just like money must be guaranteed somehow otherwise we are back to a trading/ bartering economy and the international capitalist market collapses." How do you figure that? What are you basing that conclusion on exactly? Money doesn't need to be backed by anything other than it's own utility as a means of conveying and transferring value and wealth. Furthermore, fiat moneys are currently not backed by anything. But they don't need to be. The mere fact that governments collect taxes that must be paid in the currency that they alone create and control generates a massive demand for that currency by the people and entities that owe taxes only payable in that currency. This combined with the utility of currencies is enough to guarantee that we will NEVER return to a system of bartering. Frankly, you don't know what you're talking about. You're just pulling what you say straight out of your ass because you must have heard somebody else say something equally stupid and along those lines, and since it conveniently matches the view of the world which only exists within your head, you just parrot it off without ever having actually thought about it seriously or so much as attempted to look into it in any sort of academic or well-resourced way. I don't like capitalism either, but you're not helping our case for the necessity of developing a new, better system than capitalism by going around spouting off insipid shit that you just kinda think is true and maybe heard somewhere before. What you're doing makes us look like a bunch of simpletons, which in turn makes our cause look juvenile and ignorant.

[@us3rG]

There is a common world like with money but there is also the government world. Unless you are aware they will prey. Large cities are basically virtual worlds. ​@@kevinvanmierlo-amezcua4977

[@user-bg3wn5ws3x]

I've been waiting for this video for a while and I'm loving it. The amount of research and depth made this a great and educational watch. A tip I want to give (I'm not a designer or a video editor so what do I know but) is to display numbers, dates, and other information that is hard to process by hearing it, instead of having stock footage playing. This will allow people(well, at least one person) to focus on what you're saying

[@Design.Theory]

This is great advice. Thank you for this feedback. Can you think of specific places in the video where this would be most helpful?

[@user-bg3wn5ws3x]

​@@Design.TheoryI thought about it when rewatchjng during the part about Philippe Grandjean's font-making

[@Design.Theory]

Ok thank you. Will take that into account for future videos

[@poptivist]

your passion for this topic by the end of this video is compelling. thanks for a good watch from someone who usually doesn't stray out of her lane.

[@savagesarethebest7251]

Here in Sweden we have a music writer, movie producer, child stories writer and a botanist and so on our bills. I like this instead of have a bald president, fuhrer, emperor ork monark 👑

[@whirlwind872]

Babe wake up new design theory video

[@thierrynzeukou3426]

Super Relatable

[@prbhavbhardwaj8537]

What babe?

[@johnbsavageiii]

Quality comment, thx

[@DE-GEN-ART]

you have no babe.

[@whirlwind872]

@DIABETES-BOY speak for yourself brother

[@JaniPontusToivanen]

They prohibited hemp as they implemented planned obsolescence.

[@prostozachill8413]

Shit, maybe

[@MinusMedley]

There's no such thing, that is the real propaganda. Things break and wear out, even with the right to repair 99% of the public will never practice that right, most of the time it's not worth it.

[@lukasd.4389]

​@@MinusMedleyNah, they did. Maybe in America in the 50s People rejected their right to repair stuff out of laziness. But round here everything got repaired, usually way longer then it need to. Cultural Difference I guess

[@The-Finisher]

Thank you as this is fact and not an opinion. Apparently younger generations are so subsumed by our now disposable culture that they can’t even recognize it. The lack of skills to repair have been worked into our culture with the removal of the trades and tactile skills based learning in our “education” systems.

[@knitwit014]

The Hemp plant is more useful than these petro based plastic containers. These "beings" are downright evil to knowingly pollute our world.

[@juanmartinreborati7928]

Great video! Architecture is very powerful as propaganda. And we architects don’t take enough time to think about it.

[@ct00001]

I love it so much when people think for themselves and take on the hard work of doing their own research. This video is a prime example. Fantastic work sir.

[@audiodead7302]

Excellent video about an important subject. The relationship between governments and their citizens is at the heart of so many of today's problems. People need to take power back.

[@PeachysMom]

Yes we do, but how? Most of us can’t miss a day of work because we have to live. And you can’t be subversive because you’ll lose your job, and therefore you’d lose your health insurance. I feel trapped

[@audiodead7302]

@@PeachysMom You need to resolve the contradiction "how to rebel, without rebelling". I suggest you do some analysis to identify the forces which give your government power, and the forces which draw power away from your government. Then subtly lend your support to the forces that weaken your government. e.g. by building capabilities in your own community, you become less dependent on the state.

[@sharisimonehampton5434]

​@@audiodead7302YES!! MORE PEOPLE COULD CONNECT AS A WHOLE THROUGH THIS TYPE OF PLATFORM. ITS NECESSARY NOW. THERE IS A WHOLE LOT MORE LOSS THAN A JOB COMING EVERYONES WAY IF WE DONT TAKE STAND NOW!!

[@kcufhctib204]

Bullshit the people are the true cause of their own problem's, the government is just an easy and convenient scape goat.

[@YourAverageNiche]

Video is a meta example of propaganda. Whole video essay was clear and concise until it reaches its end of Italian "SI" segment, and there was censorship on the words of "fascism", and something about election. Dude censored them so that KZbin's totalitarian surveillance could not ban it :D This comment probaly would be banend as well, if not my channel for that simple use of the 'F' word, lmao. P.S: Great and amazing video essay, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@platoriamS]

This is an excellent video. As a communication & multimedia design student, I think every design student should see this. It is fascinating how even the ancient Egyptians used the same design elements as governments do nowadays.

[@theuslopes]

FUN FACT: if you import a scam or an image of a dollar to phoroshop, you'll get a message saying that is illegal to copy and print money. The application reconizes the design of the dollar bills. Thats crazy

[@warrenphilips8441]

Thank you for a balanced presentation, especially in regard to the AR-15. You walked that line right down the middle. Overall a thoughtful presentation.

[@jasonshults368]

He missed to obvious: ALL firearm designs began their existence as military weapons. Even the "friendly" designs like bolt- and lever-actions. The AR rifle has been demonized through propaganda. In form and function, it has no differences from previous designs, which are now deemed as proper "sporting" arms.

[@katrinaisalwayscorrect]

I just commented that part of the fear pushers' agenda is to say that AR stands for assault rifle. Most liberals believe that is what the AR stands for.

[@hasanmuttaqin464]

@@jasonshults368 literally in the video??

[@15nanoseconds]

God knows I've just fallen in love with your channel. You are speaking your truth so creatively, so eloquently and so powerfully.

[@RandomButBeautiful]

Wow, the part about the the history of the fonts is fantastic! Amazing content.

[@kumorikumorii]

super well-made and thought provoking. amazing work, dude! as an art nerd, the visual intricacies of propaganda have always been super interesting to me, and I really liked how you delved into them. can't wait to see more stuff like this from you!

[@MrMrbokchoi]

A good video overall. I kinda cringed at the video of Tiananmen Square just because you mentioned political governments are fragile and can a single crack can leave to its unraveling. This is true but here in the US, I feel that Tianamen Square is such a stereotype and over used to project fear over governments and cultures that the US government doesn't like. For those who don't know (and I didn't know either until my history professor at the University of Copenhagen had to correct me on this) Tianamen was originally a protest about inflation and anti-corruption. But eventually US sponsored student activists hijacked the legit protest and made it into a color-revolution attempt and failed. The leaders of the protest fled to the US and is now a die-hard trump supporter. Anyways, some food for thought. But overall a good video and I appreciate that you posted it even though KZbin doesn't like these types of video.

[@Design.Theory]

Yeah, all fair points. I did some research on it and did know that it was initially more about inflation/anti corruption than an actual regime change...but if you watch my video/footage in isolation it's a bit misleading. I mostly used the footage because it's a very clear visual example of average guy vs government. I do understand that it may have oversimplified things, like all good (bad?) propaganda. So thank you for providing the additional context.

[@quintessenceSL]

Kinda. I had heard people in China were taken by the Kwangju uprising (and also the book), but then again, Kwangju isn't as discussed.

[@gian.4388]

Ironically you should probably show this video to that professor then and rewatch it yourself, in an attempt to correct overexaggerated reports by western propaganda, you ended up believing the complete opposite propaganda, just based on the vibes, not evidence or anything else No evidence of foreign intervention has been made public by anyone, and ultimately hundreds if not thousands of chinese citizens were killed by CCP's soldiers in such an event, and of course we don't know how many since no death toll has been brought forward by the CCP to this very day Like, if what you and your professor said was true then how come the CCP is STILL censoring the discourse around the protests so much right now?

[@gian.4388]

You (and your professor) are doing the exact thing you were warned not to do in the video itself, overcorrecting one side's propaganda with the other side's propaganda just based on vibes alone No evidence of foreign intervention in Tienanmen Square has been brought forward by the CCP Also "and failed" is a pretty disgusting way to avoid saying "the army intervened and k°lled hundreds if not thousands of people, violently crushing the protests and leading some of the protests' leaders to flee the country CCP still hasn't released the death toll, even though on June 4th of '89 the Chinese Red Cross estimated at least 2600 k*lled

[@spatium_media]

Cool video! Nice mix of product design, marketing and propaganda!

[@Design.Theory]

Glad you like it!

[@gwennhall8905]

I find propaganda and its effect on humans one of the most interesting and intriguing subject full stop. The effect on our society is never ending.

[@breezyillo2101]

Your videos make me feel impassioned about the field I'm in. Not necessarily about my humdrum job for a corporation, but as someone who employs a craft

[@mr.markofski4267]

I always *loved* looking at the intersection of propaganda and design Propaganda is it’s own art (and also it’s own science) that I think has arguable more potential for good or evil than any other expressive art

[@jblecaire8784]

Awesome video !!! But the most iconic firearm is not the AR15 (or its army counterpart, the M16), but the AK47, with its soviet style, rustic and woody 😊

[@Sammy213]

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a meeting somewhere with a branding agency that said "how can we get our own iconic AK47?"

[@kyledexheimer6548]

Initially he had a piece about the AK47 in here but it had to get cut for time dispite having a sweet sweet quote from the incredible Nic Cage in Lord of War.😢

[@tally3018]

As someone working with interfaces an UI design this random video was bery interesting! I had no idea of the amount of work that went into fonts

[@Princesssparkles2014]

That’s why you have horns in the background. By design you subtly show who you bow to.

[@himanshusinghal242]

I, for the first time noticed the horse as part of painting. I always saw this painting and connected it directly to his power, a proud and confident Military general conquering the land. is this also an effect of painting style

[@hunterthompson486]

This is a great piece. well done, great information. It has been my purpose to help others learn to see through harmful narratives and or propaganda. Im well trained and experienced in some of the most advanced trainings in persuasion/influence, conversation/communication, hypnotherapy/NLP, law/natural law, identity changework, body language/human behavior, passive and active profiling, face reading, Graphology/grapho-analysis, iridology, physiognomy, Systema/pressure point martial arts and more. And after learning, mastering and even teaching these areas I am now mostly focusing on creating art, mostly sculpture and With no substantial background or education im finding it very natural for me to create using many of the concepts/strategy’s you go over in this video to create powerful meaningful messages within each piece. Find myself often stacking provocative meaning within each provocative meaning speaking mostly to the other than conscious mind inviting those who experience to go as far and deep as they are capable. Everything has intention and meaning. There are no coincidences

[@recnepsgnitnarb6530]

Many years ago, I watched an interview with Nazi propagandist Fritz Hippler. He later denounced Nazism but in his comments about the effectiveness of Nazi and other forms of propaganda, he stated that "propaganda makes things simple." To those who are "weak-minded" a simple answer to a complicated issue is extremely attractive. To paraphrase Obi Wan Kenobi, "politics/propaganda has a strong influence on the weak-minded." The Nazis were very keen on using three primary colors in their posters and the like. Red, black, and white. These three colors had been used for centuries since the development of printing to draw the reader's eye into headlines and messages that the publisher wanted to promote. This same tactic is widely employed in political posters and bumper stickers. Ever notice how recent presidential candidates only stick to three colors in their propaganda? It is seen all over the place now that the United States is in the midst of another presidential election, with one "candidate" using only one color on the hats they sell, the color red. It was briefly touched on in this presentation about flags and their use as idols to focus nationalism and so called "patriotism." Most of the world's flags have red in them to some degree. That red is meant to represent the blood shed in endless wars. When a person is able to perceive the subconscious messaging in advertisements and propaganda, they are able to "reverse hack" their mind and then able resist the influence that propaganda has on the "weak-minded."

[@ancestralspirits521]

Truth is Simple, Lies are Complicated.

[@kovryzhenko]

Great video. Thanks for compiling all this information into a captivating video!

[@Stellar-Cowboy]

24:44 Small mistake: the M4, which is what was used in the 00s wars, is actually an AR15.

[@jaydmorales23]

The M4 could be more accurately described as the carbine version of the M16, which is the military version of the AR-15

[@AdamSambuco]

M4 and AR15 are absolutely not the same rifle.

[@Stellar-Cowboy]

@@AdamSambuco yes they are. An M4 is an AR-15 type rifle.

[@AdamSambuco]

@@Stellar-Cowboy "type" ... absolutely not the same thing. Not remotely close.

[@1776_Reasons]

"TYPE" is the word that specifically tells you they are somewhat similar but NOT THE SAME.

[@Arroway2357]

The AR-15 segment is only frustrating because of the phrase "functionally similar". There are wooden stock, "hunting style" rifles that are more than merely functionally similar. They are _functionally identical_ . Same rate of fire. Same range. Same ammunition. It is literally only a matter of aesthetics that differentiates them. This is important. If certain guns can be outlawed based solely on such an arbitrary factor, it erodes the right to bear arms. But I really love your videos. They're very informative.

[@Design.Theory]

Which gun is functionally identical to an AR 15? Closest one I could find is the mini 14. There was also a smaller carbine that I can't remember the name of that has a plywood stock. It's basically an AR but a little smaller. Legal in California

[@andreapuskaric4858]

I was dead tired but then I played the video and got wide awake. You. Are. A. Gem. You make me question everything. Which makes me even more confused than I am on my own, but I guess I'll find a way. When I grow up into a designer, I want to be like you. Thank you so much for everything you do.

[@intercalz]

Great video. The currency notes/coins reminded me of a counterexample to propaganda in design - playful guilder currency notes designed by Ootje Oxenaar for Netherlands that were in circulation till Euro was introduced as currency. Another counterexample was the famous graph by Charles Joseph Minard on the Napoleon's march to the east and back with the graph clearly demonstrating the futility of war by showing a high number of troop casualties over time. The graph does not even mention Napoleon's name so as to not glorify him. A sad case for modern consumer design is anything from ikea and, by extension, bland nordic design sensibility. The flight security checks, specially for flights headed to US, has been a very modern case of propaganda that serves only to inconvenience people.

[@tealkerberus748]

TSA checks seem to primarily serve the purpose of enabling prejudiced and abusive people to sexually assault anyone they don't like. This largely targets disabled people, BIPOC people, and visibly transgender people, but there have been a number of cases of convicted child s*x offenders being hired (they don't bother with background checks in the TSA) and using their position to assault child passengers while the parents are right there and daren't protest. External testing of the TSA has found it 100% ineffective at detecting weapons being taken on board aeroplanes.

[@godbacchus]

Birds aren't real!

[@Design.Theory]

Birds ARE real. Don't let the Big Horse Agenda fool you.

[@kyledexheimer6548]

Then where am I getting my eggs from?

[@GR8APE69]

​@@kyledexheimer6548 Chickens. Chickens aren't birds, though, they're feather covered dinosaurs.

[@richardcampbell8685]

Facts

[@richardcampbell8685]

@@GR8APE69 this guy knows the truth.

[@SaaSLTDDeals]

Wow, the power of design in propaganda is truly eye-opening. It's amazing how visuals can manipulate perceptions and control behavior so effectively.

[@pawelzawislak1671]

That's probably the most valuable content I've found on the internet this year. And maybe even last year. Nice one!

[@farinshore8900]

Excellent video ! Thank you for the hard work, and thank you for sharing

[@supersucks]

I was just binging your videos thinking why you haven’t uploaded, glad im in the right time

[@maxfield9873]

It is worth noting that Edward Bernays was nephew to Sigmund Freud and consulted him in forming his propaganda theories. It was Bernays who marketed Freud's work and brought him fame in the US.

[@zionne2716]

When you watch tv, when you read the news, you are getting propagandized. When you dont consider carefully and just have "normal" opinions, you have been successfully propagandized.

[@buster5442]

Thank you for the video, I really enjoyed the content and 40 minutes passed so quickly!

[@Element8909]

Aww yeah you used the thumbnail I voted for!

[@bradkaral1188]

Fascinating. I love the way you've integrated so many things most people consider to be separate and unrelated.

[@memxfgtwjd]

I recently realised the reason i suck at managing my money so much is because its such a made up concept to me. When people ask me to make art for them i usually ask to swap for something they can do or do it in lieu of payment for another thing (like making something for my guitar teacher then he did a free music lesson) Hasbara needs to take a lesson here... fully charged ipads... papers folded and inserted into books... I am so glad i started going zero waste recently. Thankfully my distsin for authority makes me uninstall apps if they advertise to me all the time

[@0therun1t21]

So when I was an 8yr old little girl with a bruised shoulder from my mom's 22 rifle I should have been using an AR-15? There are so many good things on YT for your ears only, it really cuts dowm on my screen time. It's so nice to close your eyes and listen or do something with your hands, we really have to show our grandchildren how nice it can be to do a craft but still have a good story at the same time.

[@elliot9634]

chomsky, manufactured consent btw look up who replaced bronze with silver notes during the start of the fall of rome.

[@cloidless]

29:18 "Source: my weird friend Kyle" lmao, you didn't have to do Kyle like that

[@natediemer1306]

This is why I’m fascinated with the monolithic banality of (US) bureaucratic government buildings - the insides and outsides are almost always so unremarkable and I have to wonder how intentional that is - the government buildings have to look both grand in scale, but also unassuming and bare, so that nobody feels like tax dollars were wasted, yet that the government’s scale is ever reaching. These conversations and observations are what drive my personal photographic work, looking at our current built environment almost as an archaeologist from a future time might look at ruins - asking how does what we build and design show the values of people and governments, hiding in plain sight. The art of it is creating photos both visually pleasing and also capturing the visual signposts that highlight the values of our age. Just a few days ago I was walking around and walked past a school whose front sign said “name change April 8” and it was one of those aha moments, with the sign signaling a moment of our time, I won’t explain exactly why it is significant, but something about a sign of our times manifesting on an actual sign had to be captured and remembered. A renowned photographer who captures these peculiar and revealing corners of normality is Alec Soth

[@vicaleksa]

As a Russian, I can't help but notice the perfect timing of the video.

[@arthurbukovetsky6322]

Great video. Just one kinda important remark. When speaking about Soviet Union, please, stop referring to citizens of Soviet Union as "russians". Even Stalin was not russian, he was Georgian, born in a country Georgia. The proper way to refer to citizens & leadership of Soviet Union is to call them "soviet". Otherwise, great video & keep up the good work, cheers 🙌

[@asuka_the_void_witch]

thanks

[@Design.Theory]

It's because of this platform's draconian censorship policies. I agree with you.

[@gorgeousgentleman5390]

@@Design.Theory Maybe try releasing contents to another legit platform could help. All centralized social platforms are prone to the "draconian censorship". This platform loss some of its liberty probably after 2010 and after a "Popular Düde" visiting far-east forest filming a literal liveless guy

[@gorgeousgentleman5390]

​@@Design.TheoryTube lost the liberty since post-2010 and "Cool düde" filming liveless person in forest

[@dr.strangelove5708]

Brezhnev was Ukrainian and he was General Secretary for the USSR for 18 years.

[@jasonshults368]

ALL firearm designs began their existence as military weapons. ALL. AR-15's are just the most modern iteration.

[@bbblackwell]

Superb exploration of a critically important topic. You really undermined yourself and your message by allowing some company to buy your mouth in the middle of delivering this important message. If not for that, this would be a solid, timeless piece of work.

[@FlymanMS]

You remind me of young Pacino

[@Design.Theory]

Say hello to my little friend

[@fairygurl9269]

"Who Do I Trust?" 😁👍

[@ramonantoniodejuanbennett6239]

The eyes Chico, they don't lie!

[@brendanwiley253]

Mid century modern is the realization of "I don't care rhat my homeland doesn't mean anything anymore, the line on the graph went up."

[@bjmaston]

Excellent. Probably one of the best documentaries I have ever found on KZbin. Well done.

[@rickdeckard7098]

lol as if there is a division between those that influence what people buy and those that influence what people think.

[@PeachysMom]

💯

[@cameroonemperor755]

how are you so based each time i look on your videos im always positevely surprised by how good your content is

[@Design.Theory]

Thank you 🙏