Card Stacking:
Alias:
Ignoring the Counter Evidence
Slanting
John Stuart Mills:
He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion.
From his book, ON LIBERTY
Card stacking, Slanting, Suppressed Evidence
Card stacking, otherwise known as omission, is one of the seven techniques of propaganda as identified by the Institute for Propaganda Analysis. Card stacking is the presentation of information that is favorable to an idea, product or proposal and the omission of information that is not favorable. The use of card stacking is very effective in propaganda, whether it be in commercials, political campaigns, or business proposals. The information presented may be factually accurate but the danger is that negative information is not presented so the message is lop-sided and incomplete. The best way to protect oneself from “card stacking” is by seeking more information from outside sources.
Example:
You’ve spoken about having seen the children’s prisons in Iraq. Can you describe what you saw there?
The prison in question is at the General Security Services headquarters, which was inspected by my team in January 1998. It appeared to be a prison for children – from toddlers to pre-adolescents – whose only crime was to be the off-spring of those who have spoken out politically against the Saddam Hussein regime. The scene was horrific. Actually, I am not going to describe what I saw there because what I saw was so horrible that it can be used by those who would want to promote war against Iraq, and I want to wage peace.
Source: Massimo Calabresi, “Scott Ritter: In His Own Words”, Time Magazine, 9/14/2002.
GLITTERING GENERALITIES:
This is one of the seven major propaganda techniques identified by the Institute of Propaganda Analysis in 1938. Glittering generalities are used most often in politics and political propaganda. Glittering generalities use words that may mean different things to different people but embody concepts, beliefs and ideas that are generally highly valued in society. Some words that are used in glittering generalities are freedom, liberty, democracy, America, etc. When these words are employed no thought is usually demanded; the word(s) stand alone and evoke an emotional response. When someone is asked to sacrifice in the name of Democracy, the individual will usually be swayed by the appeal, for the word “democracy” (for most Westerners, anyway) is charged with powerful, positive emotions. When one encounters an argument or an appeal that uses glittering generalities, it is important to weigh the argument or appeal (to fight, to sacrifice, to vote a certain way) on its own merits separate from the emotionally weighted words used to sell it.
Methods:
The speaker or writer will use metaphors, rhythm, alliteration, repetition, and parallelism with striking imagery to create a flowing river of poetry to hypnotize the audience. The speaker or writer will use emotionally charged words that stir the audience’s heart but upon closer examination the words (which are nouns of intangible ideals such as honor, freedom) are hollow and do not hold any ideas.
The people from the Institute of Propaganda Analysis suggest that when listening to a speaker who is using “glittering generalities” one should ask oneself:
What do the words the speaker is using really mean? What does patriotism mean? What does the word virtue mean to me?
Does the appeal or argument have a true connection to the word(s) being used? For example, is health care truly a right? Or is nationalized health care really socialism?
Is the idea being sold to me by using words I like really serving my best interests?
Leaving these glittering generalities out of the speech or essay, what are the merits of the argument?
What emotions are aroused by these words and images?
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