CARTOONS AS PROPAGANDA
How animation can be used to spread problematic messages
Cartoons are a really, really good medium for propaganda. “The most effective kind of propaganda,” says “Ten Commandments of Propaganda” author Brian Anse Patrick, “subtly feeds your mind, and cartoons are ‘junk food for the soul.’” But more than being junk food, cartoons are effective at influencing viewers because it’s easier to imagine yourself in the place of a drawn character than with one that’s played by a live action actor, leading you to identify more with whatever the former is espousing.
This means that instead of dismissing animation as harmless fun, it’s important to look at what it’s saying, especially when it’s targeted towards children.