RATE THIS EXAMPLE FROM "BENEFICIAL" TO "HARMFUL"
BENEFICIAL HARMFUL
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Defund Gotham PD - Luan H
Background Information
This meme targets the issue of racial profiling. It states, "The reason Batman doesn't cover his whole face is because he needs the police to know he's white." The reference is to Batman's mask, which covers most of his face while leaving his mouth and chin exposed. The claim made by the meme is that this area of exposed skin is intentional, so that police are aware of his racial status as a white American. The meme is inferring that the police would act differently towards his actions as a vigilante if he were of a different race. The meme was posted by the Instagram account @saratrankley on March 17th, 2021.
Technique Used
Activate Emotion
This is propaganda because
This meme is an example of propaganda because it supports the notion that police departments are inherently racist. It uses emotion to pass on this concept by using a Super Hero character that is widely recognized to get their point across. It is both beneficial and harmful. It is beneficial in the sense that it brings attention to a systemic issue, racism in the police force, a problem that is relevant in society and needs to be resolved. At the same time, it is harmful because it instigates the belief that all police officers are inherently racist (even in the made-up city of Gotham), which results in added tension between citizens and law enforcers.
Source
Instagram
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