Propaganda and the Power of Words

One thing I might never have expected to be reinforced by my travels across China was my understanding of the importance of language and definitions.  Particularly in propaganda or other materials meant to motivate and influence the tides of public discourse.  Visiting varied museums on China’s modern history I found myself surprised time and again to see references to democracy among the praises of what the CCP brought to the populace.

As a graduate student, there are constant reminders of the influence words have on people and the difficulties of definitions contrasted with connotations.  Democracy, much like freedom, is a word heavy with emotion but light on definitive meaning.  Scholars of government regularly seek to set rigid definitions these terms to suit the purposes of their studies, even as politicians casually toss them about in attempt to enflame public passions.  Unfortunately outside of academia, the definition of a word means a good deal less than what it is understood and broadly accepted to mean.

This discussion of definition and meaning struck me as particularly relevant in relation to China’s approach to public information and discourse.  Visiting these varied museums across China and reading the depictions of modern Chinese history bluntly displayed the impact of controlling the political narrative.  Ultimately educating the populace on historic events from a single point of view makes that point of view a reality regardless of potential inaccuracies.

One of the things I’ve found myself most appreciative of on this journey is the way that exposure to China has made me question more of my own understandings of the world as an American.  These museum visits called me to question what I’ve been taught of modern history from the point of view of the United States, while at the same time casting recent issues in the United States in a different light.  The battles being waged over the material to be included in history books in a way are battles to determine the future of US public discourse, however unimportant they might seem these are some of the most critical current political conflicts.