Off Topic — HabitableZone

Off Topic » in reply to Nonplussing over Goebbels appeal to the left.

re: Nonplussing over Goebbels appeal to the left.
ER — (archived)

The Nazis are the extreme of conservatism, just as the Communists are the extreme of liberalism. That explains why left and right are always obsessing about the two. Actually, I think both have a lot in common in theory, and in practice are indistinguishable.

I am a student of propanganda, but I don't know much about German propaganda because I don't know German and not much has survived in English. I am a geographer and cartographer though, and I have studied the use of cartography as propaganda, and in this the Nazis were masters. I would suggest the little book "How to Lie with Maps"
(unfortunately, I can't remember the author, but I'm sure you can Google it if you would like to follow up.) It has a chapter on Nazi map-making for political purposes which is very enlightening. The author also discusses the uses of persuasive and misleading cartography by others, particularly the business community.

Incidentally, the skill of Disney as a propagandist has certainly been recognized by the left. The Chilean socialist Ariel Dorfmann has written a classic monograph on the imperialist agenda behind Disney characters, Donald Duck in particular, which makes some valid points, although all in all, I think it's a bit of a stretch, myself.

And don't forget, Elisee Reclus and Pyotr Kropotkin were both anarchist geographers.

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