Are the Russians too stupid for propaganda?

[yankeedoodle]

Are the Russians too stupid for propaganda?

This week I published an article about the "science of propaganda," to which a reader asked in the comments whether Russians were "too stupid for the science of propaganda." The answer is "yes," and I want to explain that here.

by Anti-Spiegel
April 11, 2025 , 7:00 PM
https://anti--spiegel-ru.translate.goog/2025/sind-die-russen-zu-dumm-fuer-propaganda/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

On Tuesday, I translated an article titled " The Science Behind Anti-Russian Propaganda ," which very well explained how and why this Western media propaganda works so well. https://theinfounderground.com/tiunew/index.php?topic=32567.msg101828#msg101828 Articles like this, which explain propaganda techniques, obviously don't appeal to a broad audience, as the click count shows, but I find it extremely fascinating because I want to understand in detail how and why propaganda is so effective.

In the comments below the article, a reader wrote that there is no monopoly on any science and that propaganda methods can and are used by everyone. He suggested that the Russians also engage in this kind of propaganda and accused me of ignoring the topic. He concluded by asking the following question:

"Or does Mr. Röper want to make us believe that the Russians are too stupid for the science of propaganda?"

And the answer is "yes." Russians are indeed too stupid for propaganda. This doesn't mean they don't understand how the science of propaganda works, but they can't—or rather, don't want to—use this science. I experience and discuss this at every media conference I attend in Russia.

I guess I have to explain that.

Western propaganda
Propaganda is the same as PR or advertising; it operates according to the same rules and is, in fact, exactly the same. Advertising aims to popularize a product, PR aims to popularize an organization, for example, and (political) propaganda aims to popularize a political course.

And because it's all exactly the same, the same methods and tools are used. The goal is to appeal to the target audience's emotions, not to factual arguments. No car manufacturer would publish a dry list of its car's technical specifications as an advertisement; Instead, they use beautiful images accompanied by music to create a mood. This could be the mood of an off-road adventure, the mood of a harmonious family that's incredibly happy in the car, or whatever.

This is also how the Western media's anti-Russian propaganda works. They let pictures do the talking, write flowery texts, and thereby create the desired emotions in the reader or viewer: Russians are evil. Russian men beat their wives. Russian soldiers loot and rape because that's perfectly normal in Russia, where men beat their wives.

In short, in their reports about Russia, just as in advertising, the media appeal to the emotions of the target audience and associate negative feelings with Russia and "the Russians."

Of course, Russia knows this, but it still doesn't use these instruments. Why?

Are the Russians too stupid for propaganda?
The reason isn't that Russians are too stupid for it; it's that Russian nature is reluctant to appeal to emotions on factual issues. In Russia, they appeal to reason.

It would be unimaginable for the Russian Foreign Minister to stand in the UN Security Council holding up a test tube filled with a white powder to accuse Iraq of developing weapons of mass destruction. US Secretary of State Powell did just that, ultimately paving the political path for the Iraq War. It worked because it appealed to emotions, creating an image that stuck in everyone's mind: Saddam has weapons of mass destruction, and he must be stopped with war!

Instead, a Russian foreign minister addresses the UN and explains the Russian position in a dry speech, citing provisions of international law and international treaties. This sounds boring to most people and doesn't produce images that could be used propaganda-wise to stir the audience's emotions.

Russians are reluctant to use emotions to promote their own political position; they want to argue, explain, and convince. And that's far less effective than the emotional propaganda common in the West.

Russians don't like generalizations
In Russia, there are also no reports portraying "the Ukrainians" as evil. Russian media draws a strict distinction between the people of a country and the policies of its government. They distinguish between the radicals that exist in every country and the masses of the people in that country. Even during World War II, Russian newsreels never spoke of "the Germans" as evil; instead, they always distinguished between the "fascists" and the Germans.

In the West, however, propaganda demonizes and dehumanizes the people of Russia across the board. The enemy is not just Putin, but Russia and "the Russians." This one-sided approach can be emotionalized—in contrast to the differentiated approach common in Russia—and this is what is done to create the desired anti-Russian sentiment.

And that's exactly what Russian media doesn't do. I translate many news and reports from Russian media here, and anyone can see for themselves that this doesn't exist in Russia (as always, there are exceptions to the rule). Russian television doesn't demonize "Ukrainians" across the board; instead, it criticizes the Ukrainian government and the radical movements in Ukraine, while simultaneously claiming that average Ukrainians have to suffer under them. The Russian media always distinguishes between a country's politics and its people.

Therefore, one could say that the Russians are too stupid to use the science of propaganda. But one could also say (and this would be the correct formulation) that Russia finds these methods repulsive and does not want to descend to that level.

Therefore, there is an old Cold War joke among Russian journalists in which two Russian soldiers wash their war-stained boots in the Potomac River in Washington and terribly regret that Russia has lost the information war.

Russia neither won the information war in World War II, nor is it winning it today. One might regret that Russia only understands the science of propaganda but doesn't use it. But that can't be changed, because Russians find emotional manipulation in factual matters such as politics repulsive. The Russians can't overcome their fears...

All that remains for me to do now is to wish you a nice weekend and, as is customary with "Friday Thoughts," thank everyone who supports my work.