The situation with the Line 5 oil pipeline that runs through Michigan isn't the most topical issue I could have picked this week. It's more of an ongoing issue that (I hope) most Michiganders are familiar with.
The point I'm attempting to make, however, is extremely topical. And that topic is: propaganda works. And now I shall go further into the weeds to provide an example, the 1950 Democratic primary race between incumbent Claude Pepper and challenger George Smathers:
Part of American political lore is the Smathers "redneck speech," which Smathers reportedly delivered to a poorly educated audience. The alleged comments were recorded in a small magazine, picked up in Time and elsewhere and etched into the public's memories. Time, during the campaign, claimed that Smathers said this:
"Are you aware that Claude Pepper is known all over Washington as a shameless extrovert? Not only that, but this man is reliably reported to practice nepotism with his sister-in-law, he has a brother who is a known homo sapiens, and he has a sister who was once a thespian in wicked New York. Worst of all, it is an established fact that Mr. Pepper, before his marriage, habitually practiced celibacy."
Smathers was also able to successfully label Pepper as a communist, "Red Pepper." Smathers easily won the election.
I remember reading about this incident when I was in high school and thinking, "Dang, people in 1950 sure were easily fooled — that would never happen today." And maybe in the 1980s it wouldn't. But the misdirection, lies, and bullying nicknames work better than ever today.
Editor's note: John Auchter is a freelance political cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Public, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan. Enbridge is among Michigan Public's corporate sponsors.
