Political propaganda backfire, even on master manipulators. Such propaganda’s fail for various reasons. It generally happens when the people lose faith in the government dictated by a cruel and greedy ruler. In other cases the government attempts to taint the opposition but instead the campaign backfires making the rulers look ridiculous. Well as the saying goes, he who spits above himself will have it fall on his face.
10. When Obama Gave Photo Opportunity and Everyone Panicked
Back in 2009 terror struck thousands of New Yorkers walking down the street upon title loans Oklahoma hearing a plane hovering over their heads. American President’s plain ‘Air Force One’ and an F-16 jet were seen circling the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan skyline around Ground Zero. After 9/11 one can imagine why New Yorkers get a little nervous when a plane flies too low over Manhattan. People were nerve-wrenched, some went so far as to evacuate offices and buildings fearing terrorist attacks, and others began frantic calls to emergency services.
Of course it wasn’t a terrorist attack only a ‘photo op’. The White House initially denied knowing anything about the photo shoot. a administration for not informing him about the photo op in advance. President Obama was enraged too and ordered investigation. And of course the White House later apologizes. This endeavor of self-advertisement completely backfired and the government decided that the publicity photos taken during the flight would not be shown to the public.
After the 1959 Cuban revolution American and Cuban relationship was surfing rough waves. Cuba erican film that would serve as a strong propaganda piece for the communist regime and the USSR agreed to finance it. In 1964 the Cuban-Soviet co-production ‘Soy Cuba’ (I Am Cuba) was released in the theaters. The director had intended to remonstrate the cause to the Revolution which according to him was oppressive forces like erican sailors and brutal American corporations.
The film was supposed to glorify the Cuban Revolution. Instead it transmitted an alien vision of the country and reflected ‘dangerously’ fascinating images of American life. Unsurprisingly, it turned out to be a box-office bomb, a national shame and all was forgotten about such a film ever being made. The movie collected dust for 30 years until 1995, when it was rediscovered by two ‘American’ directors Martin Scorsese Francis Ford Coppola and introduced it to the audiences who hailed it with high acclamation.
8. When The Russian Propaganda Plain Crashed
Developed in the early 1930s, ‘Tupolev ANT-20′ commonly known as the ‘Maxim Gorky’ was the largest plane of its time. Joseph Stalin had it built to flaunt the Stalinist propaganda. He had it equipped with a powerful radio set called ‘Voice from the sky’, light equipment etc to bellow patriotic slogan to people down on the ground. For the first time in aviation history, this aircraft had a ladder, which could cleverly fold itself and become a part of the floor. The aircraft could even be disassembled and transported by railroad if needed. The construction project brought together more than 800 technicians from dozens of aviation workshops and bureaus from across the USSR. With eight motor propelling 7,000 horsepower it was a piece of wonder and pride for the dictator.
The plain was greatly promoted throughout the country. And it did set a number of world records for its lift capacity, but it was ponderously slow.
The Gorky was often escorted by single engine aircraft to compare its huge size. When the Gorky flew on May 18, 1935, one of the flying escort’s plain with pilot Nikolai Blagin decided to loop around and miscalculating the distance, slammed into one of Gorky’s huge wings. As a result the Gorky plummeted to the ground killing 45 people. The Soviets were so furious that they coined a new term – ‘blaginism’ (after the name of the pilot) which means “selfish exhibitionism and lack of proper discipline”.
