Belgium

Defining the message:

The message of this piece is that Belgium has been systematically poisoning American citizens over the past few months with arsenic-laced chocolates. It is up to Americans to stand up and fight back against this new fatal threat.

How propaganda is used:

Images and videos of other deadly epidemics are highlighted showcasing the immediate threat that Belgium poses. Americans are deathly scared of global warming, disease, and violence, but would never normally by threatened by chocolate. By showing that chocolate is more dangerous than all other current threats, the propaganda is effective.

Section 1:

Video from an online newscast focusing on food poisoning opens the piece to give viewers a clear idea of what the piece is about. It fades in to a shot montage of various Belgium chocolates just as the news anchor reports that there are over 5,000 food poisoing related deaths every year. This then cross dissolves into a picture of an archer shooting an arrow at a target painted to look like the American flag.
The text scrolls onto the screen: “Those dirty, no-good, chocolate loving Europeans with a flare for hate are taking AIM at America.

Section 2:

A montage of video clips and pictures are shown depicting the three American fears: violence, global warming, and disease.
The text slides are shown laid over a black background: “Our citizens are dying and it’s not because of global warming.” “It’s not gun control.” “It’s not even obesity!”

Section 3:

The ‘American fears’ portion ends as we are shown the culprit of the poison chocolate epidemic: Belgium. A clip is shown with the name ‘Belgium’ in all caps in front of rotating screens of various places in Belgium. This clip fades to black and a text screen appears with the message: “Wake up America. Belgium is poisoning our American citizens. It’s time we stand up and FIGHT!”