This is a propaganda project I made. In this assignment I was tasked with creating propaganda pieces on a topic that currently plagues the US society. The project was to be based on facts and convey the emotions associated with this societal issue and deliver a strong message.
Bullying, as defined by stopbullying.gov, is “unwanted, aggressive behavior (…) that involves a real or perceived power imbalance” and is, or has the potential to be, repeated. “Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.” Unfortunately, bullying is a serious, ongoing issue, especially in schools and at young ages, leading to serious long term effects. These effects range in severity, with the worst being a higher tendency to develop suicidal behaviors and even committing suicide. Studies show that 1 in 5 school aged children experience bullying in the United States. Studies also show that school prevention programs, have been effective in reducing the rates of bullying by approximately 25%.
For all those reasons touched on above, I chose to create a poster that can be hung anywhere to raise awareness. I also chose to created a double sided, informational postcard that can be mailed to school families anywhere. The choice of color points the eye directly to the emotional connection first (the saying at the top) and then to the scary statistic. The postcard hits hard with statistics and text that make emotional connection, yet urges people to act!
It is CRUICIAL for people everywhere to understand the impact of bullying cultures, and take action to end it, because words and actions can truly cut deeper than a knife.
