If there is such a thing as "woke propaganda," this meme is it. The meme's creator, intent on convincing you the Founding Fathers embraced diversity, counted on readers' ignorance of Latin.
E Pluribus Unum means, of course, "Out of many, one," not "Out of one, many."
It hardly promoted diversity—especially as that word is most often used today.
Propaganda, from the Latin propagare, meaning to "spread," entered English in the 18th century.
Propagandists count on the holes in our education.
It was the shortened name of a Roman Catholic organization, the Congregatio de propaganda fide, the "Congregation for Propagation of the Faith."
Propaganda only acquired its modern sense ("the spreading of information") in the early 20th century.
The Congregatio de propaganda fide was housed in Rome in a baroque building on the Via di Propaganda named the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide, the "Palace for the Propagation of the Faith."
The Propaganda, instituted by the Pope in 1622, comprised a committee of cardinals tasked with spreading Catholicism, particularly in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The Propaganda's mission derived from a command by Jesus (in fact, his last) reported in the Gospel of Matthew: Euntes ergo docete omnes gentes, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations."
The cardinals hoped to spread the Catholic faith, but it was a follower of Marx, Georgy Plekhanov, who popularized the use of the word propaganda to mean the "spreading of information" (or as we now say, "misinformation").
During the late 19th century, Plekhanov wrote essays that called for the tandem use of agitation (speeches) and propaganda (pamphlets) to sway public opinion.
Lenin argued that while agitation uses slogans to sway public opinion, propaganda uses arguments.
"Truth is the most precious thing," Lenin said. "That's why we should ration it."
His one-two punch formula was shortened to agitprop by another follower of Marx, Vladimir Lenin.
Agitation targets the uneducated; propaganda, the educated.
In either case, the truth gets shortchanged.
