Name-calling

• One of the necessary goals of any propaganda campaign is to label or brand the opposition. Outlawed political parties may be branded as treasonous, cowardly, untrustworthy or extreme. Name-calling is a form of cruel humor that uses sarcasm to associate a political group with undesirable qualities. From a psychological perspective, this technique substitutes the elevated emotion of superiority for reasoned judgment and consideration of the evidence.
  
  

Racial Caricatures

• Human rights-abusing regimes often try to cement their power by scapegoating religious or ethnic minorities. Caricatures that play on racial stereotypes may take the form of editorial cartoons, radio or television plays or Internet videos. Such media may exaggerate popular perceptions of racial groups, unfairly denigrate their religious or cultural values or cast them as perennial losers in social situations.
  
  

Insider/Outsider Groups

• Humor can be a powerful force for creating divisions between insider and outsider groups, or establishing perceptions about winners and losers in society. In propaganda campaigns, humor can be used to enforce segregation, spread false rumors -- for instance, about ethnic groups carrying disease -- and mock those who try to occupy a middle ground.
  
  

The Bandwagon Effect

• Propaganda campaigns also must establish the desirability of the regime. Humor can be employed as part of the bandwagon effect, which tries to create the perception that "everyone is doing it" and that the official party is mainstream and popular. This can be done by showing humorous, positive interactions between political leaders and apparently ordinary people, or by trying to demonstrate that political leaders are likable and sincere.