The word propaganda

Posted in a public area
2/11/96 5:44pm

The word 'propaganda'

Yesterday, a friend asked me why I used the word "propaganda" in the title of my recent article, as the word has very negative connotations of decietfulness and subversion while my article was highly complimentary of Madonna and her work. I wasn't able to give him a clear answer because I wasn't sure myself. It just seemed to fit instinctively.

Well, today I set out to find the motivation behind this instinct and I was astounded at my discovery. I began by looking the word up in my CD-ROM dictionary. The definition seemed to describe perfectly what happens with Madonna's act:

propaganda noun: 1. The systematic propagation of a doctrine or cause or of information reflecting the views and interests of those people advocating such a doctrine or cause.

I skimmed the other meanings of the word and closed my dictionary, satisfied that I had used the perfect word, despite the negative connotations so often associated with it.

About 30 seconds later, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I reopened my dictionary and reread definition 3 as well as the word origins:

propaganda: 3. Roman Catholic Church. A division of the Roman Curia that has authority in the matter of preaching the gospel, of establishing the Church in non-Christian countries, and of administering Church missions in territories where there is no properly organized hierarchy. [New Latin, short for Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, Sacred Congregation for Propagating the Faith (established 1622), from ablative feminine gerundive of Latin propagare, to propagate. See PROPAGATE.]

I realized instantly an amazing profundity. The Catholic Church is known for its tyrannical and unmerciful methods in converting the masses during the Spanish Inquision and the Middle Ages. This is where the word gets its negative connotations.

Now we all know that Madonna was raised a strict Catholic and that this influence is prevalent in her music. So already, a connection is clear. The real zinger is a philosophy stated in the song Erotica: "Only the one that hurts you can make you feel better... Only the one that inflicts the pain can take it away."

Madonna is the modern liaison of the church which so long ago scarred an entire civilization. She is here to right the wrongs committed by her ancestors. In a recent interview (I don't remember which one. Maybe someone else can help me out here?) she almost said as much. She talked about how her version of Catholicism was more attractive than the orthodox establishment and even joked about recruiting members, if my memory serves me right.

Hey, now I'm starting to believe all that predestiny stuff she's been talking about lately. Who'd have thought...