The use of fear-inducing propaganda strategies and techniques in
audio-visual dystopias. The case of Gilead in
The Handmaid’s Tale
El uso de estrategias y técnicas propagandísticas evocadoras de miedo en las
distopías audiovisuales. El caso de Gilead en
El cuento de la criada
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nº 35, pp. 149-164
| 149
July-December of 2022
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
How to cite this article:
Rebollo-Bueno, S. (2022). e use of fear-inducing propaganda strategies and techniques in audio-visual dystopias. e case of Gilead in
e
Handmaid’s Tale
.
Doxa Comunicación
, 35, pp. 149-164.
https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n35a1495
Sara Rebollo-Bueno
. Professor Rebollo-Bueno carries out her research and teaching activities in the Department
of Audio-visual Communication and Advertising at the University of Seville by means of a contract awarded by the
Spanish Ministry of Universities under the University Teacher Training Programme (FPU). Member of the Research
Group on Political Communication, Ideology and Propaganda (IDECO) at the same university. She is also the editorial
secretary of the scientic journal
Comunicación. Revista Internacional de Comunicación Audiovisual, Publicidad y
Estudios Culturales
. She holds a degree in Advertising and Public Relations, as well as a Master’s degree in Institutional
Communication in Institutional and Political Communication, in which she obtained the Extraordinary End of Studies
Award. Her research focuses on propaganda, specically the use of emotions, especially fear, as well as the study of
ideology in mass culture.
University of Sevilla, Spain
[email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0001-8179-6562
Abstract:
e present study addresses the use of fear-generating strategies
and techniques related to the theory of propaganda in audio-
visual productions, focusing on the analysis of the dystopian series
known as
e Handmaid’s Tale
. Although fear is commonly used in
propaganda as a tool for social control and political domination, this
study questions whether it is used in the political systems represented
in audio-visual dystopias, as these are reections of current fears of a
catastrophic future. To achieve the objective, this study uses content
analysis applied to the rst three seasons of the aforementioned series
involving scenes in which Fred Waterford, Serena Joy, and Aunt Lydia
appear in the narrative as representatives of Gilead.
Keywords:
Audio-visual; dystopia; propaganda; fear; television series.
Resumen:
Este estudio aborda el uso de estrategias y técnicas generadoras de miedo
de la teoría de la propaganda en el audiovisual, enfocándose en el aná
-
lisis de la serie distópica de El cuento de la criada. El miedo es utilizado
en propaganda como una herramienta de control social y dominación
política. Esta investigación plantea si este instrumento propagandístico
se utiliza en los sistemas políticos representados en el audiovisual, pues
estos son reejos de los miedos actuales en un futuro catastróco. Para
esto, utiliza un análisis de contenido que se aplica a las tres primeras
temporadas de la serie mencionada a través de las escenas en las que
aparecen Fred Waterford, Serena Joy y Tía Lydia, como representantes
de Gilead en la narrativa.
Palabras clave:
Audiovisual; distopía; propaganda; miedo; series de televisión.
Received: 28/09/2021 - Accepted: 02/03/2022 - Early access: 09/03/2022 - Published: 01/07/2022
Recibido: 28/09/2021 - Aceptado: 02/03/2022 - En edición: 09/03/2022 - Publicado: 01/07/2022
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1. Introduction
On various occasions, the presence of propaganda in products of mass culture has been studied. As an example, Hernández-
Santaolalla (2011) explains in detail how enemies are created in television series based on the theory of propaganda. erefore,
it is indisputable that the presence of this communicative phenomenon in audio-visual narratives is highly important.
Fear is a tool used in political propaganda that is very eective, and one that entails a high degree of social and political
control and domination (Pratkanis and Aronson, 1994). With this in mind, after reviewing propaganda theory, strategies and
techniques that induce fear have been identied in the works of researchers such as Brown (1995), Domenach (1962), and
Morelli (2002), among others. ese authors explain strategies such as the “vote of fear” (Zepeda, 2012), or the fundamentals
of war propaganda (Morelli, 2002). All of them take into account the importance of this emotion in propaganda.
After analysing studies on audio-visual dystopias such as those of Claeys (2016) or Uribes Montes (2015), it can be seen that
this emotion also has considerable prominence in dystopian narratives, as they tend to reect the fears of the present in
a catastrophic future. In short, fear is an emotion of great importance in dystopian narratives, both in form and storyline
development.
e relevance of the study herein resides in the fact that
e Handmaid’s Tale
is highly characterised by the emotion of fear
(Hernández-Ruiz, 2019). However, studies carried out have focused on fear as a narrative genre, ignoring the fact that if one
considers Gilead a political system that has had to achieve power, and subsequently maintain and reinforce it, this system has
used propagandistic techniques and strategies that induce fear. is study attempts to discern whether fear has been used as a
propaganda tool, as well as to gain knowledge regarding the topics that have been used to produce this emotion, and whether
the strategies and techniques employed are those found in propaganda theory. If so, it would mean that ction reects the
fear-inducing propaganda technique used in real-life politics.
1.1. Fear used for social control
As fear is the main focus of this study, it is essential to provide a denition of the term:
Fear [...] is an emotion characterised by an intense feeling [...] provoked by the perception of a danger, either real or imagined, in
the present or the future. It is a primary emotion that emanates from a natural aversion to risk or threat (Barrera Méndez, 2010: 9).
Fear plays an important role in today’s society, which is characterised by the “culture of fear” (Furedi, 2007). With this term,
the author refers to the social and cultural climate that makes individuals feel permanently worried, and where insecurity and
uncertainty are a perpetual feature of the lives of citizens. Fear has become an essential emotion for understanding society
and individuals.
is situation creates an atmosphere that enables not only the imposition of security measures by authorities, but society’s
acceptance of such measures as well, despite the implication of social control (Couto, 2015). Bauman (2003) understood the
concept of security and freedom as opposites, which can never occur at the same time: “Promoting security always requires the
sacrice of freedom, [...] freedom can only be expanded at the expense of security” (Bauman, 2003: 27). As stated by Korstanje
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(2010), the emotion of fear leads individuals to take a passive role, and as previously argued by Ordoñez (2006), fear causes
paralysis and induces the recipients to adopt measures of control, even if they are preventive (Pratkanis and Aronson, 1994).
e “Culture of Fear” is exploited by political power, not only to implement “security” measures, but also to incite individuals
to be afraid of nearly everything (Furedi, 2007), with the goal of obtaining and/or maintaining power. In fact, as argued by
Mantilla-Valbuena (2008), the emotion of fear is a perfect tool for obtaining political domination and social control. For this
reason, it has been used for such purposes from the earliest origins of humans and societies (Zepeda, 2012). By cultivating a
climate of fear, it is easier for someone to present themselves as the provider of security and protection (Useche Aldana, 2008).
1.2. Fear-inducing techniques and strategies in political propaganda
To begin, it is important to oer a denition of propaganda in order to understand the aspects of this phenomenon:
Propaganda
is a communicative phenomenon that consists of content and objectives that are ideological, through which a Sender
(individual or group) transmits a message in a deliberate, self-interested way in order to achieve, maintain or reinforce a position
of power over the thinking or behaviour of a Receiver (individual or group), whose interests do not necessarily coincide with those
of the Sender (Pineda, 2006: 228).
Knowing that political power uses the emotion of fear as a tool of social control, it can be concluded that fear is an instrument
used by political parties to persuade citizens (Pratkanis and Aronson, 1994). Fear is an eective propaganda tool, as negative
emotions are intensied when the basic needs of citizens are not met (Brown, 1995). Security in a “Culture of Fear” is seen as
a basic need that must be satised as soon as possible (Dalloso and Seghezzo, 201
e absence of security leads the individual to feel the emotion of fear (Cortés, 2012). is implies the existence of a group that
is threatened by this danger, either the one who fears or the one who is feared. is becomes a strategy used by political parties
in their struggle to gain, maintain, or reinforce power:
Every successful electoral campaign articulates its strategies not only on the basis of its proposals, ideas, and national projects,
but also by considering the arousal of emotion (mainly anger and fear) in the voters. [...] e fear of things getting worse, of losing
what they have, or of going against the established system of values and beliefs. In other words, the electoral strategy focuses on
communication and making the voters feel that if the opponents come to power, they will destroy, terminate, and threaten the
system of beliefs, values, and property, and will generate instability and discomfort [...] putting the future of the country at risk
(Zepeda, 2012: 136).
For strategic purposes, political propaganda plays an essential role with diverse techniques and tools. One example is to create
an enemy, as it is necessary to use discourse to identify and link the enemy to all the wrongdoing and lay the blame therein
(Pineda, 2004). is technique has been extensively studied, and Morelli (2002) devotes four of his ten essential fundamentals
of war propaganda to blaming the enemy. ese are the four foundations: (a) “the adversary is solely responsible for the war”;
(b) “the enemy is a demon”; (c) “the enemy intentionally commits atrocities, and if we make mistakes, it is not intentional”;
and nally, (d) “the enemy uses illegal weapons” (Morelli, 2002). erefore, in order to “create the enemy”, there are some
important items to consider. Firstly, they must be pointed out –it must be stated who they are, and they must be associated
with atrocities, or the so-called
atrocity propaganda
. e strategy of atrocity propaganda is used to link the enemy to inhuman
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barbarities, which are carried out in a way that is deliberate and planned (Morelli, 2002). ere are times, however, when the
adversary does not have a dened description, but instead are organisations that are fairly ambiguous:
As a result of the current context, contemporary television series increasingly show situations in which the heroes and heroines
must confront certain secret societies and ill-dened organisations, which demonstrate the latent insecurity in society due to
the feeling of living in a situation of constant threat, where the enemy is nearly invisible, and precisely for this reason, more
dangerous. is generates a climate of intense fear and social distrust, where only one certainty exists –everyone who is not like
me is bad, or at the group level, the others are bad because they are dierent from us (Hernández-Santaolalla, 2011: 766).
e rationale of Morelli (2002), which states that “the enemy intentionally causes atrocities, whereas our mistakes are
unintentional”, foments the polarisation between “us” and “them”, a concept expounded by Hernández-Santaolalla (2011)
as well. is idea is essential in highlighting the morality of the sender and the evil and amorality of the adversary (Huici,
2017). Likewise, Pineda (2006) notes that among the dierent types of political propaganda, negation uses negatively-charged
messages, such as defamation.
Zepeda (2012) explains the process of the so-called “vote of fear” strategy. is author stresses the need for the issuer to
present him or herself to citizens as the only viable option to put an end to the lurking threats and dangers, or in short, as
the only choice in overcoming fear. e author discusses the importance of pointing out the limited ability of opponents
to address concerns and fears, thereby presenting themselves as the only solution, as Useche Aldana (2008) had previously
argued. Zepeda (2012) also highlights the need to associate the political opponent with dangers and threats, which is directly
related to the creation of an enemy mentioned by Morelli (2002).
It is indispensable to refer to Domenach (1962), as he lists the rules of propaganda: (a) simplication; (b) a single enemy; (c)
exaggeration or distortion; (d) orchestration; (e) transfusion; and (f) unanimity. According to the author, all these rules are
essential for the creation of political propaganda. Some of these have already been mentioned. However, it is important to
highlight transfusion. As outlined by Domenach (1962), this rule is based on the diculty of generating new ideas and making
them thrive. us, as a solution, propaganda must be based on ideas, emotions, etc., that are already latent in the senders and
that guide communicative eorts toward those ideas. is assumes that fear is an emotion that is being experienced, but in
order for propaganda eorts to prosper, strategies and techniques must be focused on issues that generate fear that are already
present in the receiving society.
1.3. Fear in audio-visual dystopias
It has been emphasised that dystopias emerge as a negative response to utopias:
e concept of dystopia […] can, in several respects, be identied with the utopian tradition as such. […] Dystopia emerges from
the same set of problems: how to control industrialisation, widespread poverty, the concentration of wealth, and an increasing
tendency toward collectivist solutions to these issues. But in an age also characterized by growing individualism, some saw the
more repressive and puritanical attributes of the older utopian tradition as part of the problem rather than the solution […]
Dystopia often implies a negative condition caused by an excess of (one or other kinds of) utopian zeal (Claeys, 2016: 274).
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erefore, “utopia” is a concept that refers to that which is extremely good, while the term “dystopia” is its antipode (Uribes
Montes, 2015). In light of its origins, a denition is presented as follows:
Dystopia might be dened as representations responsible for staging undesirable futures through the extrapolation of the evils
of the present, whether these are posed in terms of politics (e.g. the possibility of a totalitarian shift), social aspects (life control,
overpopulation, or the loss of values), economics (poverty, unemployment), and ecology (scarcity or depletion of natural
resources, global warming, pollution, etc.), as well as other problems arising from these, such as the spread of disease, an increase
in xenophobia and racism, intensied misogyny, etc. (Rey Segovia, 2019: 73).
In short, as argued by Uribes Montes (2015), audio-visual dystopias are reections of society’s uncertainty in the face of a
“catastrophic” future that might result from the current situation. As already mentioned, the “culture of fear” means that
individuals live permanently with vulnerability, insecurity, feeling afraid, etc. (Furedi, 2007).
is situation of instability and uncertainty is reected in audio-visual productions that try to represent cynical societies in which people
seem to have an unpromising future [...] In recent years, dierent types of dystopias have appeared in the world of lm and television
ction that seek to represent current or future societies, which are set in the not-too-distant future (Uribe Montes, 2015: 10).
Dystopias try to make the reader or viewer understand the narrative as a possibly terrifying future, which could happen if the
present situation continues along the same path:
In the dystopian genre [...] it is essential that the reader is able to perceive the story as a warning of what could possibly happen
during his or her own lifetime, so that there is the chance of keeping the hope alive of escaping the pessimistic panorama (Moreno
Trujillo, 2016: 188).
e relationship between dystopias and fear is very strong, as it tries to reect the consequences of society’s present fears
regarding an ominous future that awaits them (Rey Segovia, 2019). In fact, Salvador (2015) states that the common denominator
of a large percentage of dystopias is fear: overwhelming, collective fear.
Dystopian ction acts as the unrestrained image of its time, to the point that we could say that the dystopian condition of the story
is itself a witness of its own time. is transformation, or change in point of view of the story, manifests itself in pessimistic political
ction which, by seeking the same objective as the utopia [...] establishes a system of absolute oppression produced by a dominant
ideology (Uribe Montes, 2015: 24-25).
Dystopias express the tendency toward barbarity by projecting a negative, inhuman, oppressive future (Claeys, 2016). ey
are a deviation from present expectations about the future. For this reason, fear plays a key role, not only because dystopias
are narratives that reect current fears, but also because the emotion of fear is prominent in these narratives as well (Salvador,
2015).
It bears mentioning that dystopias can be prompted by a rejection of technology, or of the rapid development that is currently
being experienced at the present time in the eld of science and technology, making this a turning point that has led society to
this ominous future (Rey Segovia, 2019). In fact, Salvador (2015) explains common features of dystopias: “ey highlight the
two sides (positive and negative) of techno-scientic progress and [...] underlie both the demand for environmentalism and
the claim to alter the course of the future” (Salvador, 2015: 92).
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In short, audio-visual dystopias are a reection of the fears of the present that reach their most catastrophic outcome, creating
a dark, negative future for society. Likewise, both fear and violence are features that tend to appear in this type of narrative, as
well as the aspect of questioning the technological and scientic advances of the present.
1.4. e case of e Handmaid’s Tale
Among all the dystopias in the audio-visual eld, the present study focuses on
e Handmaid’s Tale
(2017-present). is series
is produced by MGM Television and is based on a literary work by author Margaret Atwood: “e series [...] has become a
ratings success from the moment it premiered and has helped to revive a novel that was published more than three decades
ago” (Muñoz González, 2019: 78).
e dystopia tells the story of a not-too-distant future characterised by a low birth rate and high levels of pollution, among
other problems. Faced with this situation, a totalitarian, theocratic, Christian government called Gilead takes power in the
United States and proceeds to restructure society into one that is hierarchical and militaristic, with exacerbated powers as well
(Cambra Badii, Mastandrea and Paragis, 2018). Gilead is a terrifying place (Hernández Ruiz, 2019: 249), where fear plays a key
role in the development of the narrative.
e plausible world of
e Handmaid’s Tale
proposes a reality in which the structures of security and well-being on which Western
civilisation was based have disappeared. e loss of rights and freedom has occurred gradually and unnoticed, and after a few
years, the totalitarian system that governs the country exercises absolute dominion over its citizens, based on terror and violence
(Hernández Ruiz, 2019: 2).
Moreover, Gilead is a political system characterised by signicant “elements of power and social control” (Cambra Badii,
Mastandrea and Paragis, 2018: 187), which can be identied in the narrative: “[it is] a totalitarian political system [...] in which
terror dominates” (Hernández Ruiz, 2019: 13).
All of this is closely related to the social and political context of the present, and as stated by Muñoz González (2019), the
situation is represented by the rise of the extreme right, such as Trump, Bolsonaro, and Le Pen. is supports the ideas of
Uribes Montes (2015), Rey Segovia (2019), and Moreno Trujillo (2016), expounded in the previous section, which state that
audio-visual dystopias are reections of the fears, instability and uncertainty experienced in the present.
e Handmaid’s Tale
is a series based on the rise to power of a totalitarian political system in the United States that changes
society as it is known today, based on problems and fears that can be detected in the present, such as the low birth rate,
environmental problems, and terrorism, to cite just a few examples. erefore, as fear is the main resource used in this narrative
from a political point of view, propaganda must have been essential, which shows specic, fear-inducing political ideas that
can be identied in the story.
1.5. Objectives and research questions
e primary aim of this article is to analyse the use of fear by Gilead, the political system in the dystopian series,
e Handmaid’s
Tale
. e study focuses on the fear-inducing propaganda that appears during the three seasons of the series. is objective is
complemented by secondary objectives, or SOs, which are as follows:
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SO 1. To delve into the importance of the use of fear in dystopian narrative series, especially in
e Handmaid’s Tale
.
SO 2. To determine the topics that Gilead uses to generate fear, such as the propaganda used in the narrative to achieve and
maintain power.
SO 3. To analyse the fear-inducing propaganda techniques and strategies used by Gilead.
Another research question has been added to explore the issue further, which is the following:
RQ: Does the narrative of
e Handmaid’s Tale
use the same fear-evoking propaganda strategies and techniques that appear
in real-life politics?
2. Methodology
In order to address the subject, as well as the objectives, and research question, a quantitative methodology has been used,
which is content analysis as a data collection technique. For this reason, we refer to classics, one of which is that of Krippendor
(1997). Content analysis makes it possible to obtain the total number of times fear has been used in political terms during the
three seasons, as well as the fear-inducing propaganda tools that appear, and their frequency. As a result of the coding sheet
created, it has been possible to quantitatively observe diverse aspects, such as the following: references to the adversary’s
limited ability to confront fears; the existence of a threatened group; techniques for creating an enemy (mentioning the
adversary, making derogatory comments, and/or the use of atrocity propaganda); polarisation by referring to
us
and
them
;
portraying the adversary as the cause of the danger or threat; and nally, presenting oneself as the solution and/or hope.
ese contributions are the result of the functionality of fear-inducing propagandistic concepts and strategies that appear
in essential works such as those of Domenach (1962) and Brown (1995), among others, which have been analysed in the
theoretical framework. In addition, two relevant contributions have been added: fear-generating topics, in order to understand
the types of fear used by Gilead; and the concept of a threatened group.
e coding sheet mentioned has been applied to those scenes in which Fred Waterford, Serena Joy, and Aunt Lydia appear
as representatives of Gilead in the narrative. Such scenes are characterised by Gilead’s use of propaganda to induce fear. e
scenes are from all episodes of the rst three seasons of
e Handmaid’s Tale
.
3. Results
After applying the methodology, signicant results have been obtained. Firstly, in the three seasons, twelve scenes were found
in which fear is induced by Gilead through propaganda, personied in Aunt Lydia and the Waterfords. is nding leads to the
idea that the viewer does not know in detail how Gilead’s leaders rose to power, nor is it known exactly how their ideas became
accepted by society. However, there are twelve scenes starring Serena, Fred, and Lydia, the system’s executive ocers, which
show not only Gilead’s discourse, but the way in which it evokes fear as well, because as mentioned above, it is well known that
fear plays an important role in establishing and maintaining power.
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Of the twelve scenes, ten pertain to Aunt Lydia and two involve the Waterfords. is imbalance can be explained by the fact
that Lydia bears the burden of Gilead’s use of fear, as she is in charge of training the maids and spreading the ideals to them,
thereby maintaining and reinforcing power. In fact, the discourse of the struggle for power resides in the two scenes featuring
Serena and Fred.
Results obtained related to the fear-inducing topics:
Chart 1. Fear-inducing topics of Gilead
9
Chart 1:
Fear-
inducing
topics
of Gilead
Source: prepared by the authors
As can be seen in Chart 1, harm to children is the main concept for generating fear, which is
spread by Aunt Lydia to scare the maids and basically warn them why they should follow the
guidelines assigned by Gilead.
Next
is the low birth rate, which appears in two scenes, one
with
Aunt Lydia (
S1
, E1) in which she explains the extreme d
anger
of the declining birth rate.
Furthermore, in the first fear
-inducing
scene involving Serena and Fred in an act of propaganda
at a university (S
2
, E6), they also mention the low birth rate as the main problem. In fact, it is
important to highlight the way in which this scene is divided
in
to
two
parts
. First
ly,
they try to
speak in what appears to be the university assembly hall, but as there are
many
detractors
, they
give up and leave.
Afterward,
in what appears to be the faculty hall, Serena dares to raise her
voice,
and she
starts
talking about the
issue
, emphasising the low birth rate as the heart of
society’s
problems
, which will lead to the
extinction
of humanity. At this point, students in the
room begin to nod
,
and
in
the end
,
they even dare to
applaud
Serena. This is inferred as an effect
of the speech.
On the other hand,
another
topic
that appears as a fear inducer, which is played out by Lydia,
is when she delves into the idea that the maids are in constant danger from the outside
world,
and if they step out of line
,
they might have a very tragic end
ing,
the aim of which is to avoid
rebellion by the maids so they will
conti
nue to remain under the protection of Gilead.
The t
opic
of
“
the time before
”
is used by Lydia to refer to the time before Gilead, which
is
characterised by other fear
-
inducing
issues
such as pollution, terrorism, the low birth rate, etc.
Therefore, by imbuing the previous system with these characteristics, the act of
mentioning
“
the
time before
”
is also an inducement to fear, or an attempt to differentiate the good from the
bad,
or salvation from fear. There are two other instances in which fear
-
generating themes are
mentioned
as well. Pollution is used by Lydia to highlight the sustainable productive
00,511,522,533,544,5
Terrorism
Pollution
The time before
Situation of the maids
Harm to children
Low birth rate
Source: prepared by the authors
As can be seen in Chart 1, harm to children is the main concept for generating fear, which is spread by Aunt Lydia to scare the
maids and basically warn them why they should follow the guidelines assigned by Gilead. Next is the low birth rate, which
appears in two scenes, one with Aunt Lydia (S1, E1) in which she explains the extreme danger of the declining birth rate.
Furthermore, in the rst fear-inducing scene involving Serena and Fred in an act of propaganda at a university (S2, E6), they
also mention the low birth rate as the main problem. In fact, it is important to highlight the way in which this scene is divided
into two parts. Firstly, they try to speak in what appears to be the university assembly hall, but as there are many detractors,
they give up and leave. Afterward, in what appears to be the faculty hall, Serena dares to raise her voice, and she starts talking
about the issue, emphasising the low birth rate as the heart of society’s problems, which will lead to the extinction of humanity.
At this point, students in the room begin to nod, and in the end, they even dare to applaud Serena. is is inferred as an eect
of the speech.
On the other hand, another topic that appears as a fear inducer, which is played out by Lydia, is when she delves into the idea
that the maids are in constant danger from the outside world, and if they step out of line, they might have a very tragic ending,
the aim of which is to avoid rebellion by the maids so they will continue to remain under the protection of Gilead.
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e topic of “the time before” is used by Lydia to refer to the time before Gilead, which is characterised by other fear-inducing
issues such as pollution, terrorism, the low birth rate, etc. erefore, by imbuing the previous system with these characteristics,
the act of mentioning “the time before” is also an inducement to fear, or an attempt to dierentiate the good from the bad, or
salvation from fear. ere are two other instances in which fear-generating themes are mentioned as well. Pollution is used by
Lydia to highlight the sustainable productive development of Gilead. In fact, there is another scene in the series in which the
Mexican ambassador visits Gilead, and Fred sells the idea of production with arguments about reducing pollution (S01E06).
Serena and Fred mention terrorism in one of their scenes as well. Serena is shot after the propaganda activity at the university,
and while in the hospital, she helps Fred prepare a speech. He mentions an attack by a “fanatic”, and Serena forcefully corrects
him by arming that they are “terrorists”. us, the adversary is portrayed as a terrorist, thereby converting terrorism into a
fear.
Regarding the fear-generating propaganda techniques, a few examples appear in Chart 2:
Chart 2. Fear-inducing propaganda techniques used by Gilead
10
development of Gilead. In fact, there is another scene in the series in which the Mexican
ambassador visits Gilead, and Fred sells the idea of production with arguments about reducing
pollution (
S
01E06). Serena and Fred mention terrorism in one of their scenes as well. Serena is
shot after the propaganda
activity
at the
university,
and while in the hospital, she helps Fred
prepare a speech. He mentions an attack by a
“
fanatic
”
,
and Serena forcefully corrects him by
affirming that they are
“
terrorists
”
. Thus, the adversary is portrayed as a terrorist, thereby
converting terrorism into a fear.
Regarding
the
fear-
generating propaganda techniques, a few examples appear in Chart 2
:
Chart 2:
Fear-
inducing propaganda techniques used by Gilead
Source: prepared by the authors
All the fear
-
inducing propaganda techniques mentioned above can be detected in the scenes
analysed. The one used the least is point
ing
out the adversary's limited ability to cope with the
danger or threat. This occurs only once,
involving
Serena and Fred in episode six of season two,
when Serena is in the hospital and Fred tries to reassure her that they will catch the terrorist
who shot her
,
and she responds
,
“
I have faith in God, but not in the police
”
(S2
, E
6
/
42:32-
44:24). With this
remark
, Serena makes it clear that when faced with the
danger
or fear of
terrorism, the police cannot be trusted, as they are part of the system. Therefore, the following
scene
shows how Fred and the Gilead security system kill the person who shot Serena. In short,
it is
implied
that
with
the previous system, when an
ad
versary
was
pointed out, the system
was
not be able to arrest the culprit,
but
with
Gilead
, the criminal
is
detained
and punished
.
It has been noted that the two most commonly used techniques are the following: the
us
and
them
polarisation
strategy;
and offering oneself as the solution to the threat. Both techniques
are used in all
except
one of the scenes analysed.
Examples of the
us
and
them
polarisation
technique:
They were
depraved
whores
(...) but you girls are
special
(
Aunt Lydia, S1, E1, minute 17:11).
024681012
Presenting oneself as the solution
Portraying the adversary as the cause of the danger
Polarisation by referring to us and them
Creating the enemy (atrocity propaganda)
Creating the enemy (use of derogatory remarks)
Creating the enemy (mentioning the adversary)
Existence of a threatened group
Limited ability of the adversary to cope with the threat
Source: prepared by the authors
All the fear-inducing propaganda techniques mentioned above can be detected in the scenes analysed. e one used the least
is pointing out the adversary’s limited ability to cope with the danger or threat. is occurs only once, involving Serena and
Fred in episode six of season two, when Serena is in the hospital and Fred tries to reassure her that they will catch the terrorist
who shot her, and she responds, “I have faith in God, but not in the police” (S2, E6 / 42:32-44:24). With this remark, Serena
makes it clear that when faced with the danger or fear of terrorism, the police cannot be trusted, as they are part of the system.
erefore, the following scene shows how Fred and the Gilead security system kill the person who shot Serena. In short, it is
implied that with the previous system, when an adversary was pointed out, the system was not be able to arrest the culprit, but
with Gilead, the criminal is detained and punished.
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It has been noted that the two most commonly used techniques are the following: the
us
and
them
polarisation strategy; and
oering oneself as the solution to the threat. Both techniques are used in all except one of the scenes analysed.
Examples of the
us
and
them
polarisation technique:
ey were depraved whores (...) but you girls are special
(Aunt Lydia, S1, E1, minute 17:11).
e Earth is a gift that was given to us by God in his love and benevolence, but we haven’t appreciated its blessings for a long time
–we have polluted our ground water, air, and even our bodies. We have poisoned all our treasures, and we have been surprised
when the world has begun to die, but through our works, through the work of the penitents, we will be able to heal. Stone by stone,
we will regain the favour of our Lord. We will create a world where the seeds are not to be planted among thorns or in poisoned,
infertile soil, but in sweetly fragrant soil, and He will surely bless us with His abundance
(Aunt Lydia, S2, E3, minute 32:34-33:50).
is polarisation technique is intended to make those who are opposite to “us”, or the “others”, be seen as fearful and evil,
thereby maintaining the image of Gilead as a system that spreads the idea of “us” being the good people. is idea can be
clearly seen in the two examples above. In the rst, Lydia tries to spread the idea of good and bad womanhood to the maids,
branding women who are akin to the former system as degenerates. With the second example, we can also see that Gilead
creates an “us” by taking care of the Earth and the manufacturing system in order to counteract the eects of pollution.
e other technique most often used is that of presenting themselves as the solution, or that Gilead is the solution to peoples’
fears:
You are spoiled brats (...) Don’t you remember how things used to be? Now, you’re safe (...) Now you have been given freedom. It’s
a gift from God. Don’t underestimate it
(Aunt Lydia, S2, E1, minute 12:43-14:58).
You are a fallen woman. I try to give you the best possible conditions (...) Gilead has been merciful. You will be able to lead a
better life
(Aunt Lydia, S2, E4, minute 36:17).
e technique of highlighting the existence of a threatened group is also common, appearing in nine scenes. Creating victims
to be protected from threats helps Gilead to reinforce its discourse, whether it is children or humanity in general:
Today, we will purge the most grievous of sins, which is putting a sacred child in grave danger. To be precise, it was one the
Marthas. She conspired against a child whose protection had been entrusted to her. ere is no sin more despicable
(S3, E7,
minute 36:43-37:44).
Births have fallen by 71% in the last twelve months. Without a doubt, that is the problem we need to focus on right now. e future
of humanity depends on what we do today –what we do now. Humanity is in danger
(Serena, S2, E6, minute 29:51-31-28).
e technique of creating the enemy has been identied with three variables: mention of the adversary (seven times),
defamation (ve) and atrocity propaganda (three). To begin with, they do not point to a specic enemy, but instead focus on
highlighting past eras, the previous system, and its supporters as the adversary. e enemy is ambiguous. Regarding the rst
category of creating the enemy, mention of the adversary is highly relevant in two scenes. e rst occurs in season three,
episode eight (04:15-09:51). e maids are in a circle with June at the centre, and Aunt Lydia is asking questions of those
present:
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“at Martha was subjected to salvaging for planning a vicious crime –she kidnapped a child. Who drove her to conceive such
wickedness? [...] And whose fault was it that the Martha died?”
e answers to these questions are given by the other maids, pointing to June: “
It was her, it was her…
” e enemy that Gilead
tries to point out is everyone who ghts against the system, or the traitors who are seen as representatives of the former system,
and therefore, of danger.
e other scene occurs in season two, episode six (42:32-44:24). is scene is where Serena and Fred write a speech:
We will not allow a fanatic to
... (Fred).
A terrorist is a terrorist
(Serena).
We will not be silenced by a terrorist. Sometimes it’s hard to accept the truth. But only the truth can save our country
(Fred).
rough this dialogue, we can see how Gilead’s political discourse mentions the adversary by using the word “terrorist”. is
is the most symbolic scene of enemy creation and Gilead’s use of propaganda, as well as the “lessons” given by Aunt Lydia to
the maids in the Red Centre.
Finally, the use of defamation has been observed:
I hope you are able to appreciate the opportunity you have been given in this house. God is merciful, oering redemption even to
His most perverse, degenerate creations
(Aunt Lydia, S2, E13, minute 27:42-28:50).
e use of atrocity propaganda for enemy creation has also been used:
When the birth rate fell, things got worse with birth control pills, morning after pills, and baby killings, so they could have their
orgies and use their hair dyes
(Aunt Lydia, S1, E1, minute 16:06-16:48).
Finally, we also see in the fear-inducing scenes how the adversary, or enemy, is portrayed as the cause of danger:
e greatest miracle of all is the miracle of life. e miracle of children. And there is no greater sin than to harm a child, to put
them in danger (...) OfDaniel [Janine] has been condemned for endangering a child
(Aunt Lydia, S01E10, minute 43:00-45:59).
With this scene, the traitors of Gilead are portrayed as the cause of danger, which is resulting in harm to the most precious
commodity of all: children. Janine is considered a traitor for breaking the rules and trying to be reunited with her daughter.
Another example that points to the previous system as the adversary and the cause of threats and danger, or in short, as the
generator of fear, is the previously analysed scene with Aunt Lydia on the topic of contamination in season 2, episode 3.
Finally, the data collected with regard to the threatened groups is displayed in Chart 3 below.
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Chart 3. Groups threatened by the fear generated by Gilead
13
Chart 3: Groups threatened by the fear generated by Gilead
Source: prepared by the authors
By observing Chart 3, one can see that the fear
-
generating scenes that include a threatened
group
refer to children with four appearances
:
h
umanity (three) and the maids (two). Aunt Lydia
uses the maids as a threatened group in order to reassure them that Gilead offers a chance in
this new reality
,
and that their situation could be worse: for example, being sent to the labour
camps.
4.
Discussion
The Handmaid's Tale is an audio
-
visual dystopia. Moreover, it is a reflection of present fears
of a catastrophic future (Uribes Monte, 2015). As argued by Muñoz González (2019), this series
portrays the fear of
a
rise of the extreme right, just
as
in Atwood's literary novel. The narrative
describes
how Gilead, a totalitarian political system, takes over the political and social power
of the United States (Cambra Badii, Mastandrea and Paragis, 2018). In short, Gilead is
characterised by fear and violence (Hernández Ruiz, 2019), which are
features
that are typical
of dystopias (Salvador, 2015), thus achieving the first secondary objective set out in this study.
In order to achieve, maintain
,
and reinforce power, political propaganda is highly useful
(Pineda, 2006), which is why Gilead
employs
such
discourses
defined by the use of fear as a
political tool. This study has
found
indications of
fear-
inducing political propaganda. However,
the sample encountered is small (12 scenes in the three seasons released), and in general, the
00,511,522,533,544,5
Humanity
Children
Maids
Source: prepared by the authors
By observing Chart 3, one can see that the fear-generating scenes that include a threatened group refer to children with four appea
-
rances: humanity (three) and the maids (two). Aunt Lydia uses the maids as a threatened group in order to reassure them that
Gilead oers a chance in this new reality, and that their situation could be worse: for example, being sent to the labour camps.
4. Discussion
e Handmaid’s Tale is an audio-visual dystopia. Moreover, it is a reection of present fears of a catastrophic future (Uribes
Monte, 2015). As argued by Muñoz González (2019), this series portrays the fear of a rise of the extreme right, just as in
Atwood’s literary novel. e narrative describes how Gilead, a totalitarian political system, takes over the political and social
power of the United States (Cambra Badii, Mastandrea and Paragis, 2018). In short, Gilead is characterised by fear and violence
(Hernández Ruiz, 2019), which are features that are typical of dystopias (Salvador, 2015), thus achieving the rst secondary
objective set out in this study.
In order to achieve, maintain, and reinforce power, political propaganda is highly useful (Pineda, 2006), which is why Gilead
employs such discourses dened by the use of fear as a political tool. is study has found indications of fear-inducing
political propaganda. However, the sample encountered is small (12 scenes in the three seasons released), and in general, the
viewer does not know much about the Gilead uprising, yet the ideas disseminated have been identied thanks to the chosen
methodology. In the rst place, with regard to the attainment of power, the discourse of propaganda used by Gilead focuses
on Serena Joy and Fred Waterford, who star in two scenes related to the creation of a fear-evoking, propagandistic discourse
prior to the establishment of the system. On the other hand, Aunt Lydia is in charge of maintaining power, as she is the one
who gives “lessons” to the dominated classes, such as the maids, to make them understand their position in society. In fact, we
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must return to the work of Pratkanis and Aronson (1994), who argued that fear is a highly eective political strategy that makes
people more willing to accept control measures, which can even go to the extreme, as in the case of Gilead. Bauman (2003)
argued that freedom and security are not compatible. erefore, instilling fear in people will make them accept measures and
positions which, as reected in
e Handmaid’s Tale
, end up taking away people’s freedom.
Focusing on the second of the secondary objectives, the fear-generating themes most often used by Gilead are harm to children
and the low birth rate, followed by the social position of the maids, pollution, and terrorism. In the coding sheet, “the time
before” was included, but this is believed to refer to all the topics mentioned. Given the themes that Gilead uses in the scenes
where its political propaganda can be seen, one should re-examine the annotations of Salvador (2015) regarding the rejection
of techno-scientic progress in dystopias, which is blamed by Gilead for disease and the low birth rate. In fact, Aunt Lydia
claims that inventions such as contraceptive or morning-after pills are to blame (S1, E1). Likewise, pollution is also one of the
dystopian features mentioned by Salvador (2015), as the ecological issue is usually involved, and Gilead sees it as a positive
component, stating that pollution is the factor that has made the population and Mother Nature sick. All the topics exposed
as evoking fear by Gilead comply not only with the theory proposed by Salvador (2015), but also with the use of ideas that
have already been conceived, or at least those concepts that are latent in society, which can be used as the basis for political
propaganda, in reference to the transfusion rule by Domenach (1962).
With regard to conrming the third secondary objective, it can be armed that all the fear-inducing political propaganda
techniques and strategies mentioned by the authors in the theoretical framework have been observed. e most commonly
used techniques include the polarisation between “us” and “them” and that of presenting the sender of the propagandistic
message as the only possible solution. e rst of these was expounded in the works of Huici (2017) and Hernández-Santaolalla
(2011), which emphasise the need to point out the morality of “us” and the wickedness of “them”. Regarding this technique,
Useche Aldana (2008) and Zepeda (2012) had already suggested that the receiver must have the idea that only by supporting
the sender will he or she be able to alleviate emotions and feelings such as vulnerability, insecurity, etc. In short, fear. is
strategy is directly related to another, which is to point out the limited ability of the adversary to cope with the threat. As stated
by Zepeda (2012), in order to present oneself as the solution, the sender must make it clear that the adversary is not capable
of solving the fear-generating problem. is is the technique that is used the least by Gilead. e reason for this, as will be
discussed later, may be due to the fact that the enemy pointed out by Gilead is ambiguous, as it is the previous system, which
is given a recognisable face when they refer to Gilead’s traitors. is is a resource that is capable of generating even more fear
(Hernández-Santaolalla, 2011).
e technique of pointing out the existence of a threatened group has also been detected. Indeed, as argued by Cortés (2012),
one of the basic needs of individuals is security, and when that need is not satised, they feel threatened. Above all, Gilead
places emphasis on children as a highly vulnerable group, and Humanity as a group that is threatened in general, representing
the continuity of society. In the background are the maids, who belong to the group that is intimidated into a passive position
through fear (Korstanje, 2010). Another technique observed is the creation of an enemy with the three variables stated earlier:
mention of the enemy, use of denigration, and atrocity propaganda. Eminent propaganda researchers, such as Morelli (2002)
and Domenach (1962), arm the importance of identifying an enemy with the aim of creating a villain in the eyes of the
receiver. In the case of Gilead, this refers to the former system, and consequently, to the traitors. us, as previously mentioned,
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this is an abstract adversary. Likewise, it is Morelli (2002) who speaks of linking the political adversary to atrocities, as carried
out by Aunt Lydia in claiming that women in the previous system murdered children. Finally, the use of denigration mentioned
by Pineda (2006) for the creation of the enemy is used by Gilead against traitors such as Emily and Janine. In this way, as
explained by Pineda (2006), a negative image is placed on the adversaries.
e last technique is to portray the adversary as the cause of the threat or danger. Zepeda (2012) argues that the one who issues
the propaganda discourse must make the receivers believe that the source of the threat is the adversary. In Gilead, it is made
clear that pollution, the low birth rate, terrorism, etc., were caused by the previous political system, and furthermore, the harm
suered by children comes from the traitors. What is striking is the absence of an adversary as such, which was previously
mentioned. In fact, as expounded by Hernández-Santaolalla (2011), the generators of fear in the current real-life context are
abstract, which is reected in these types of series such as
e Handmaid’s Tale
. As explained by the author, this causes the
climate of fear to grow, so that “anyone who is not like me is bad, or at the group level, the others are bad because they are
dierent from us” (2011: 766).
A response will now be given to the research question posed, which is restated here as follows: Does the narrative of e
Handmaid’s Tale use the same fear-inducing propaganda strategies and techniques that are used in real-life political
propaganda? e answer is yes. In fact, fear-inducing propaganda strategies and techniques set forth by propaganda
researchers such as Domenach (1962), Brown (1995), Morelli (2002), and Pratkanis and Aronson (1994), among others, have
been observed in the scenes analysed in
e Handmaid’s Tale
.
5. Conclusions
Following the analysis provided in the discussion section, the conclusions are now presented herein. ere is no doubt that
e Handmaid’s Tale
is a dystopia that fulls the essential features of this narrative genre, including the use of fear. In fact, it
represents current fears of a catastrophic future.
e total number of scenes is small, which is due to the fact that the viewer has limited knowledge of the rise to power and how
such control is maintained. However, Gilead’s acts of communicative propaganda are characterised by the inducement of fear.
e fear-based political propaganda used by Gilead reects all the strategies and techniques outlined by the aforementioned
authors (Brown, Domenach, Morelli, etc.). However, the techniques most commonly used by Gilead include polarisation by
referring to “us” and “them”, as well as presenting the message sender as the solution to fear-generating threats. It should be
noted that there is no political adversary as such, but that the “adversary” is actually the former political system itself and its
supporters, who are consequently the traitors of Gilead. is implies an adversary, or enemy, that is obscure for the receiver.
In closing, fear undoubtedly plays an important role in
e Handmaid’s Tale
. is study has analysed fear that emanates from
a political system, which has been instilled through propagandistic messages that use propaganda theory as a tool. Likewise,
as revealed by this study, this television series reects how the use of fear can lead to social and political control.
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6. Acknowledgements
Article translated by Charles E. Arthur.
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