Oil Pipelines Are Good for You

If you were to ask a friend or colleague about examples of propaganda, they will often point to the extreme examples of the propaganda pieces used by Nazi Germany, the USSR, North Korea, China, etc. Often times, they won't take a step back to notice how much propaganda is used by the United States. Whether is be films glorifying warmongers, like American Sniper (which makes me roll my eyes just thinking about), advertising, or commercials. People love to watch a film depicting an American "war hero" fighting for the true American people. These movies are a form of propaganda that make people support whatever cause is being presented to them, whether they realize it or not. 

The same can be said for some forms of legislation proposed by the Trump administration. Claiming Trump to be a controversial figure is an extreme understatement, but there are a lot of people who fully support him in whatever he does. He has used his rhetoric and propaganda to make people feel like Trump stands for the working-class American who will restore America to the "great nation" it was when these people were teens, which MAY be referring to the time when minorities/women/LGBTQ demanded equal rights but I don't want to jump to conclusions. 

Trump has used his rhetoric and propaganda to get (some) American people to agree with him moving forward on the Dakota Access Pipeline. The controversial pipeline has sparked much protest across the country, and Trump has issued a memorandum on the DAPL. According to the White House website, the pipeline "serve[s] the nation interest" of the American people. The website also claims that 90% of the pipeline is done with just 10% more. The website fails to mention the indigenous people that will be affected by the last 10% of the pipeline. Trump has used propaganda (from the "most credible" White House website), to say that the pipeline is beneficial to American infrastructure and to the American people. What is Trump getting from this? Well after some investigation, he is getting quite a bit. $2.5 billion has been contributed to the pipeline, including several major banks like Wells Fargo, US Bank, Bank of America, as well as several investment companies like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JP Morgan Chase, to name a few. Trump promises that the workers, environment, and Canada will benefit from this pipeline. Now, Trump claims to no longer have any conflicting interests in the pipeline (he used to before selling his stocks), but has not made further comment on his involvement.

Donald Trump has pushed the rhetoric of making "America Great Again" and "Drain[ing] the Swamp", but has sided with the side of the billionaire 1% over the American people, and has convinced people through propaganda that he is working in the best interest of the American working class. 

Sources:

White House memorandum:  https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/24/presidential-memorandum-regarding-construction-dakota-access-pipeline

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/news/who's-banking-dakota-access-pipeline?gclid=CjwKEAiAi-_FBRCZyPm_14CjoyASJAClUigONT-ECVOwzFNvC-dpqGay8F0sNhX0yJwGm3LJTslkHxoCtr7w_wcB

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/who-benefits-from-the-keystone-xl-pipeline-and-dakota-access-pipeline-pros-cons/