cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/36992556
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem appeared in commercials aired on Mexican TV warning that anyone crossing the border illegally would be prosecuted and deported.
Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.semafor.com/article/04/22/2025/sheinbaum-bans-us-propaganda
Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.
Thanks for the good-faith discussion. :)
So, correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like in that case the “Visit Mexico!” ads I saw when I was growing up in the US would be Mexican propaganda then, correct? Since they’re advancing a specific political cause, namely increasing tourist revenue and the government’s share of that revenue.
In that case, an ad saying “hey, don’t try to get into our country illegally because we’ll arrest and deport you” feels much less like propaganda to me than “hey, come visit our country so we can get your money!” does.
Edit: So, (aside from the comment that mentioned that this may be a mistranslation), if what you say about the situation is correct, to me it’s starting to sound like this might just be the Mexican government being intentionally incendiary and a bit hyperbolic in their language because they’re pissy about the US government going over their head and speaking directly to their people, which may be due to the (accurate or not) perception that the Mexican government isn’t doing enough to prevent illegal immigration. In that case, it seems like my original comment implying that this isn’t really propaganda is still mostly accurate.
The Visit Mexico ads are definitely propaganda, the word itself is a synonym of advertisement, but bening propaganda and displays a good relationship between Mexico and the United States, that is why you don’t hear backlash from it. Like I mentioned before the anti-migration message could have been agreed with the Mexican government.
You are framing your position on the fact that the mexican government position is incendiary or pissy, but the same can be said from the US ads, which are unprofessional, unprompted and unexpected, making them incendiary and pissy. Thus making them toxic propaganda.
Sorry, but I still just do not see how stating the obvious fact that “if you come here illegally you will be arrested and deported” can in any way be seen as “propaganda”.