Propaganda inducing false nostalgia leading to assimilation

The MAGA political campaign emphasizes a desire to return to a “simpler time,” a period that many view as more unified and stable. This strong sense of nationalism, often perceived as patriotism, raises concerns about its potential to move the United States backwards. Specifically, the use of nostalgia as a key role in this movement may encourage cultural assimilation, while pushing away the diverse experiences and stories of minority groups. While society naturally draws on past experiences to shape its future, an overemphasis on a nostalgic ideals can influence public policies and cultural norms in ways that may hinder progress. This leads to a larger question: “Should we idealize the past with all its complexities and challenges, or should we embrace the realities of today and work toward a more inclusive future?

In order for one to fully understand how nostalgia affects the way an individual thinks, one must understand the context behind it. False nostalgia isn’t just a sense of sentiment or affection for the past; it is a psychological condition that medical professionals have labeled as “Dissociative Amnesia”. This is when your mind blocks out crucial information that leaves “gaps” in our memory. However, the Cleveland Clinic states that, dissociative amnesia isn’t the same as forgetting past events, the brain still has all the memories – good and bad, we just can’t access them. This happens due to traumatic experiences and can eventually lead to full blown amnesia which is memory loss. Many Americans view the 1950’s as the “good ‘ole days” while many suffered financial, social, and political losses. Between 1945 and 1960 the United States had a boom in the economy which led to the GNP raising by 250 percent. Jezer-Morton claimed that the white middle class exploded, even though there was widespread racism throughout the country and extreme segregation. These are commonly forgotten since white Americans were the majority, silencing the struggles of minorities at the time. The dominant narrative favor stories of success and stability idealizing a past that required minorities to assimilate stay silent or be excluded altogether. “Group-based nostalgia—operationalized as nostalgia felt for events shared with one's ingroup, or collective nostalgia—can be experienced in a variety of social settings, including organizations, school classes, cities, and nations” (NLM 2021). Not just individuals can experience false nostalgia, groups can and can orally pass down these experiences leading to younger generations longing for a past they weren’t even alive for. 

According to Britannica’s definition; assimilation is the process where individuals or groups of differing ethnic heritage are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society. Assimilation is the most extreme form of acculturation, with different branches of assimilation including forced and voluntary. An example of forced assimilation is when European countries created harsh colonial policies toward indigenous people which compelled the religious conversion, the removal of children from families, the division of community property, and undermining local economies. This is very upfront and more a prehistoric assimilation method that isn’t commonly used anymore. There was little to no propaganda usage, and it was more violent compared to modern or voluntary assimilation. However, voluntary assimilation is the effect of minorities being pressurized by the dominant culture, they aren't directly forced to change key features in their culture but rather are expected to. “Due to the differences in cultures, gaining acceptance by the major culture forces immigrants to resort to assimilation.” (Bhugra and Becker). Even though more modern forms of assimilation may not be as violent or forceful, they slowly diminish the culture of minorities. Less dominant communities are giving up their cultures, to fitting into the mold of the majority but also too far assimilated to feel connected with their original identity. 

“Hitlerjunge Quex (Hitler Youth Quex), published in 1933, presents the story of a teenage boy, Heini Völker, who is conflicted between his communist, father and his growing devotion to Nazism. His last name. ‘Volk’ symbolizes the German people, and the young audience are positioned to empathize with his experiences, growing up during the depression in a working-class district of Berlin.” (Fontana, 2021). The Hitlerjunge Quex film serves as a clear example on how propaganda used false nostalgia to influence public perception, specifically among the youth, the name Völk is symbolical to the German nation reinforcing more nationalistic ideas and romanticizing traditional German values. This film empowered the struggling, working-class German citizens, allowing them to ignore the social and political issues arising eventually leading to the spark of World War II. A more modern example of false nostalgic propaganda is the MAGA slogan that is actively being used in politics nowadays. Paul Combs points out that Trump’s slogan is ‘Make America Great Again’ implying the America is no longer “great” right now, or that it was better in the past, referring to the ‘50s. However, his time period often seen as the “good ‘ole days” was heavily influenced by racism, sexism, homophobia, and widespread fear of increased tensions during the Cold War. This is idolizing a time period that is deemed to be better or “greater” but often undermines the struggles that minorities have faces such as racism, such as the internment camps to relocate Japanese Americans after World War 2. Both of these examples – one more from the past, and another more modern and current show how propaganda based on false nostalgia can manipulate people by presenting a one-sided, idealized version of the past. It encourages citizens who are witnessed to the propaganda to long for a time that never truly existed, but rather one that feels safe and unified on the surface.

People are susceptible to nostalgic propaganda because it feels familiar and safe and false nostalgia is taking the good memories of the past and focusing on those instead of remembering the entirety of the situation. False nostalgia encourages people to long for a time that never truly existed allowing people to reminisce the past. This kind of propaganda appeals to emotion rather than logic or critical thinking. It creates a simplified, and idealized version of the past, which can be especially persuasive during times of uncertainty or social unrest. People may look back longingly on a time they perceive as more stable, more moral, or more prosperous, even if that perception isn't grounded in fact. An example of this would be Nazi Ideology used prior to World War II, when Germany was struggling with the economic recession post World War 1. Even though Hitler’s ideals were later proved to be inhumane and harmful, he promised security for the majority. a previous time in Germany where women were tradition housekeepers, and men worked was deemed to be “great” or more secure. This sense of familiarity to the hardships they were facing was comforting to the majority. A sense of nationalism also added to the unity to the population, praising the authoritarian ruler they had. “When it comes to orienting ourselves in a changing world, many look backwards rather than to the future because it feels safer. This is when nostalgic rhetoric becomes easily accessible and important,” says Gabriella Elgenius, Professor in Sociology at the University of Gothenburg. People felt a sense of safety in the promises of made by authoritarian leaders, leading them to trust authority that promoted false nostalgia. This happened even if it meant ignoring or forgetting the dark realities of the past, often forgetting the negative qualities they may have even personally faced. Citizens are often so blinded by their own struggles and current experiences they will accept an unfair past to rule their future. Psychologically, nostalgia activates feelings of safety and belonging, which makes people more likely to trust leaders who promise a return to a "better time." In doing so, citizens may overlook the injustices or inequalities of the past and accept harmful ideologies as solutions. A modern example can be seen in slogans like “Make America Great Again,” which rely on a vague and often inaccurate memory of national greatness. Quoting The New Zealand Jornal of History, “History is the shaping of the past by those living in the present,” (Binney, 2004). In many assimilation policies, indigenous histories and cultures were minimized or erased to promote a unified national identity relating to the dominant culture. If the past is written by people in the present, but with bias from only the majority, society will only see the “benefits” of what the majority did to help minorities. The more prevalent group in society will have a more impactful view on history disregarding minorities and assimilated groups, making them glorify past that wasn’t entirely true. Ultimately, false nostalgic propaganda is powerful because it offers emotional comfort in the face of discomfort, leading people to embrace myths over facts.

The effect that false nostalgia has on many citizens can lead to assimilation which can allow them to assimilate to a past that wasn’t entirely true. Lynette Marianne Lewis states that native New Zealanders “describe themselves as British subject a with a strong orientation towards the ‘mother land’” New Zealand gained their independence from Great Britain in 1947m over 70 years ago showing how the assimilated Maori tribe is still facing assimilation today. This explains how, due to past colonization many indigenous people still have strong ties with the country that colonized them – often because of the propaganda that promoted white supremacy and British rule. This leads to assimilation of many cultures including the Māori tribe of New Zealand to lose their identity. The National Library of Medicine claims that “Immigration and exile can qualify as social traumas” and false nostalgia can lead to forgetting traumatic or negative experiences often leading to assimilation, and when false nostalgia is involved, people may ignore or forget traumatic histories. Instead, they adopt an idealized version of the past, which can further encourage assimilation. Many immigrants, and minorities are facing assimilation which is traumatic, these past traumatic experiences can impact their current life and is detrimental to their mental health. As stated in the same article, “a perennial mourner beckons a linking object or phenomenon in their mind to control the wish to bring back the lost person or country and to fantasize about them. They become so pathologically and obsessively preoccupied with the linking objects or phenomena that they have no energy left to find new ways of living (Volkan, NIH).” This means on the other hand, the perennial mourner beckons a linking object or phenomenon in their mind to control the wish to bring back the lost person or country and to fantasize about them. They become so pathologically and obsessively preoccupied with the linking objects or phenomena that they have no energy left to find new ways of living”. This outdated mindset can lead to promotion of false nostalgic ideals and propaganda supporting it. The United States Department of Justice shoes a graph saying how hate crimes have increased throughout the years and in 2023 it reached over 11,000 assaults and 52.5 % of them were race-based. Increased hate crime targeting race specifically Black-Americans. This rise in racial violence reflects the dangers of idolizing time periods like the 1950s and 1960s—eras that the MAGA campaign often glorifies. False nostalgia encourages people to overlook these injustices and instead embrace a version of history that supports division and exclusion, which continues to harm marginalized communities today.

Some critics may claim that false nostalgia isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and is highlighting the positive aspects of the past. However, these forms of false nostalgia eventually leads into very drastic propaganda and assimilation which has a severe negative impact on the communities being assimilated. Norberg states in Reason Magazine “One way of revealing [false promises] is to look at what the good old days were really like.” By understanding the past and taking into account a non-biased perspective can help lower harmful propaganda promotion, and rates of dissociative amnesia. But, continuing to disregard negative moments in history can allow these past issues involving assimilation to go unresolved or resurface. With the resurfacing of these issues, more assimilation, more violent actions against minorities, and untrue depictions of the past will occur. In conclusion, it is necessary to remember what actually happened in the past and how are those past actions affecting us now?

Works Cited:

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