# Snuff films as political propaganda and recruitment **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 29, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-films-as-political-propaganda-and-recruitment/696907 "2014-08-29T19:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-films-as-political-propaganda-and-recruitment/696907/1 "2014-08-29T19:57:03Z")
In Elizabethan London, glorious days of intellect and culture, you could meet Shakespeare for lunch and pass by decapitated heads on government buildings, and even sometimes the slow asphyxiation and dismemberment of a still-conscious man. I get it. That was then. And nowadays, in the US criminals are executed and the news is made known. The US and other countries release footage of guided bombs killing bad guys. Cited for comparison of effect only of these actions. Back to OP. Nazis did this–on a huge scale, as countless brutal regimes have before them–but, I believe, never on such a scale–within a _local_ population, either “invited” to watch or with the Germans’ knowledge that they would damn well know about it. What’s more, the common local massacres stand independent of the truly Final Solution, which was intended to be deniable internationally during its operation. Of course, a Nazi ideologue would never have blood on his hands, for one thing. And for many, apparently, it is Allah’s will. Which naturally leads me to ISIS. Individual slow decapitations to murder of 100s of POWs, all media-managed to the entire world. As I say in hed, atrocity a) as propaganda b) as entertainment c) instilling fear. I can’t think of any precedent for all three in the current international handling and definition of “atrocity.” If this gets non-GQ’y, I guess I could see it being bounced. But I’m hoping for some real answers and references to political events or chronologies of political activity/law on this. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-films-as-political-propaganda-and-recruitment/696907/2 "2014-08-29T20:04:55Z")
What is the question? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-films-as-political-propaganda-and-recruitment/696907/3 "2014-08-29T21:21:26Z")
Since I don’t see any clearly defined question in the OP, and this is likely to become a controversial topic, I’m going to move this to Great Debates. Hopefully the OP will clarify what’s being asked. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-films-as-political-propaganda-and-recruitment/696907/4 "2014-08-29T21:42:09Z")
I’m just amused that the OP has “Back to OP” in it. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-films-as-political-propaganda-and-recruitment/696907/5 "2014-08-29T22:48:51Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Nazis did this-- . . . Who wants to do the honors? ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-films-as-political-propaganda-and-recruitment/696907/6 "2014-08-29T23:27:17Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > As I say in hed, atrocity a) as propaganda b) as entertainment c) instilling fear. > > I can’t think of any precedent for all three in the current international handling and definition of “atrocity.” > . The sculptures, readings and scriptures of the early Middle East — where civilization began — such as Assyrian, Egyptian, Hebrew, Persian amongst others etc. boastings of how many killed, in which gruesome ways, and the amounts of body parts collected seem to qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-films-as-political-propaganda-and-recruitment/696907/7 "2014-08-29T23:56:50Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > As I say in hed, atrocity a) as propaganda b) as entertainment c) instilling fear. > > I can’t think of any precedent for all three in the current international handling and definition of “atrocity.” Sounds like standard America practice, although we prefer to use sanitized footage that doesn’t show corpses up close. We do like military footage that shows people being blown up by our weapons at long range, where we can’t see the blood. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2014, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-films-as-political-propaganda-and-recruitment/696907/8 "2014-08-29T23:59:59Z")
**Der Trihs** : well, it’s one very tiny baby step toward civilization. It’s at least that much better than dabbing our hands in blood, holding them up, and crowing in triumph. It’s like the covert racism most practiced in the U.S. today: at very least, it indicates an awareness of being morally wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snuff-films-as-political-propaganda-and-recruitment/696907/9 "2014-08-31T21:07:57Z")
Technically though, I don’t think any of those count as snuff films. I believe a snuff film is where you film someone being murdered for the purpose of selling it. (Other wise, things like the Zapruder film would count as snuff)