The Darkest Health Propaganda Posters

The first half of the 20th century produced some of the most impressive, strange and creepy pubic health propaganda posters. Nothing is new under the sun.

If you thought this was the darkest timeline think again. The overwhelming public health pressure surrounding the pandemic is undeniable but this is nothing new. During the 1930s and 40s the Works Progress Administration subsidized an entire army of artists and writers to push some pretty authoritarian stuff. You can read all about it on Jonah Goldberg’s book Liberal Fascism.

Here are some of the more relevant posters I uncovered from the Library of Congress:

Setting our time machine back to the 1930s!

After the great depression Harry Hopkins headed up the massively budgeted newly created WPA (garnering 6% of the GDP in 1935). Labor jobs was the focus but the program also recruited artists who created 1000s of posters touting local theater and warning against tuberculosis!

First, let's admit that some of these posters are wonderfully nostalgic. There were some font creatives (hardly a serif anywhere!), perspective, stylization (if you can stomach the message to digest the art part of it).

Now to the topic at hand. With a COVID-19 vaccine deep in our trenches, the continued use of masks and the overwhelming sense that we must all find refuge bowing to social justice warriors - be warned that this type of propaganda crap (modernized) will be making a comeback!

If you're an office worker you're probably gonna be wearing a mask for a bit. Get ready for OSHA posters galore! If you thought the obnoxious corporate commercials ("we’re all in this together!") are bad just wait until you add COVID-19 safety training vids to new hire docket. More?

Kids! You literally have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than dying of COVID-1 (LIT-ER-ALLY!). But you can bet they'll be using kids to hammer their message home!

And why let a good crisis go to waste! Our local troop of "defund the police" in San Diego wants to move the PD funds to housing assistance... because nothing solves govt problems like free housing! It was the same back then.

And mom's - we're looking to you to make ALL the difference here. Is is it any wonder people would suspect something else was going when their govt comes up with this crap?

Those Hospital PR infographics showing vaxxed and unvaxxed folks? That’s nothing new. Look at this gem

The machinery around health propaganda is nothing new - it’s always been with us. Just wait until they really start cranking.