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Us-versus-them positioning

This Is Nazi Brutality" Lidice poster

commons.wikimedia.orgpublic-domain-us

The pattern

This still is filed under Us-versus-them positioning.

Define

The buyer is invited into a side. The product is what we use. The named other is what we refuse.

Mechanism

Identity contrast. Choosing the offer is choosing a group. The out-group does as much work as the claim.

Verdict

The category is crowded

Read the pattern

Why it works

It leverages the enemy's own words as undeniable proof of their evil. The cold, bureaucratic tone of the telegram contrasts shockingly with the horrifying fate of the people and the bleak visual of the hooded man.

Steal this when

You want to expose an opponent's wrongdoing by letting their own undeniable, matter-of-fact statements condemn them.

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