propaganda technique

Us versus them

Also called: Us-versus-them framing, In-group/out-group framing

Us-versus-them framing divides people into a virtuous in-group and a threatening out-group, so that loyalty decides which claims are accepted.

How it works

Group identity is a powerful motivator. Once an issue is framed as a contest between us and them, evidence from the other side is dismissed and criticism from inside feels like betrayal.

Examples

"Ordinary people like us versus the elites who look down on us."

Complex disagreements are reduced to a fight between two groups.

"They want to destroy everything we've built."

The out-group is given hostile motives without evidence.

How to spot it

Repeated "we" and "they" with moral labels attached.
The other side's motives are assumed to be hostile.
Members who disagree are treated as defectors.

How to respond

Ask whether the groups are really as uniform as described.
Look for shared interests across the divide.
Judge claims by evidence, not by which group makes them.