Okay, zoomers, boomer conservatives, and assorted based individuals, gather 'round. We're diving headfirst into the historical cringe of US military psyops. For over a century, Uncle Sam's been dropping propaganda leaflets like they're hot potatoes, hoping to trigger the libs...er, I mean, demoralize the enemy. But were these paper bombs based or just plain cringe?

Back in the Great War (WWI for you history noobs), the US dropped over 3 million leaflets, supposedly making the Germans cry into their sauerkraut. Then came WWII, with the Office of War Information (OWI) cranking out propaganda like a soy factory churning out plant-based burgers. Ever since, it's been leaflet drops galore, from Vietnam to Afghanistan. But did anyone actually read them, or were they just used to start campfires?

Now, Khajistan (not that Khazakstan, calm down), a group of archivists in Brooklyn, has put together an exhibit called “Office of War Information (OWI)” showcasing hundreds of these vintage paper memes. It's a deep dive into the propaganda playbook, and honestly, some of it is so bad it's good. Like a cringey TikTok dance you can't look away from.

But here's the red pill: according to a declassified 1971 Air Force report, these psyops might have been a massive cope. Remember the Vietnam War? The US and South Vietnam dropped a mind-boggling 5 billion leaflets a year. That's like a paper blizzard of misinformation. The report calls the planes 'B.S. Bombers'.

The Air Force found that the leaflets often violated “elementary rules of persuasion” – basically, they were lying too much. It's like when CNN tries to convince you that inflation is good for the economy. Nobody's buying it. Turns out, the Viet Cong weren't exactly swayed by Uncle Sam's gentle persuasion. In fact, some used the leaflets to roll cigarettes or wipe their butts. Talk about a critical review!

The exhibit includes gems from the Gulf War, too. “You are isolated, stop resisting,” one leaflet helpfully informs Iraqi soldiers. Yeah, that'll do the trick. It's like telling someone to “calm down” when they're already angry.

So, were these propaganda leaflets based or cringe? The answer, like most things in life, is complicated. Some probably worked on some people some of the time. But a lot of it was likely a colossal waste of taxpayer money. It’s hard to convince people who already hate you, right?