If there were no Russia–Ukraine war, gasoline would be below 500 forints per liter. Everyone who works to prolong the war (Brussels, Kyiv, Tisza) is an obstacle to lowering fuel prices.
A thought about gasoline prices, because I see that the agitators are already stirring things up. If there were no war — no Russia–Ukraine war — prices would return to the 2022 level, meaning fuel would drop below 500 forints per liter. Everyone who works for the continuation of the war — Ursula von der Leyen, Manfred Weber, President Zelensky, the Tisza Party, Péter Magyar, István Kapitány — are obstacles to gasoline prices falling below 500 forints per liter.
So let the agitators keep agitating.
🎭 Propaganda and Influence Techniques in Balázs’s Message
The text is a political campaign message that uses several classic rhetorical and propaganda techniques. Its goal is to reduce the complex issue of fuel prices to a simple political conflict and trigger an emotional reaction from the reader.
Below are the most important techniques.
1️⃣ Simple cause–effect explanation (oversimplification)
Excerpt:
“If there were no Russian-Ukrainian war, gasoline would be below 500 HUF.”
Technique:
👉 Oversimplification
Goal:
To explain a complex economic phenomenon (fuel prices) with a single cause.
Effect:
Readers may believe that
➡️ fuel prices are high solely because of the war,
even though in reality many factors influence them (global oil prices, refining costs, taxes, exchange rates, etc.).
2️⃣ Scapegoating
Excerpt:
“Brussels, Kyiv, Tisza… Ursula von der Leyen, Manfred Weber, President Zelensky…”
Technique:
👉 Scapegoating
Goal:
To blame specific political actors for an economic problem.
Effect:
The reader’s anger or frustration is directed toward a clearly defined political group.
3️⃣ Creating an enemy image
Excerpt:
“Everyone who works to prolong the war…”
Technique:
👉 “Us vs. them” narrative
Goal:
To divide actors into two camps:
- they: pro-war actors
- we: those who want peace and cheap fuel
Effect:
Readers are more likely to emotionally identify with the “we” side.
4️⃣ Repetition
Excerpt:
“If there were no war… fuel would be below 500.”
Technique:
👉 Repetition of a key claim
Goal:
To reinforce the core message in the reader’s mind.
Effect:
Repeated statements can begin to feel more credible simply through repetition.
5️⃣ Emotional language and agitation
Excerpt:
“the agitators are agitating”
Technique:
👉 Emotional rhetoric / stigmatization
Goal:
To portray critics as provocateurs or manipulators.
Effect:
Readers may take opposing viewpoints less seriously.
6️⃣ Shifting political responsibility
Technique:
👉 Narrative reframing
Goal:
To link the issue of fuel prices to external political actors.
Effect:
An economic issue is reframed as a political conflict.
✅ Summary
The core narrative of the text is:
➡️ “No war → cheap fuel.”
➡️ “Certain political actors are prolonging the war.”
➡️ “Therefore they are responsible for high fuel prices.”
This follows a classic campaign logic:
simple cause → identified enemy → emotional reaction.