The Designated Villain
Why Designate a "Villain"?
The "villain" is a distraction intended to divert your attention from something else that the propagandist doesn't want you to think about. The attacks on the "villain" can be quite vicious, which is sometimes necessary to produce the desired distraction.
Any attacks on a "villain" must be treated with suspicion and NOT accepted at face value. Research it carefully. If you can't find REAL evidence supporting the attacks, then you are likely looking at vicious propaganda. Such attacks can do a lot of damage and can end very badly.
Remember that Hitler chose Jews as the villain group. Jews were the target of some of the most vicious propaganda attacks ever seen. All of Germany's problems were blamed on the Jews. We all know how that turned out.