The Empire Files (6/4/16)
Edward Bernays, Propaganda A seminal and controversial figure in the history of political thought and public relations, Edward Bernays, was a pioneer in the scientific technique of manipulating public opinion.
With thousands of advertisements seen by Americans everyday, and a corporate media that reinforces the needs of Empire, propaganda in the U.S. is more pervasive and effective than ever before.
The manipulation of public opinion through suggestion can be traced back to the father of modern propaganda, Edward Bernays, who discovered that preying on the subconscious mind was the best way to sell products people don’t need, and wars people don’t want.
To get a deeper understanding of how propaganda functions in today’s society, Abby Martin interviews Dr. Mark Crispin Miller, professor of Media Studies at New York University.
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“Propaganda is the executive arm of the invisible government.”
– Edward Bernays
The first hour of this documentary focuses on Edward Bernays and the insertion of propaganda in government and the mass culture and the “engineering of consent”. In Germany the Nazi’s quickly learned how to weaponize propaganda and the ideas of Bernays.
In the United States Bernays was also the central figure guiding in the control of government by the corporations through subtle manipulation of consumerism, media control and creating the myth that democracy is dependent upon capitalism. Bernays was the guide to transforming active citizens into passive consumers. He eventually became an adviser to the CIA and the corporate deep state.
This is an important film to watch and understand.
– Mark L. Taylor
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Book TV (9/29/04)
Ms. Bernays talked about her late father’s book Propaganda. Mr. Miller, author of the introduction to a new edition of the book, joined the discussion. It is being re-issued for the first time in over 30 years by IG Publishing. Edward Bernays (1891-1995) was called the father of public relations and political spin. Written in 1928, this was the first book to discuss the manipulation of the masses and democracy through government spin and propaganda. Ms. Bernays described her father as a manipulator and discussed life at home with the man responsible for the ad campaign that in part caused the U.S. to intervene in World War I. Following their remarks, Ms. Bernays and Mr. Miller responded to questions from members of the audience.
(Commoner Call book cover photo by Mark L. Taylor, 2017. Open source and free to use with link to www.thecommonercall.org )
By Edward Bernays
- Release Date: 2004-09-01
- Genre: Politics & Current Events
- Size: 398.47 KB
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“Bernays’ honest and practical manual provides much insight into some of the most powerful and influential institutions of contemporary industrial state capitalist democracies.”—Noam Chomsky
“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”—Edward Bernays, Propaganda
A seminal and controversial figure in the history of political thought and public relations, Edward Bernays (1891–1995), pioneered the scientific technique of shaping and manipulating public opinion, which he famously dubbed “engineering of consent.” During World War I, he was an integral part of the U.S. Committee on Public Information (CPI), a powerful propaganda apparatus that was mobilized to package, advertise and sell the war to the American people as one that would “Make the World Safe for Democracy.” The CPI would become the blueprint in which marketing strategies for future wars would be based upon.
Bernays applied the techniques he had learned in the CPI and, incorporating some of the ideas of Walter Lipmann, became an outspoken proponent of propaganda as a tool for democratic and corporate manipulation of the population. His 1928 bombshell Propaganda lays out his eerily prescient vision for using propaganda to regiment the collective mind in a variety of areas, including government, politics, art, science and education. To read this book today is to frightfully comprehend what our contemporary institutions of government and business have become in regards to organized manipulation of the masses.
This is the first reprint of Propaganda in over 30 years and features an introduction by Mark Crispin Miller, author of The Bush Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder.
“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”—Edward Bernays, Propaganda
A seminal and controversial figure in the history of political thought and public relations, Edward Bernays (1891–1995), pioneered the scientific technique of shaping and manipulating public opinion, which he famously dubbed “engineering of consent.” During World War I, he was an integral part of the U.S. Committee on Public Information (CPI), a powerful propaganda apparatus that was mobilized to package, advertise and sell the war to the American people as one that would “Make the World Safe for Democracy.” The CPI would become the blueprint in which marketing strategies for future wars would be based upon.
Bernays applied the techniques he had learned in the CPI and, incorporating some of the ideas of Walter Lipmann, became an outspoken proponent of propaganda as a tool for democratic and corporate manipulation of the population. His 1928 bombshell Propaganda lays out his eerily prescient vision for using propaganda to regiment the collective mind in a variety of areas, including government, politics, art, science and education. To read this book today is to frightfully comprehend what our contemporary institutions of government and business have become in regards to organized manipulation of the masses.
This is the first reprint of Propaganda in over 30 years and features an introduction by Mark Crispin Miller, author of The Bush Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder.