Edward Bernays: Century of Self (BBC Documentary)

[itsthepathocrats]

The Is this REALLY confessions of a CIA agent (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=162708) thread discussion has prompted
me to revisit the BBC Documentary on Edward Bernays, called The Century of Self.
I highly recommend this series to all forum participants. I watched Part 1 of 4 (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8953172273825999151)
and found the following quotes of significant interest:


Bernays was convinced that this was more than just a way of selling consumer goods. It was a new political idea of how to control the masses. By satisfying the inner irrational desires that his uncle had identified, people could be made happy and thus docile.

....it was necessary to transform people into constantly moving happiness machines, machines which have become the key to economic progress. A new idea on how to run mass democracies was emerging. At its heart, was the consuming self, which not only made the economy work, but was happy and docile and so created a stable society.
“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. …We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.” (Edward Bernays)
Corporations had to transform the way americans thought about products.... “We must shift America from a needs to a desires culture. People must be trained to desire. People must want new things before the old have been entirely consumed. We must shape a new mentality in America. Man’s desires must overshadow his needs.” (Paul Mazer)
A change has come over our democracy, it is called Consumptionism. The American citizens first importance to his country is no longer that of citizen but that of consumer.
The banks funded the construction of the large box retailers to sell the goods that we're being mass produced. It was Bernay's job to develop the techniques of mass consumer persuasion.
Bernays wrote the book "Civilization and its Discontents," which claimed civilization had been constructed to control the inner issues of human. They must always be controlled, and therefore alwys be discontent.The last half of part 1 presents memes and communications used by the Nazi's, and some of the material is eerily similar to what we are hearing now from Obama. The references to sacrifice are almost word-for-word replications, for example, at minute 38:

"Strength through Joy" was setup by the Nazi's to control worker's leisure time: "Service not self " was the motto. The feelings and emotions of the masses would be channeled to bind the nation together.

[Deborah K]

I love this documentary. I've been recommending it for a couple of years now. I found it interesting that Bernays thought people were stupid and easily manipulated. Turns out he was right.

[itsthepathocrats]

I love this documentary. I've been recommending it for a couple of years now. I found it interesting that Bernays thought people were stupid and easily manipulated. Turns out he was right.
I've been going back and forth on this hypothesis for years, and where I am right now is that I agree people can by manipulated by very sophisticated techniques, especially when the targets are unaware of the techniques. However, I see that once awareness of the techniques is achieved, the techniques can be rendered totally ineffective. So, I really think it is a matter of detection and not intellectual capacity. Therefore, I don't agree with Bernays on the stupid part of his hypothesis, for it people were stupid they would not have to use techniques that are so all-encompassing and almost undetectable.

[Deborah K]

Here is a rather interesting take on Bernays and his opinion of the masses: http://www.counterbias.com/915.html

The last paragraph:

Edward Bernays' direct influence is long gone, but his ideas continue to define the relationships between the corporations, the American state and the consuming citizen on one hand, and the state-corporations' union and the rest of the world on the other. The carefully managed relationships have undermined democracy and unleashed sadistic wars and uncontrollable violence, of which Freud had warned, but which his nephew shamelessly exploited.

And check out the author.

[Deborah K]

I've been going back and forth on this hypothesis for years, and where I am right now is that I agree people can by manipulated by very sophisticated techniques, especially when the targets are unaware of the techniques. However, I see that once awareness of the techniques is achieved, the techniques can be rendered totally ineffective. So, I really think it is a matter of detection and not intellectual capacity. Therefore, I don't agree with Bernays on the stupid part of his hypothesis, for it people were stupid they would not have to use techniques that are so all-encompassing and almost undetectable.

I'm not sure, but I don't think he meant that all people are stupid. Just people in general, otherwise you wouldn't have the manipulated and the manipulators. And yes, once people realize they're being manipulated they will typically rebel against it in one way or another. The problem is that when you have a force like our corporate controlled media, it is difficult to get most people to unplug from it - take the red pill.

[Pete]

The full text of Bernays' book, 'Propaganda', is available here:

http://reactor-core.org/bernays-propaganda.html

[itsthepathocrats]

Here is a rather interesting take on Bernays and his opinion of the masses: http://www.counterbias.com/915.html
Excellent reference, thanks. I pulled this from the beginning of that article:

"Bernays strongly believed that people are simply 'stupid' and
in need of being told how to behave, what to believe, what to eat,
what to wear and how to vote. "

When I read this I wonder if Bernays was simply just selling his own profession to business and the state. I mean, saying that people "need to be told how to behave" is quite a sales pitch to people who crave power.


I'm not sure, but I don't think he meant that all people are stupid. Just people in general....
Yeah, you can replace instances where I say "people" with the "the profane."


The full text of Bernays' book, 'Propaganda', is available here:

http://reactor-core.org/bernays-propaganda.html
This book is a must read. Here are a couple clips that I posted elsewhere on this forum, but merit reposting in this thread:


The minority has discovered a powerful help in influencing
majorities. It has been found possible so to mold
the mind of the masses that they will throw
their newly gained strength in the desired direction.
In the present structure of society, this practice is
inevitable. Whatever of social importance is done to-day,
whether in politics, finance, manufacture, agriculture,
charity, education, or other fields, must be
done with the help of propaganda. Propaganda is
the executive arm of the invisible government
.
.
.
.

Universal literacy was supposed to educate the
common man to control his environment. Once
he could read and write he would have a mind fit to
rule. So ran the democratic doctrine. But instead
of a mind, universal literacy has given him rubber
stamps, rubber stamps inked with advertising slogans,
with editorials, with published scientific data, with
the trivialities of the tabloids and the platitudes of
history, but quite innocent of original thought. Each
man's rubber stamps are the duplicates of millions
of others, so that when those millions are exposed to
the same stimuli, all receive identical imprints. It
may seem an exaggeration to say that the American
public gets most of its ideas in this wholesale fashion.
The mechanism by which ideas are disseminated on a
large scale is propaganda, in the broad sense of
an organized effort to spread a particular belief or
doctrine.

[Deborah K]

Forward to 42:00 on this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8953172273825999151
it talks about FDR and how he handled the Depression, we're having a repeat of this now, only worse, much worse.

I wish everyone would take the time to watch this series, after you get over the initial shock, you can learn how to use these tactics to win over the sleeping.

[dannno]

Very worthwhile, watch the whole thing.

[Deborah K]

I wonder if there is a way to set up a time for everyone who wants to, to watch the series all at the same time, like we do with news and radio programs. So that we can discuss it while we are watching it.

[itsthepathocrats]

Forward to 42:00 on this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8953172273825999151
it talks about FDR and how he handled the Depression, we're having a repeat of this now, only worse, much worse.

I wish everyone would take the time to watch this series, after you get over the initial shock, you can learn how to use these tactics to win over the sleeping.
Yes, very good observation, but you notice how the documentary mentions that FDR was "going to use the power of the state to strengthen democracy"...... what total BS, they were concentrating power and selling it to the profane as a benevolent move in their best interest (typical Bernays).

Overall, when you look at the parallels between the 1920 and the 2000's, it's more than quite disturbing. First, they ponerize society with consumerism and egoncentricity (checkout the documentary called the "Tale of Two Cities" about Berlin and Amsterdam, describing this paradigm in the 1920's). Second, they crash the economy and blame it on the profane for being too egoncentonic. Third, the state comes-in and tells the profane how it must sacrifice as power is concentrated. Fourth, well, the profane go to war as power installs radical and draconian state-measures while persuading the profane to turn-on each other in the most vicious ways imaginable.

You know, the Germany idolatry displayed toward Hitler resembles some of what we see today in America with Obama.

We can certainly discuss and debate the details here, but at a high level the parallels are striking and disturbing. Are we merely seeing the reuse of techniques perfected previously?

[itsthepathocrats]

I wonder if there is a way to set up a time for everyone who wants to, to watch the series all at the same time, like we do with news and radio programs. So that we can discuss it while we are watching it.
I was going to suggest to the forum admins that they setup a subforum where books, papers, videos can be reviewed and discussed. I've recommended quite a few books in my posts while on this forum and it would be nice if there were a central place where we can create threads of discussion specifically on these materials, creating a historical record that others can follow at their own pace. Thoughts?

[Deborah K]

I was going to suggest to the forum admins that they setup a subforum where books, papers, videos can be reviewed and discussed. I've recommended quite a few books in my posts while on this forum and it would be nice if there were a central place where we can create threads of discussion specifically on these materials, creating a historical record that others can follow at their own pace. Thoughts?

Good idea. We need to concentrate the information into an easy to locate area of the forum. I am in the process of co-authoring a book and I pull information from this forum all the time. Sure would make my job a lot easier.

[Deborah K]

Yes, very good observation, but you notice how the documentary mentions that FDR was "going to use the power of the state to strengthen democracy"...... what total BS, they were concentrating power and selling it to the profane as a benevolent move in their best interest (typical Bernays).

Overall, when you look at the parallels between the 1920 and the 2000's, it's more than quite disturbing. First, they ponerize society with consumerism and egoncentricity (checkout the documentary called the "Tale of Two Cities" about Berlin and Amsterdam, describing this paradigm in the 1920's). Second, they crash the economy and blame it on the profane for being too egoncentonic. Third, the state comes-in and tells the profane how it must sacrifice as power is concentrated. Fourth, well, the profane go to war as power installs radical and draconian state-measures while persuading the profane to turn-on each other in the most vicious ways imaginable.

You know, the Germany idolatry displayed toward Hitler resembles some of what we see today in America with Obama.

We can certainly discuss and debate the details here, but at a high level the parallels are striking and disturbing. Are we merely seeing the reuse of techniques perfected previously?

And did you notice how it was the corporations against FDR at the time? And how, with the help of Bernays they managed to create distrust in his New Deal? And how FDR fought back with propaganda films? Unbelievable. Nowadays, they're sleeping with each other. And it's both of them against the sovereign individual.

[itsthepathocrats]

Good idea. We need to concentrate the information into an easy to locate area of the forum. I am in the process of co-authoring a book and I pull information from this forum all the time. Sure would make my job a lot easier.
Who needs to be spoken to and how are they reached?


And did you notice how it was the corporations against FDR at the time? And how, with the help of Bernays they managed to create distrust in his New Deal? And how FDR fought back with propaganda films? Unbelievable. Nowadays, they're sleeping with each other. And it's both of them against the sovereign individual.
FDR fighting back is a cover story. They were working together back then as well. This documentary in-itself is propaganda and manipulation. The vectoring is omnipotent in their media complex, can't ever let your guard down.