A fascinating interview with Friedman about social programs and his view that they were empowering the corrupt and enslaving the masses.
Month: August 2007
Edward Bernays – the father of modern propganda
“Edward Louis Bernays (November 22, 1891 – March 9, 1995) is considered one of the fathers of the field of public relations along with Ivy Lee. Combining the ideas of Gustave LeBon and Wilfred Trotter on crowd psychology with the psychoanalytical ideas of his uncle, Sigmund Freud, Bernays was one of the first to attempt to manipulate public opinion using the psychology of the subconscious.” [more from Wikipedia]
“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. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. …In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons…who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.” [Quoted from Bernays’ book “Propoganda”]
After the Great Depression, Roosevelt implemented the New Deal – which pushed for more government projects and direct spending in correcting social problems, with the blame for ills falling upon American Business. But American Businesses united under the banner of the first (and still standing) corporate oligopoly, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Edward Bernays consulted with the NAM and using his understanding of human psychology, his philosophy, and his personal political beliefs transformed the American citizens into American consumers.
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