Edward Bernays - Propaganda

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268976857&sr=1-1

From the cover:

Only through the active energy of the intelligent few can the public become aware of and act upon new ideas.

Propaganda bears the same relation to education as to business or politics. It may be abused. It may be used to over-advertise an institution and to create in the public mind artificial values. There can be no absolute guarantee against it's misuse.

A Presidential candidate may be "drafted" in response to "overwhelming popular demand", but it is well known that his name may be decided upon by half a dozen men sitting around a table in a hotel room

Governments, whether they are monarchical, constitutional, democratic or communist, depend upon acquiescent public opinion for the success of their efforts and, in fact, government is government only by virtue of public appearance.

As civilization has become more complex, and as the need for invisible government has been increasingly demonstrated, the technical means have been invented and developed by which opinion may be regimented.

Nowadays the successors of the rulers, those whose position or ability gives them power, can no longer do what they want to without the approval of the masses, they find in propaganda a tool which is increasingly powerful in gaining that approval.

Democracy is administered by the intelligent minority who know how to regiment and guide the masses.

An entire party, a platform, an international policy is sold to the public, or it is not sold, on the basis of the intangible element of personality.

Ok, that's what is on the cover of the book. I have yet to read it but I'm quite sure it will tick me off to no end. IMO, I believe Edward Bernays was the most influential person of the last century yet few, outside of places like ATS have heard of the guy.

Well, there is your introduction. This man was as horrible a human being as their ever was. He taught the governments and corporations how to do exactly what they are doing - SCREWING US!

And most will never ever know it is happening. This man's works are a major reason things are the way they are. His Uncle, Sigmund Freud, was laughed at by most in the U.S. until Ed made him famous. Include the daughter, Anna Freud, and well, I'll let the video tell that story if you don't know about it. I advise everyone to watch this if you haven't already. It's one terrifying story.

freedocumentaries.org...

What, no one cares? Ok then. I'll give it one bump for good measure then leave it if no one wants to respond. I would think people around ere would find this interesting. Maybe not.

I read a few pages of the introduction last night and was disgusted. I haven't even gotten to Ed's words yet. So far, it's pretty icky.

Not long ago I and other members’ authored threads about Cass Sunstein Obama’s Information Czar and his call for cognitive infiltration of government of proponents and supporters of the Federal Government to infiltrate 9-11 and other conspiracy groups.

At the heart of Cass Sunstein’s call for this was his academic work on what he calls ‘crippled epistemology’.

At the heart of his theory Sunstein feels that a person develops and has crippled epistemology when they reject traditional mainstream media news sources and government spokespeople out of a lack of trust in those sources and rely instead on alternative news sources that they do trust.

So at the very heart of his academic paper and quest is the belief that if you don’t trust news sources that are deemed ‘reliable’ by others there is something wrong with you.

In other words he identified exactly what in his estimation causes so many people to believe outrageous stories and lies in the mainstream news media is simply because the people trust those medias as a source.

If that trusted media reports it then they simply accept it as the truth no questions asked on its face value simply because they trust the source.

That is what is at the heart of the propaganda system and how it works is the knowledge that if people trust the messenger they will trust the message!

If they don’t trust the messenger that they won’t trust the message, so once a messenger is trusted people will basically believe anything that comes from that messenger regardless of how factual it is or isn’t.

They won’t investigate and they won’t question.

The only thing then that stands in the way of this always working are alternative sources of the same information who might report it in a more truthful or factual version. So the propaganda experts would very much like to shut down those alternative news sources by discrediting them through cognitive infiltration with the specific aim of discrediting the source and not the message.

In propaganda the sources is everything and if people trust the source you can get them to virtually believe anything.

reply to post by TheLoony

Nowadays the successors of the rulers, those whose position or ability gives them power, can no longer do what they want to without the approval of the masses, they find in propaganda a tool which is increasingly powerful in gaining that approval. Democracy is administered by the intelligent minority who know how to regiment and guide the masses.

I can refer to this propaganda as a public awareness campaign. Through the MSM they feed you their spin and it is designed to illicit an emotional response. Watch the recurring stories and themes and you will see what they want the public to swallow. This occurs in blockbuster films and popular television shows as well.

The company that headed the global warming public awareness program has admitted that any successful national awareness program is long in the making. It is pounded into our brains by way of the MSM and shows. I believe this technique has since been refined and they are able to get their message out with more clarity and usually there is an ultimatum involved that borders on the spiritual. It's very subtle but it is there all the same.

Proto, good call as I totally forgot about that. So much going on I do forget things, even recent events. Good you are helping me "not waste my brain" by giving it a jump start.

I'm quite shocked that I had to pimp this thread out to get a response as this is information that effects everyone. I was driving through the wind storm yesterday and noticed a fence with all the posters for political candidates and was just disgusted. It made me think of Goebbels and what he said about repeat it enough and people will believe it. All these pictures of people no one knows a damn thing about yet if they see enough posters they will remember the name and vote for them without knowing anything they stand for.

It's everywhere, driving down the road, signs that tell us we must buy something or we need to get insurance or whatever, it disgusts me to no end. Why am I not able to make up my mind for myself? Why do I need to be inundated with propaganda of every sort just by walking outside?

I know this may sound ridiculous, but why can't I just be left alone? Why do I need corporations telling me anything? Why is it that we, as a society, are too stupid to make any decision at all for ourselves?

Why do we need the government to not only tell us how to live our lives but what to think(don't dare question 9/11, as PPT so succinctly talked about above), what kind of health care we are allowed to get(coming soon), that you must do this or do that and comply with the over 600,000 laws that "govern" us?

Was I not given a brain upon birth? Why is it anathema to everything told to us nowadays if I so choose to use it and make a "informed" judgment? As informed as I can be, that is, with all the propaganda pushed on us.

"Crippled epistemology", my rear end.

In propaganda the sources is everything and if people trust the source you can get them to virtually believe anything.

This is something that makes me cringe, how people will so blindly believe what the government says yet the evidence is overwhelming that they are not working for us and never have been. Why is that so hard for people to understand? It's everywhere, in every government office designed to take your money away for a unneeded service?

I am sick and tired of being told who to vote for, what to buy, how to think and what I cannot do(is there anything legal anymore?), how to live my life like a brainless automaton and never question anything, never voice my opinion for fear of retribution in this increasingly PC world(do not offend anyone, ever, as it's WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!!) and on and on and on.

What is freedom anymore if we are not allowed in any way, shape or form to think for ourselves? Isn't that the cornerstone of freedom, being able to use our own judgment?

reply to post by jackflap

This occurs in blockbuster films and popular television shows as well.

Flight 93, anyone?

Jack, you got a star for that as I hadn't even brought movies into the discussion. On television, a similar form of media, I was surprised as all heck when the last two episodes of Angel were basically about them fighting the demon version of the Illuminati. Surprised me that the network let that air as it doesn't go with the current propaganda plan. I guess some things can slip through as most are not paying enough attention to see what they are being told, even if it is in a fictional story.

Sorry about that, after checking into it more that article didn't quite explain what it was I was trying to point out and I removed it. Anyway, I was making the point that much of what we are 'allowed' to see is absolutely controlled.

[edit on 19-3-2010 by jackflap]

reply to post by TheLoony


Propaganda is everywhere because it is profitable. Did I mention I know all about psychological warfare and work in amrketing? I bring it up a lot.

Advertising has got to be the most common form of propaganda. Usually tried to make look unbiased, though obviously promoting their product, and make it look better than it is. Ever seen a big mac resembling the one on tv..?

And in politics its the same way, more serious results though. As I say with my vodka anecdotes, usually exposure is the only thing necessary, to change ones mind. So, they try to expose themselfs as much as possible, in my city there are frigging posters staked in to the groung every 2 feet voting time... I go on late night walks and destroy them all but it never ceases the next day more are up. My friends called me a crusader against democracy ^_^

Point being, remember the old phrase 'no such thing as bad publicity', well, its true. Getting your name out there super-cedes getting credit for good things, simply being mentioned means you're worth mentioning.

In places like the US the candidates can be bought and sold basically - whoever has more money for advertising is pretty sure to win - and if their personality is decent, and they're a great speaker, no question.

You think hes horrible for using psychological warfare to help the government, thats because your bias is against them, so you see it as wrong... someone within may see it as right, because they believe in it so much. It all depends on perspective... and if you can warp perspective then you can warp perception...

Originally posted by TheLoony
reply to post by jackflap

 

This occurs in blockbuster films and popular television shows as well.

Flight 93, anyone?

Jack, you got a star for that as I hadn't even brought movies into the discussion. On television, a similar form of media, I was surprised as all heck when the last two episodes of Angel were basically about them fighting the demon version of the Illuminati. Surprised me that the network let that air as it doesn't go with the current propaganda plan. I guess some things can slip through as most are not paying enough attention to see what they are being told, even if it is in a fictional story.

It is part of the current plan. I was watching "This Week" on ABC. They had a member of The Council on Foriegn Relations" as part of their roundtable. They are no longer hiding the existence of these powerful groups of people or their ideas.

They move in to plan sight and then they make you distrust the people that warn you about them. Look at all of the press Alex Jones has recieved in the last year. He has been on Fox a couple of times. He was also a recurring "expert" on Jesse Ventura's show. They know Jones is a very divisive figure and that his personality instantly turns off a lot of people. So they push him out there to discredit the alternative ideas.

The use of propaganda is much more nuanced than we realize sometimes. THey put their guy on ABC's "respectable" sunday morning show. They put the conspiracy guy on Tru TV and have him say things like "They want to kil you govenor." They want to kill all of us it is their plan to sterilize women, kill children, and pillage the earth, is basicly what he says. Then they cut to commercial and leave people thinking "who was that insane guy."

Both sides are allowed because they can no longer stiffle everything. However, the treatment is far from equal. One side is treated with respect and gravitas while the other is treated as fantasy fodder.

[edit on 7-7-2010 by MikeNice81]

I've been meaning to read Propaganda for a while now. You can download it here: knowledgefiles.com...

So I have a question for those who take this notion of propaganda seriously - why isn't Project Bluebeam taken more seriously? Everyone can see that the economic collapse is going to force a major political "restructuring" and Bluebeam is obviously the propaganda that addresses this.

Well I haven't only had about thirty minutes to check in to Project Blue Beam. Howevr, it seems like it is all based on the reporting of one person. I don't see any supporting evidence for the reporting that has come along since the death of Serge Monast. In fact I don't see anything supporting his claims.

Their are claims that a second journalist dies just weeks later. Yet, I haven't seen his name reported. There just isn't enough support for most people to take it serious.

From a purely academic stand point it looks like a hoax or dis-info.