Customer Reviews

Propaganda

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The first lines: "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 rulling power of our country." This was written in 1928. This newphew of Sigmund Freud worked in Woodrow Wilson's creation, the Committee on Public Information, and saw first hand how the public's mind can be manipulated. Wilson was elected on a peace platform and had to transform the country to go to war against the German Kaiser. Bernays later helped publicize the American Tobacco Company, and is credited as a "father" of public relations. Anyone interested in understanding how the masses are moulded by the powers that be must read this book!

The rating here is primarily for the value of this book, smartly put back into print.

Propaganda, though written in the late 1920s, is an excellent resource for a citizen in general. This manual, a seminal document, is a key resource on the thoughts and workings of the public relations industry, then only a speck compared to what it is today. Everything from corporate PR to advertising in general has basically internalized what is covered in this book in order to serve those institutional functions that mold the public's mind.

This is all related to the 'manufacture of consent', something that Chomsky, who writes a good intro here, and Ed Herman explored in depth in their book 'Manufacturing Consent' where they lay down a Propaganda Model.

This is a huge topic for Americans, period. While media and their role, and their 'slants' is a hot topic (sometimes even within the media, but to limited scope of discussion) this book is a straightforward reprint of the PR industry manual. It's no 'secret'--it's more like company policy. It's far more illuminating than the latest pundit book of the week, discussing, among other things, the 'liberal' media, say.

Don't let the intro or its author derail you from reading this--this is nothing more than a mini-bible on how to manipulate the masses in an institutional framework (media, PR, government, etc). There's nothing really controversial here, since this is basically a historical document that still holds up after decades. Highly recommended.

I'm glad this book has been re-published so people can read it. This is a book that until now have been very hard to obtain. For years this book was the unofficial handbook for the PR industry. It is important to read and understand the contents of this book to understand the history of PR. The book gives a foundation to understand the fine art of "control of the public mind" that we see today. This book can perhaps throw some light on the techniques used in present history concerning among other the "War on Terror". I will also recommend "Crystallizing Public Opinion" by the same author (if you can find it) and "Public Opinion" by Walter Lippmann.

As already stated in a review, the 5-star rating is primarily for the value (and importance) of this book.

In a piece of amazingly brazen subterfuge, Bernays gives his book a title - "Propaganda" - which doesn't tell you what the book is ABOUT so much as what the book IS.
That is to say, as Mark Crispin Miller points out in the Introduction, the true nature of this book is to act as propaganda for propaganda. To get the full message on how to carry out propaganda you have to watch what Bernays is actually DOING. If all you take from the book is what Bernays says overtly about how to mount a propaganda campaign you will have missed the whole point of the book.

Bernay's central message is, in effect, "Never openly admit what propaganda is." And to this end he carefully confuses and conflates propaganda, PR and straightforward advertising. Indeed, although he uses the term "propagandist" a number of times in the book, he usually referred to himself as a "personal relations counsel".

As an example of how this confusion technique is used in this book, Bernays makes the perfectly reasonable claim that manufacturers need to use advertising to bring their products to the notice of the general public, but manages to blur the distinction between advertising and propaganda so as to make it seem that it is propaganda which is a perfectly natural process in a well-organized society.

First of all he sets us up by a series of seemingly reasonable but actually quite ludicrous statements (page 39 - it's a long Introduction):

"In practice, if everyone went around pricing, and chemically testing before purchasing, the dozens of soaps or fabrics or brands of bread which are for sale, economic life would be hopelessly jammed."

[Yes it would, but don't we actually test many things in a less exhaustive way every time we go shopping? Obviously we do know quick and simple ways to evaluate goods before we purchase without having to go to ridiculous extremes like "chemical testing".]

"To avoid such confusion, society consents to have its choice narrowed to ideas and objects brought to its attention through propaganda of all kinds."

[Oh really? When did this "consent" take place? Do we really only consider purchasing goods which we've seen advertised somewhere? And notice the way Bernays slips in "propaganda" when he is really talking about "advertising".]

And finally he presents us with the (utterly false) claim that propaganda is a necessity, AS IF his previous comments logically led to this conmclusion:

"We must find a way to make free competition function with reasonable smoothness. To achieve this society has consented to permit free competition to be organized by leadership and propaganda. ...
"The instruments by which public opinion is organized and focused may be misused. But such organization and focusing are necessary to orderly life."

Translation: "For an orderly life the people must be made to think and believe what they are told to think and believe - by people like me."

Which brings us to the crux of the book, the answer to the question: "What is propaganda?"

When he finally gets round to giving a simple, straightforward answer to the question (page 161), Bernays writes:

"... propaganda is simply the establishing of reciprocal understanding between an individual and a group."

Which is pure twaddle, and Bernays knew it was twaddle. And we know he knew it was twaddle because he started his career as a propagandist as a member of the Creel Commission during WW1. The Creel Commission, officially known as the "Committee on Public Information" had the task of filling the general population of the US, the majority of whom were pacifists and wanted no part in the European war, with the kind of thoughts and emotions that would move them to support the use of American troops in Europe on the side of Britain and France against Germany.
Bernays briefly describes that work in this book (page 54) where he refers to:

"... the manipulators [i.e. Bernays, Walter Lippmann, etc.] of patriotic opinion made use of the mental cliches and the emotional habits of the public to produce mass reactions against the alleged atrocities, the terror, and the tyranny of the enemy."

Translated into plain English that means:

"We borrowed from the Allies a collection of lurid and bloodcurdling lies* about the Germans, and added a few of our own, such that no decent person reading the material or seeing the pictures (artists' and film makers' impressions, of course) could help but feel that we had no choice but to defeat the barbaric people who were committing such atrocities."

(*One particularly effective piece of propaganda was the totally fictitious story that German soldiers invading Belgium had started eating Belgian babies - raw!)

In other words, propaganda isn't about anything as mundane as promoting envy and greed to sell goods, it is about the deliberate manipulation of people's thoughts and feelings, in a covert (or, less frequently, an overt) manner, to get them to ascent to policies, etc. they might otherwise resist.

Bernays' book is of some small interest as an example of an early modern propagandist at work, and gives some examples of the kind of strategies he employed (all the examples in the book, unless otherwise stated, refer to his own work). However, I believe it makes a lot more sense for a 21st century audience if read in conjunction with Noam Chomsky's book "Media Control" (ISBN 1-58322-536-6).

This is'a slim little number. Subject matter good. It's a reprint, and somebody re-keyed the text in and did a lousy job of proofreading it (but then, I spent years as a copy editor, so I'm picky--and grumpy about it to boot).

The best thing about this book for me was that it led me to Arthur Ponsonby and an out-of-copyright work called Falsehoods in War-Time. (1929) Ponsonby was a member of parliament, did a bit of work for or knew of work being done in WWI for a clandestine war propaganda arm of the military (sounds like our Pentagon, no?) Faked up "child atrocity" pictures (this one isn't illustrated, but you can get the picture).

Ponsonby tells the story of the Lusitania, too. (I've gotta get that Joe Goebbels quote, about how you can lead any populace to war, so long as you stage a good attack on the civilian population and then keep 'em scared and focused not on the "false flag" operations, but on "The Enemy"--you know, the ones who "hate us because we're rich and have freedoms and want to kill us, and they're everywhere."

None of this stuff is new. And, by golly, it works every time. How many soldiers have we lost now?

Here's a great quote from Ponsonby (Page 8): ("The inmates of colleges are just as credulous as the
inmates of the slums." That is, you can sucker everyone. Here's some context around that line.

"Other varieties of falsehood more subtle and elusive might be found, but the above
pretty well cover the ground.

"A good deal depends on the quality of the lie. You must have intellectual lies for
intellectual people and crude lies for popular consumption, but if your popular lies are
too blatant and your more intellectual section are shocked and see through them, they
may (and indeed they did) begin to be suspicious as to whether they were not being
hoodwinked too.

" Nevertheless, the inmates of colleges are just as credulous as the
inmates of the slums.

"Perhaps nothing did more to impress the public mind --- and this is true in all
countries ---- than the assistance given in propaganda by intellectuals and literary
notables. They were able to clothe the tough tissue of falsehood with phrases of
literary merit and passages of eloquence better than the statesmen.

"Sometimes by expressions of spurious impartiality, at other times by rhetorical indignation, they
could by their literary skill give this or that lie the stamp of indubitable authenticity,
even without the shadow of a proof, or incidentally refer to it as an accepted fact.

"The narrowest patriotism could be made to appear noble, the foulest accusations could be
represented as an indignant outburst of humanitarianism, and the meanest and most
vindictive aims falsely disguised as idealism.

"Everything was legitimate which could make the soldiers go on fighting."
(here it is, by the way--but it's also in the Gutenberg Project stable)
Falsehood in War-Time: Propaganda Lies of the First World War

What I recommend, even better than this modest work is:

1) Politics and the English Language, by George Orwell (Eric Blair)--it's an essay--you might find it in a collection entitled "Such, Such were the joys."
2) 1984, and the appendix entitled "NewSpeak", also by Orwell. In 1984, Orwell notes that Big Brother keeps the world in a constant war (like, on an emotion--a "war on terror" And Big Brother will "keep you safe".

By the way--a small digression: You have or will have heard folks in our government, like Shrub and Darth, --and candidates like Rudy Da G.--say that "the first job of government is to protect your kids and you." We all DO know that's pure BS, propaganda, right? The first job of our government officials is to protect and defend our Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic--that is the ONE thing they swear to do before they get to hold office.

Now, look what the Preamble to the Constitution sets out--and note the priorities:

WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to:
1) form a more perfect Union,
2) establish Justice,
3) insure domestic Tranquility,
4) provide for the common defence [sic],
5) promote the general Welfare, and
6) secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,
do ordain and establish this CONSTITUTION for the United States of America.

Note that "common defense" item is Number Four. Think about the priorities: If you don't have a "more perfect union," you'll never be able to establish justice for all, and without justice, there surely will be no domestic tranquility--and only when you've got a little to defend do you worry about defending it. and, once defended, you CAN promote the general welfare (you know, things like medical care for all who need it, toys that aren't poisoned with lead paint, towns that miners have dumped mountaintops of lead, mercury and asbestos on so it seeps into the water and poisons all the kids (one child in such a town stayed in the Second Grade...for 26 years. Twenty-six years. D'yuh think lead poisoning had anything to do with that? Of course the mine owners skipped town, declared bankruptcy, let me and you pay for it as a "super-fund" site.

Then, finally, when we get "the general welfare" handled, we might have some time left over for securing a pinch of liberty blessings for me and you and our families, 'n' kids, 'n' grand-kids.


see also:

Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq
and
Embedded: Weapons of Mass Deception : How the Media Failed to Cover the War on Iraq

Falsehood in Wartime: Propaganda Lies of the First World War

Bernays, the Guru of prapaganda who pioneered the technique of shaping and manipulating public opinion which he named "engineered consent," has written an iteresting book on this topic that might be worth reviewing. His book has superficially tackled the propaganda techniques, and gave the reader a taste of the mass manipulation machine.
However, I found the cover page to be the most profound and enlightening. It contains Bernays' views which reflect the reality and the condition of the masses or the bewildered herd (as called by Walter Lippmann, another propagandist), as well as the genuine elitist view on the stupidity of the people. Here are some examples from the cover page: "Only through the active energy of the intelligent few can the public at large become aware and act upon new ideas." "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." "Democracy is administered by the intelligent minority who know how to regiment and guide the masses."
This book might be an eye opening reading for the oblivious person.

The overarching theme of this book is simple- Elite men should control common men and they can achieve this control through the use propaganda.

This book was written in 1928 by Edward Bernays who was a nephew of Sigmund Freud. Bernays viewed himself as a "scientist of propaganda", and that is the perspective from which he wrote the book. He saw himself as a scientist informing his readers about the science of propaganda so that they could use it to become the leaders of society or as he referred to them- societies "Invisible Governors". He states that the purpose of his book is "to explain the structure of the mechanism which controls the public mind, and to tell how it is manipulated by the special pleader who seeks to create public acceptance for a particular idea or commodity. It will attempt at the same time to find the due place in the modern democratic scheme for this new propaganda and to suggest its gradually evolving code of ethics and practice."
The term Propaganda is never really defined concretely in the book but its definition is implicit throughout- It is any and every technique that can be used to shape and mold man's mind so that he does what you want but thinks it is what he wants. We tend to think of propaganda as a tool used by Governments to achieve acceptance of a course of action they are taking. That is included in Bernays definition but he believes that is uses are endless. It can be used in shaping fashions, ideas, cultural norms; any and ever issue under the sun he believes can and should be shaped by the elite for the masses.

Why did Bernays believe that it was necessary for some men to control most men? Simple- Because he believed that most men were incapable of lucid thought on a subject so they needed a "responsible administrator" to frame the major issues and make the crucial choices in-order to avoid chaos.

Some of the striking items that he mentions are-

1. He sees literacy not as making men "fit to rule" but just as a platform for men of true understanding to imprint people's minds with various ideas.

2. His heavy reliance on psychology, especially group psychology. He believes that if you know the "mechanism of the group mind" then you could control them without their knowledge. He believed that the most firmly established principle of mass psychology is that people follow their leader. So the job of the propagandist is to influence leaders. He states that if you can't find a leader for a group then the next step is to use clichés or phrases such as "Bolshevik", "Marxist", etc. to create feelings and shape the public's mood about an issue.

3. He does not believe that people buy products and do things solely for utilitarian purposes but for motives which they do not understand, motives hidden in their subconscious, and these motives are shaped by current customs so it is the job of the propagandist to change current customs by first convincing the Trend setters, Movie stars, Politicians etc, to do, say, or buy something and the masses will fall in line.

4. He believed that we have apathy in the voting booth because of our form of Representative Government. He says a politician who goes to Washington and votes what his constituents want was uninspiring. What we need are politicians who go to Washington and sway the public through the use of propaganda (creating circumstances, high-spotting of significant events and dramatization of important issues) to gain support for the real issues that the elite think matter and this will inspire the people who will in turn show up to vote with fervor. He even says that this what Dictators and Revolutionaries do and that is why they are so inspiring.

5. He believed movies are one of the greatest tools in the propagandists arsenal. That is a point I agree whole heartedly with.

So why read this book? Because it is part of the foundation of our modern society. It is a source document that helps us understand how we got where we are. We live in a culture where men use all the techniques explained in this book and have perfected many of them. It shows among other things; the root of modern advertising, the dangers of trusting experts, and enlightens us to the manipulations we face at every turn. In a word- We live in a society and under a Government that operates on the idea that certain individuals are elite men that deserve and need to rule over the masses to prevent chaos.

One final thought. One of the greatest enemies to elite men are men guided by Jesus Christ and his Word who cannot be manipulated into believing in the world the propagandists try to create. These men do not need "Invisible Governors" because they submit to the true Governor.

From the creator of public relations, Edward Bernays describes how he discovered to manipulate and engineer the consent of public opinion. This book is a conceptual model for governments, corporations, and lobbying firms to show the principles behind swaying public thought and opinion and controlling the masses. As the nephew of Sigmund Freud, Edward Bernays was able to learn from the master of psychoanalysis and through his many opportunities working for various of the United States largest corporations.
This book was incredibly useful and informational. I would recommend it to anyone interested in swaying opinion or being able to identify it in advertising, news, or public figures. Edward Bernays is the utmost authority on the subject so much so that even the Germans in the Nazi political party used this book to spread their policy beliefs. This book is still relevant today in a world of spin.
Edward Bernays runs through the psychology of developing public opinion and runs through several different areas where it could be applied from government to being implimented in the education system. Regardless of the brilliance this book contains, it still was written as though a lay-person was the intended audience. I would highly definitely recommend this book.

"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."

And we're off and running through the world of Propaganda, the how-to manual for the manufacture of consent by Edward Bernays. Since American voters were unable to think for themselves, the nephew of Sigmund Freud asserted, political parties were necessary to narrow down choices to a handful of candidates.

Small wonder the Founders were wary of a mass democracy and the sways of public opinion. "An informed citizenry can be trusted with its government." Thomas Jefferson. "A well-instructed people alone can be permanently a free people." James Madison.

In his excellent introduction, Mark Crispin Miller details how propaganda was used to mold support for America's entry into WW1. Once the war was over, the public wised up to the ruse and angrily repudiated the Wilson administration. Propaganda was a dirty word throughout the 20's and 30's.

Regrettably, our modern day campaigns have become a testament to Bernays's expertise. Talking heads on television yak on about a candidate's charisma, wardrobe, and "thrilling life story." The marketplace of ideas has given way to fundraisers, photo-ops and two-bit slogans. Revisionist history has transformed Woodrow Wilson from schmuck to hero while voters blindly follow The Party like sheep.

Lessons unlearned are lessons lost.

This book is about manipulating people. It is written from a Ranchers point of view with the majority of us, his herd. He can't force you (at least in a civil society) to drink but he can secretly salt your oats. I was disappointed to learn that a heary breakfast is a contrived idea since breakfast is my favorite meal.

Now that I know some propaganda techniques, I will have an ever growing suspicion of ads, speeches, even photos and videos of the news. It reminds me of learning to play a musical instrument. I no longer listen to the music; I analyze it, deconstruct it and map it...I do everything but enjoy it.

A fascinating and somewhat sad read.