Something About Human Psychology That Almost Nobody Knows
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Humans have never been allowed to rule in a democracy.
In the documentary entitled "The Century Of The Self," you explore how the society of today has come to be and how human nature has been shaped during this process.
Sigmund Freud (Austrian neurologist) believed human beings to be irrational beings, dominated by fears and desires lurking in their subconscious mind. You could never let such irrational creatures take responsibility for a democratic system.
Edward Bernays — Freud's nephew who lived in the USA — soon realized the potential of Freud's insights and quickly put them into practice by helping Woodrow Wilson convince the American public that by joining WW1 the US would help bring democracy to Europe. In view of the success of this wartime propaganda, Bernays looked at its implementation during the period of peace.
Having seen how effective propaganda might be during the war, Bernays wondered whether it might prove equally useful during the time of peace.
Yet propaganda had acquired a somewhat pejorative connotation (which would be further magnified during the Second World War), so Bernays promoted the term "public relations."
Drawing on the insights of his Uncle Sigmund – the relationship Bernays had always been quick to mention – he developed an approach he called the "engineering of consent." He provided the leaders with the means to "control and control the masses according to our will without their knowledge of it." To do so, it was necessary to appeal not to the rational part of the mind, but to the unconscious.
Bernays knew that he had to build a social system in which the masses were not allowed to rule. He had to give the illusion of democracy to them.
This chilling quote comes from his seminal work of 1928, Propaganda-
The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in a democratic society. Those who manipulate this invisible mechanism of society are the invisible government that is the real ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes are formed, and our ideas are suggested, mostly by men we have never heard of. They're the ones who pull the wires to control the public mind.
The Nazis used the same concepts as Bernays, but they completely abandoned the illusion of democracy. Instead, they opted for a simple approach: the energy of the masses should be channeled into a united force that would keep the nation together.
Bernay 's plan was to transform the masses into passive consumers.
As long as people's hidden desires were satisfied and exponentially multiplied, the government could continue to do whatever it saw fit.
Through this transformation, people became obedient workers in a society that spoon-fed the illusion of democracy and well-being.
One of the biggest stunts Edward Bernays has ever pulled away was when he got American women to smoke — an unprecedented event in the history of the United States.
You see, Bernays must have gone beyond the obvious.
Cigarettes were thought to be male products. No one thought a woman was going to smoke. And then he realized that — he didn't have to use logic to make women smoke. Bernays paid a group of women to take part in a smoking march. He subtly spread rumors to reporters about the upcoming march.
And that's what happened.
Dozens of women marched on the streets carrying "freedom torches."
Yes — cigarettes have become a symbol of freedom.
The news spread like a wildfire throughout the USA, thanks to Bernay's rumors.
It resonated so well with the masses, because they associated cigarettes with freedom — one of the long-lasting values of the United States. By appealing to their emotional side, women began to smoke.
Bernays accomplished his mission, and the tobacco industry grew larger as their profits had now increased tenfold due to the huge success of Bernays' campaign.
From one success to another, Bernays hired countless psychologists to analyze people's behavior and to better understand how they could satisfy their irrational desires.
Socialism has failed where capitalism has flourished.
The Communists have tried to suppress these subconscious, irrational forces hidden within human beings.
It's always failed.
The Americans had to find a better tactics to prevent the masses from revolting against the government in times of peace.
During the war, all governments used this chance to channel primitive human forces and turn them into mindless killing machines. But in times of peace, you could not do the same.
Today's consumer society is a society built on lies and deceit.
We have practically been trained to seek more and more goods that are not in themselves a necessity, but rather a means of satisfying our constant desires.
Here is the link to the documentary: The Century Of The Self