So I just read this book Propaganda by Edward Bernays, who is Sigmund Freud's nephew. And is considered the father of "public relations." It lays out the blueprint of how the general public is controlled via propaganda. Thought I'd post some quotes from it, anyone read it before?
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 consti-
tute 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 smooth-
ly functioning society.
Our invisible governors are, in many cases, un-
aware of the identity of their fellow members in the
inner cabinet
They govern us by their qualities of natural leader-
ship, their ability to supply needed ideas and by their
key position in the social structure. Whatever atti-
tude one chooses to take toward this condition, it
remains a fact that 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 per-
sons—a trifling fraction of our hundred and twenty
million—who understand the mental processes and
social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the
wires which control the public mind, who harness old
social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide
the world.
A presidential candidate may be
"drafted" in response to "overwhelming popular de-
mand," 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.
There are invisible rulers who control the destinies
of millions. It is not generally realized to what ex-
tent the words and actions of our most influential
public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating
behind the scenes.
Nor, what is still more important, the extent to
which our thoughts and habits are modified by
authorities.
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 consti-
tute 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 smooth-
ly functioning society.
Our invisible governors are, in many cases, un-
aware of the identity of their fellow members in the
inner cabinet
They govern us by their qualities of natural leader-
ship, their ability to supply needed ideas and by their
key position in the social structure. Whatever atti-
tude one chooses to take toward this condition, it
remains a fact that 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 per-
sons—a trifling fraction of our hundred and twenty
million—who understand the mental processes and
social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the
wires which control the public mind, who harness old
social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide
the world.
A presidential candidate may be
"drafted" in response to "overwhelming popular de-
mand," 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.
There are invisible rulers who control the destinies
of millions. It is not generally realized to what ex-
tent the words and actions of our most influential
public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating
behind the scenes.
Nor, what is still more important, the extent to
which our thoughts and habits are modified by
authorities.
