Edward Bernays Knew Best About PR and Propaganda.
Americans may be the freest people on the planet, but they are one of the most conditioned. In this fascinating, 14 minute documentary, the effects of Edward Bernays’ life work are explored. Bernays was the nephew of Sigmund Freud and the founder of modern public relations (a euphemism for propaganda). Some of his many “accomplishments” include: 1. Selling Americans on fighting in World War I in 1917; 2. Getting women to smoke; 3. Conducting a propaganda war against a democratically elected leader in Guatemala; 4. Selling Americans on adding a toxic waste, bi-product, sodium fluoride to their water supplies; 5. And yes, even getting Americans to eat more bacon. Our thanks to Ben and Matt at Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know for this history lesson. If you want to learn more about Edward Bernays and the conditioning of Americans, we recommend watching the BBC documentary Century of the Self, Part I and COS, Part II by Adam Curtis.
