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In brief, Propaganda (1928) by Edward Bernays examines how propaganda can be used by governments and business organizations as a way of manipulating public opinion. In the book, Bernays explains how he employed propaganda to manipulate the public when he was the head of the United States Department of public information during world war I. As the head of public information, Bernays used propaganda to formulate an advertisement campaign which was geared toward influencing the masses to think that the war was good in democratizing people earth wide. This book reveals how the public opinion can be shaped with words with power as seen in this book. The authors thesis statement is mindful and clever manipulation of masses is an essential element in the democratization process. This book is still very educative in our contemporary world as it methodically tells us the impacts of propaganda in our daily lives. In this book we see that Bernays did not only look at what was going on at that time but he also looked at the use of propaganda in the time to come. In a nutshell, in this book Bernays lays out his inharmoniously prophetic vision for employing propaganda in manipulating public opinion in number of areas such as governance and politics among many other areas. Bernays sees propaganda as continuous lasting endeavor geared toward building or modifying events with an eye of persuading the relations of masses to an opinion. In this perspective, we see propagandas role as an instrument for those working in public relations as well as a medium of communication. Bernays observes that the core concept is not to market an idea or a service, but the key is to market the need of the idea or the service. In explaining the marketing of pianos, for instance, Bernays observes that a competent propagandist ought to try to create public approval of the concept of music place in the house. In this approach, a buyers resolution to purchase a piano will be induced by his or her informed interest in having a music room in his or her house. This is because the propagandist in one way or the other encouraged the buyer to create a music place in his or her house, the buyer will long to purchase a piano as way of satisfying the promise of the music room in his or her home.
One notable quote from the book is:
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. (Bernays, p. 37)
From the above quote the author tells us how mindful and clever public opinion manipulation can be used to change public opinion. Bernays initiated the scientific method of molding and influencing public opinion. He called this method engineering of consent. (Bernays, p. 152) When he headed the united State department of public information, Bernays played a central role in designing propaganda machinery that rallied to create and market war as the solution to democratize the world. This propaganda machinery was later used as a framework in which future wars advertising strategies were founded. Bernays used techniques he got in CPI as well as other scholars ideas and for this reason he was advocate of propaganda as a means for political and business control of the public. Without doubt, Bernays was very much interested in applying psychoanalytic theory in his work as the head of state department of public information. This can be attributed to his thinking in regards to the opinion of the masses. In this book, we can observe how he employs the thought of Freudian in understanding how to influence thoughts and actions of the masses. Here, we see how propagandists need more than not just the reasons individuals give for their attitudes and beliefs. From this point of view, it revealed that to influence men toward certain thinking or opinion the propagandists need understand the source of their wants and needs. It is only through knowing the needs and wants of the masses that help propagandists to able to manipulate the masses toward a particular opinion.
This book sheds light on how great and influential democracies and institutions are formed regarding planned manipulation of the public opinion. This book is an essential source of information to all those who are governed. Particularly, the book is a very important resource in understanding the operations of the PR industry of today. From the book, it is revealed that public relations and marketing functions employ intellectual manipulation to serve those organizational functions that shape the opinion of the masses. Here, Bernays offers his audience a base to know the art of influencing the public mind. The book can also be a good resource in understanding methods that are employed in the contemporary history, for instance war on terrorism. In this book, Bernays observes that well-thought manipulation of the opinion of masses is an essential element for avoiding turmoil and differences in society. Bernays polished the way of creating a remote but ever-frightening adversary and then developing an unvarying state of terror by producing forged media messages that continuously re-affirmed and amplified the risk. The affirmed goal of Bernays manipulations was geared toward bestowing those in power a bigger control over the masses they controlled. A closer look at the propaganda reveals that, Bernays was aware of and we all need to understand that at the back of every group there is a person who manipulates the opinions of the group. We should also be aware that those who influence the thinking of masses are hidden but real government leaders who chart the future to benefit the privileged few without considering the welfare of the masses. These secret public manipulators view the masses as sub-humans. The privileged few have the power and they use this power to control those in public relations offices. Under the control of the elite, the public relations officers are delighted to take their commands without reasoning why a few members of the society consider themselves as gods while considering the masses as their slaves. Without question, It can be argued that the more the authority of those who consider themselves gods grows the more the masses suffering grows and hence the future of ordinary citizens is more and more emerging as tragic. In nutshell, Bernayss manipulation techniques functioned properly in mid 20th century and unfortunately, they seem at play in the contemporary world as well as the future.
Works Cited
Bernays, Edward. Propaganda New York, Ig Publishing, 2004. Web.
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