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He has a lot to answer for
We see Edward Bernays’ legacy–that is, the theory and practice of public relations–all around us in technicolor, these days. Democrats, the nooze media, Hollywood, and celebrities of all stripes are positively swarming over us, applying every PR trick in the book to win our support for their “fundamental transformation” of America.
Here’s the article I wrote about this for Chalcedon:
https://chalcedon.edu/resources/articles/good-pr-bad-pr-the-engineering-of-consent
One point I didn’t get around to mentioning: Bernays wrote this essay in 1947, after the world had just spent a harrowing six years watching the mischief done with these techniques by the Nazis. What would the essay have looked like if he’d written it in 1937? Think about that.
“Engineering consent” is a tool that can be used just as well for evil purposes as for good. Think of the public relations tsunami that hit us with “transgender.” Think of “Black Lives Matter.”
Come to think of it, it’s a little hard to name any good things accomplished by consent engineers.
Good is achieved by following the laws and tenets of Christ. Oh, you can do that CREATIVELY (Chronicles of Narnia etc.) but once you get into “engineering” something (unless it’s a bridge or a tunnel) it is most likely what you are trying to accomplish is NOT good at least as Christians understand the word.
I think there are more words for “control” than there are for any other word. If the people resist, just change the word.
“But he does not address the questions of what ‘ends’ those might be, or who gets to decide which ends are socially desirable.”
That’s the crucial question. Without an absolute moral standard, the opinions of which “ends” are permissible will be all over the map. Some of the worst episodes in all of history were perpetrated by people convinced that they were doing the right thing. We need God’s moral standards, not man’s.
Bernays was a very slick customer. I’d like to know how he was expressing himself in 1938.
I’m certain that he thought himself above it all. What havoc such people can cause.
Today’s MSM is full of Bernays consent engineering. Those in the know call it FAKE NEWS.