Edward Bernays – Lee Duigon

Edward Bernays, Father of Public Relations and Propaganda

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.

“You are getting sleepy, sleepy…. sleepy…”

Here’s an essay (later a book) that I’d never heard of till today: The Engineering of Consent by Edward Bernays (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Engineering_of_Consent). It was published as an essay in 1947, expanded into a book in 1955, and its author has been credited with founding the public relations industry.

He’s also been credited with being the source of the notion that our society can be controlled by experts and elites using “scientific principles” to get people to support ideas and programs and buy stuff. Sort of hypnotizing the public. Big Brother as Svengali.

Why did anyone listen to Bernays? Well, in 1928 he created a highly successful campaign to win society’s approval of women smoking. Prior to that, women smoked, but it was looked down upon as rather too raffish for good taste. Bernays’ public relations campaign mainstreamed it. (Gee, Lord Peter Wimsey was involved in just such a campaign in Murder Must Advertise. As an advertising professional, author Dorothy L. Sayers was surely familiar with Bernays’ campaign: betcha anything it served her as a model).

Can “they” really “engineer” our consent? Certainly they think they can. Heck, obviously they think they can! Watch them get you to try to love the quarantine. Watch them try to get you to blame it on Trump. Look at the PR campaigns for “gay marriage” and “transgender.” They’ve been busy, busy, busy!

But who are “they”?

I don’t think I really need to tell you, do I?