| His name was Edward L. Bernays. He was | | | | hundredth birthday in 1991 he said: "Public |
| Sigmund Freud's Nephew. He was born in Vienna | | | | relations today is horrible. Any dope, any |
| on November 22, 1891 and died in his home at | | | | nitwit, any idiot can call him or herself a |
| Cambridge, Massachusetts on March 9, 1995 at | | | | public relations practitioner." He really |
| the age of 103. | | | | wanted the science of Public Relations to be |
| | | | used for the good of mankind. |
| Before the early twentieth century, marketers | | | | |
| thought of people as being rational beings. | | | | In order to use the science of Spin, one |
| They figured all they had to do was reason | | | | needs to enough money to wage a successful |
| with the public logically if they wanted to | | | | campaign and media approval. Today, there are |
| sell their product. Freud's theories pointed | | | | only six or seven media corporations that |
| out that everyone also possessed an | | | | control the majority of the news and |
| unconscious mind filled with instincts and | | | | entertainment the public sees. Governments |
| hidden emotions as sex, security, aggression, | | | | have enough power to approve or deny what the |
| and survival. This unconscious mind greatly | | | | public sees. The media only spins government |
| influences how people as a whole behave. | | | | policies that are considered "patriotic" and |
| | | | "politically correct." Big corporations, |
| Edward Bernays was raised in the United | | | | because of massive wealth, buy the needed |
| States. He spent a lot of the summers of his | | | | spin for their products to stand out. |
| youth vacationing in Austria and getting to | | | | Corporate alien leaders thus determine what |
| know firsthand some of his famous uncle's | | | | is good for the people. |
| theories. He used what he learned to | | | | |
| formulate the most useful corporate alien | | | | During the Viet-Nam war the American people |
| theory on the planet. This theory is called | | | | were constantly being told through the media |
| "Public Relations" by some, and "Spin" by | | | | that if the communists won in Viet-Nam, |
| others. You and I have been influenced by | | | | democracy would be lost. The communists won |
| spin for decades if we've lived in any so | | | | and nothing happened. There were over 58,000 |
| called "civilized" nation of the world. | | | | Americans killed, 303,000 wounded and over |
| | | | 3,800,000 Vietnamese lost their lives. Many |
| Some of Bernays' campaigns actually changed | | | | Americans still believe the media spin and |
| the behavior of most Americans. In the mid | | | | think the war was necessary. |
| twenties, a company called Beechnut Packing | | | | |
| wanted to improve its sales of bacon. | | | | The current Iraqi war has the government |
| Bernays, instead of creating a campaign to | | | | again launching a Public Relations campaign. |
| put the bacon on sale created a new and | | | | Now the word "terrorism" is constantly being |
| unheard of use for the product. He asked the | | | | spun in the media as a threat to "freedom." |
| medical community if it was better for people | | | | According to the media, terrorists seem to be |
| to have a hardy breakfast or a light | | | | everywhere. Opposing this war could get you |
| breakfast. Doctors agreed that a hearty | | | | labeled as a traitor. You may get called a |
| breakfast was better. The breakfast of that | | | | "conspiracy theorist" if you question the |
| period consisted of toast, coffee, and juice. | | | | government's explanation of the events |
| Bernays added bacon and eggs to this | | | | leading to this war. |
| breakfast. He started a marketing campaign | | | | |
| that touted the medical benefits of a hearty | | | | Elections are handled exclusively by the |
| breakfast that included bacon and eggs. To | | | | media. The candidate that invests the largest |
| this day, an "all American" breakfast | | | | amount of money or wages the best Public |
| includes bacon and eggs. | | | | Relations campaign wins. How qualified is the |
| | | | candidate? No one knows. The government can |
| Another of his campaigns was for the American | | | | save a lot of election expenses by just |
| Tobacco Company. By the mid twenties, smoking | | | | appointing Paris Hilton as president and Jay |
| was prevalent in the United States and | | | | Leno as vice-president. This result would be |
| cigarettes were the most popular form of | | | | equivalent to that of the actual elected |
| tobacco. Women, however, were not allowed to | | | | candidates in the next election. The people |
| smoke in public. In 1928 the American Tobacco | | | | are controlled by spin initiated by powerful |
| Company hired Bernays to try and change this. | | | | corporate aliens controlling the media. Spin |
| He consulted with a psychoanalyst A.A. Brill, | | | | requires a candidate to always look good, but |
| who suggested that what women really want was | | | | ignores the candidate's actual ability to do |
| the freedom to do the same things men do. So | | | | his or her job efficiently. No candidate, |
| during New York's 1929 Easter Parade, Bernays | | | | however qualified, can win without a lot of |
| hired debutantes to march in the parade | | | | money to buy spin campaigns. Candidates are |
| pretending to be suffragettes. On his signal, | | | | just faces and personalities that distract |
| these women all lit up a cigarette. He had | | | | the masses and really may have very little of |
| photographers standing by to mark the event | | | | the skills needed to run the government. |
| and referred to cigarettes as being "torches | | | | There seems to be an "invisible government" |
| of freedom." It appeared that anyone against | | | | as Bernays said that is the true ruling |
| women smoking was against women's liberation | | | | power. |
| as well. Bernays saw to it that this event | | | | |
| was publicized throughout the world. Smoking | | | | In order to have a true election, media must |
| by women everywhere quickly skyrocketed when | | | | be left out of the election process. I |
| they began to associate cigarettes with | | | | believe that this is possible, but will not |
| freedom. | | | | occur anytime soon for obvious reasons. |
| | | | Logic, not unconscious impulse must guide our |
| Here is how Bernays felt about Public | | | | choices. |
| Relations and democracy: | | | | |
| | | | Not all people succumb to spin. The more a |
| The conscious and intelligent manipulation of | | | | person thinks as an individual, the less |
| the organized habits and opinions of the | | | | likely his or her ideas are affected by media |
| masses is an important element in democratic | | | | campaigns. This is why, while most people |
| society. Those who manipulate this unseen | | | | today believe, because of the media, that |
| mechanism of society constitute an invisible | | | | there's a terrorist lurking around every |
| government which is the true ruling power of | | | | corner, some still question this premise. |
| our country. | | | | Being aware of how your unconscious mind can |
| | | | influence your thoughts can get you to |
| Democracies are not the only forms of | | | | investigate more of what the media tells you |
| government that use spin. Doctor Joseph | | | | before reaching a conclusion. |
| Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister, kept | | | | |
| copies of Bernays' books in his extensive | | | | The recent film "Thank You for Smoking", now |
| "mind control" library. Bernays never had | | | | on DVD, is an insightful and entertaining |
| Hitler as a client, but some techniques from | | | | feature covering the subject of spin. A book |
| his books were used in the Nazi campaign | | | | that covers more of Bernays campaigns and |
| against the Jews. | | | | Public Relations in general is "The Father of |
| | | | Spin: Edward L. Bernays & the Birth of Public |
| During his later years Bernays saw how Public | | | | Relations" by Larry Tye. |
| Relations was currently being misused. On his | | | | |