First Blog Post

6. "Men do not need to be gathered in a public meeting to be subject to the influences of mass psychology," notes Bernays. How do propagandists influence people?

This speaks to the fact that people are influenced through a group mentality. In the text Bernays says, “Because man is by nature gregarious he feels himself to be member of a herd, even when he is alone in his room with the curtains drawn (pg. 49, 1928)”. This is a powerful statement towards how people gravitate towards norms. When something is popular or “in” people are very quick to purchase and buy it. Propagandist use this notion of the “herd” to get people to purchase their product or service. For example, many commercials or ads that are trying to sell something will say things such as “Don’t be the last one to get it” or “Everyone is getting it” in order to push consumers into making the purchase.

2. Why does Bernays believe people rely on "invisible rulers" and "invisible government"?

Bernays says people are relying on “invisible rulers” and “invisible governments” based on the fact that very few people making decisions on what consumers should be buying or enacting. This could be as simple as women having to buy silk shoes in order to match their dressed or men buying a suite based on their “interest”, when in fact their interest has been manufactured by the tailor who could be miles away. In the text they mention that invisible government tends to be in the hands of a few because of the expense it takes to control the social machinery that controls society (pg.37, 1928). I think this is very comparable to society today. In government we find a majority of the power in the hands of the elite. The elite are able to make decision and control large aspects of the media.

3. Why does Bernays believe that all organizations, even charitable ones, must engage in the practice of shaping the public mind using propaganda?

Bernays believes that organizations should practice shaping the public mind because he believes that is moving to be one the only way to accomplish any undertaking. Some of the examples he provides are “ a cathedral, endowing a university, marketing a moving picture, floating a large bond issue, or electing a president (pg. 25, 1928)”. I can agree that we use propaganda to convince people of almost anything. If we are able to use imagery we can also personify our messages so that they are translated to our “army”.

4. Why is fashion a form of propaganda according to Bernays?

To Bernays, fashion is a form of propaganda because we aren’t wearing things based on our free will but the tailors and creators of our given clothing. In the text Bernays says, “In reality, he may be obeying the orders of an anonymous gentleman tailor in London (pg.35, 1928)”. This direct quotes explains that people are buying clothes at the will of tailor creating the clothing. They produce clothing, insinuate it is important to wear, and we wear the clothing without substantial reason. Today, the industry of fashion is able to market new designs very easily and quickly allow us to see new fashion trends.

7. Why must businesses rely on propaganda in order to thrive, according to Bernays?

“Even in a basic sense, business is becoming dependent on public opinion (Bernays, pg.64, 1928)”. Bernays argues that business is dependent on the opinion of society. The public doesn’t just only buy products because of the necessity but the relationship with the company. This is a very important concept in the realm of business. We really buy things based on the brand and how they portray themselves. By creating a brand and pushing different propaganda they are able to create a relationship with the consumers thus enhancing the business.