Propaganda by Edward Bernays

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

We have learned from this book that Bernays believes people rely on "invisible rulers" and "invisible government." When I first read "invisible rulers" and "invisible government," I didn't really understand what these two things could possibly mean. Bernays refers to this "invisible government" as, "the true ruling power of our country." The one quote stuck out to me the most was, "We are dominated by the relatively small number of persons... who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world." Everyone within society counts on these invisible forces to bring us together and to guide us. We rely on them so much because it is all we know. We have been given a "social conduct" to follow through all different types of propaganda throughout our entire lives, which is why we are so dependent on it. Bernays said: "Propaganda is the executive arm of the invisible government," which is how the "invisible rulers" use their power over the general population.

Why is fashion a form of propaganda according to Bernays?

Bernays tells us that propaganda, "changes our mental pictures of the world." This is exactly what the fashion industry does constantly. Propaganda has the ability to create new trends in the fashion industry, and can change the way our society views what's in style and what isn't. Bernays gave us a great example of the "velvet flood" and the plan that manufacturers created in order to promote their products to increase their sales. Propaganda is used to promote fashion, and once it is successfully promoted, it then can become a trend that society follows. This type of propaganda could be as simple as a movie star wearing a new trend, which would convince people to go shopping to keep up with the latest styles and fads.

"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? 

Propagandists do not need to influence individuals, rather the leaders of the group which a person sways. If you influence the leader, they will influence the individuals in more ways than one. Bernays says, "His mind retains the patterns which have been stamped on it by the groups influences." We are constantly facing "outside influences which unconsciously control" our thoughts. The things we do on a daily basis, even simple tasks, are swayed by other factors in our lives, even if we don't realize it. When discussing the group mind and established principles of mass psychology, Bernays explains, "In place of thoughts it has impulses, habits, and emotions." Propagandists influence people by reaching their leaders, which then reaches the people.

How have your attitudes about propaganda changed after reading this book?

Reading this book has changed my attitudes about propaganda. I've mentioned before that prior to this class and before our previous class discussions, I've always thought of propaganda as a negative thing. This book completely changed my view on that, and taught me that not only can propaganda be positive, it is also necessary to help our society function. Bernays tells us, "Conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society." Propaganda needs to be present in order for all humans to live together as a functioning society, and sort of puts us all on the same page of thinking. I now see propaganda in a much different light, and recognize it in ways that I previously did not think it existed.

Some ideas from Bernays are still timely even though the book was written 90 years ago. Give a couple of examples of this and explain what's still the same.

While reading Bernays book, I noticed things that are still happening in the world today, even though the book was written 90 years ago. The first discussion in his book that I still see on a day to day basis is what he says about fashion. Bernays mentions how back in the day the fashion industry was constantly in competition with each other, and how trends were always changing. This idea still exists in the world today like it had back then, which is because all of the advertisements and propaganda that we face as consumers. Another current idea that Bernays discussed is the way that men/women are, "Rarely aware of the real reasons which motivate their actions." I feel like today everyone competes with one another and just wants to have material items for looks or because someone else has them. He explains in his reading how this is actually true, and says, "A thing may be desired not for its intrinsic worth or usefulness, but because he has unconsciously come to see in it a symbol of something else, the desire for which he is ashamed to admit to himself." It's sad to me that this mentality existed 90 years ago, and that is has probably only gotten worse since then.