Edward Bernays: The consumer-Democracy

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Edward Bernays: The brainwashing of a nation

In 1938 Bernays, developed the vision of a future world where the consumer would be king. He called it the consumer-democracy, a society where the needs and desires of the people through companies and the free market would be recognized and fulfilled. Corporations would be the focus of the company, which is based on all human desires, concerns, fears and needs and respond with a pure market system would be covered. There was the attitude that the market economy is not influenced by ideologies, or political power, but simply by the will of the people. This was a model of democracy which is also adopted by the politicians to come to power and in fact the model of today's western society. Politicians started, the same techniques used by the industry were developed by the desires of people to read, in its policy to use and believed Bernays assertion that this would be a better form of democracy.

Four Bernays is not believed that the true democracy would ever work. He was very strongly influenced by his uncle theories about human nature influenced. Freud believed the people not by the rational mind, but only by primitive, unconscious needs and feelings would be controlled. Bernays said, therefore, that means it would be too dangerous to allow the masses ever control over their own lives. With his consumerism could give people the illusion of its own monitoring of the elite while allowing the company effectively to control and manage. Not the people who had taken control, but the needs of people had taken control. The people have no choice in this form of society. Democracy was something of an active citizen means something to reduce what it is built, the public is just passive consumers. Indeed, the only people "Hunde-Lekerli" as a motivation and reward, a democratic system driven by unconscious emotions of the masses, by the consumer satisfied.

Politicians took this idea to view, propagated by the industry and use, a system invented by the thoughts of consumers to read. It was the basis for its new democracy. So they made exactly what the economy successfully implemented before them, they organized focus groups, a balanced and representative selection of people from the public, listened to what had to say and write according to their political programs to fit. This worked perfectly in order to win elections, but not later worked at governance. What quite fantastic results brought forth by the right product to develop what the people want and buy the politicians brought in a confusing maze of mutually contradictory programs. The problem which is a focus-group - is the policy gives people irrational and inconsistent. You want to pay lower taxes, but also more money from the state. It has been a politician as insurmountable problem by relying solely on the individual opinions of the masses hear, which is constantly changing, and no correlations knows. If the only people with feeding what they already believe they need, ends with a policy which is completely chaotic, or you have no policy. This form of politics was always popular because they helped to win elections. Only one in the eyes of politicians, as I come to power, what happens after they are no longer interested. The best example of how to successfully win elections, the people totally excited, and then a pile of shards after another leaves and totally failed governance is the term of Toni Blair in Britain Gross. It is the perfect example of a consumer-democracy after Bernays. Blair took this idea completely, told the people and each group what they wanted to hear, presented itself as a savior of the Labor Party (New-Labor), breakers won the election, was seen as Sonny-Boy cheered, but became embroiled in his reign total konzeptlose and contradictory in the programs failed, tried with incredible propaganda tricks (Spin) the failure to conceal, to be led by his failure even more to divert the country into wars and built the puppet "terrorism", based on gigantic lie to the spread of fear and terror. But everything is not used, the lies have been through, and he was of their own party comrades forced to resign, because he is in the population no longer has a reputation and the Labor Party more harm than good. Exactly the same political path has its bosom friend of Bush and also hit total failure.

But what is needed are politicians with a clear vision, to which people believe. Politicians must do what the masses do not own, a political program and to develop the appropriate leadership qualities have to implement it consistently. Politicians have the task of a larger picture of society and formulate a positive future. You have the social and economic problems as a whole and solve the long-term act, even if they are different interest groups on the feet are. To do so, however, they must appeal to voters outside his selfish self-interests in mind. This would mean, however, the widely accepted view Freudian people attacking the people as Instinktgetriebenes individual looks, which is a vision of human beings, as the companies would like to have him be happy and encourage, because it is an ideal for consumers they represent. Through the decades of processing by the industry with advertising and propaganda believe and we believe that we are free. Indeed, we are slaves of our own desires. We have forgotten that we can be more, that it is a different and better side of human nature.

Here we have two points of view of the people and democracy. We have the view that people totally irrational act, and only a bundle of unconscious emotions. This idea comes directly from Freud and corporations are specialized to answer, but they have all the senses and skills sharpened and that is really what it is in marketing. What are the icons, images, the words on the subconscious of consumers react? But policy must be more. The political leadership must be to the people to debate and expression of motivation, what is the best for the entire society. If it is not when it goes after Freud, only when it comes to the policies that the same unconscious feelings attractive as the economy is doing, then why not let the states govern corporations and the public administration? You can do it much better, because the corporations are finally in the business to respond to feelings.