The Century of Self Happiness Machines part 4

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The story of the relationship between Sigmund Freud and his American nephew, Edward Bernays. Bernays invented the public relations profession in the 1920s and was the first person to take Freud's ideas to manipulate the masses. He showed American corporations how they could make people want things they didn't need by systematically linking mass-produced goods to their unconscious desires.

Bernays was one of the main architects of the modern techniques of mass-consumer persuasion, using every trick in the book, from celebrity endorsement and outrageous PR stunts, to eroticising the motorcar.

His most notorious coup was breaking the taboo on women smoking by persuading them that cigarettes were a symbol of independence and freedom. But Bernays was convinced that this was more than just a way of selling consumer goods. It was a new political idea of how to control the masses. By satisfying the inner irrational desires that his uncle had identified, people could be made happy and thus docile.

It was the start of the all-consuming self which has come to dominate today's world.

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[ChoasTheory2000]

@LemonyOfTheState. I think you mean fascist dictatorship. As socialism is only a transition phase from capitalism to communism. Fascism would explain the current state of the world better as it's the merger of a centralized government and the corporate structure. Corpratism is Fascism as Mussolini said when ask to define Fascism. Just thought I'd point that out to you as words have meaning and it's important not to misrepresent that meaning.

[ReginartRenart]

Happiness is the docilation of the Id. Getting what you crave is happiness. That all it is according to Edward Burnese. The idea of being happy intellectually is absurd. There is only the primal craving.

Material happiness is "superficial" in the sense that we deem is not intellectual. But in the sense of Edward Burnese, it is a form of happiness that goes far deeper and is far more powerful than any definition of "intellectual" happiness.

It is the feeding of a wild beast.

Scary, no?

[paulvoudouris]

"enlightened despotism"...what a definition!!

[Wharwulif]

That is why you cannot let humans lead other humans-it's a flawed system that eventually fails.

A real good ruler is something rare,what you got today is Power-hungry rather then people-caring.

I think a machine could run stuff better,yet even it will just go mad saying "error error,humans are danger,error",since truly,let anything take care of humans,and they will all just fail-simply because humans did NOT evolve at all from the cave-man ages.Humans only learned how to utilize stuff,that's it.

[GeorgeBolterJr]

WTF...I want to move into a cave.

[badsign1980]

ther biggest proof thaty democracy dosent work is that hitler had absolute majority... and so individual freedom is an expression for anti civilization, and so the forces of civilization should be inforced against individual wishes

[MrUnorthobox]

ENLIGHTENED DESPOTISM!!! LOL!!!

[shakercoola]

We seem to be entering this anti-Bernaysian era post 2009 recession. The stalwarts of Capitalism - the IMF, The World Bank, The EU are agents of capitalism and consumerism will bail out the casino banks. Individual freedom cannot be tamed as Curtis recounts.We cannot truly express ourselves because of our instincts. We are controlled. I think individual consciousness is the true common denominator for us all. The rise in Eastern philosophy and its practises are no coincidence this last 10 years.

[AirLockBelsen]

Leadership does not do what it wants to do, its the most unfounded comment, my example would be the ID card scheme in UK that was scrapped because the people did not want it. Speed Camera commission has been scrapped because people were sick of it.

This paranoia is ridiculous and unfounded, all the stuff we buy is quickness, If anybody has an idea to replace labour for money and has a better economic system then tell it otherwise shut the fuck up

[jira40]

they keep talking about democracy.....democracy does not work, they must have forgot that this country is a republic

[deadmaaan09]

True men and women don't fear the dark because they don't wander in it for no reason.