The platform of the leading ideologies is not necessarily wrong or wicked; it is the imposition by force and by a police state of an ideology, and its use by powerful men or groups for their own benefit, plus the keeping of the people in blind ignorance so that no free choice is theirs — which is fundamentally wicked and evil. One of the most influential people in the 20th century was not a politician, economist, general or scientist but the founder of public relations. Edward Bernays, was the nephew of Sigmund Freud and the founder of public relations in the early part of the 20th century. He took his uncle's ideas on people's repressed unconscious and subconscious desires, and changed how the advertising industry operates. This is an industry which largely exists on manipulating people to buy products and services they don't really need. In the 1920's, this concept quickly got the attention of corporations on Wall Street, the US government and the CIA. His ideas were so successful that even Joseph Goebbels (Hitler's Minister of Propaganda) of Nazi Germany from 1933-45 studied and used his methods for manipulating people through propaganda. Edward Bernays has long since gone but what is his legacy? While Bernays himself was not a important historical figure per se, his ideas continue to impact anybody who looks at and observes movies, news media, advertising in any form, spokes-persons from governments around the world and of course politicians. In many cases, these various mediums and people are wanting to influence the public for buying a certain idea, product or service, directly impacting their free wills. The skilled public speaker and advertiser will take advantage of people's weakest points, such as greed and desire and attempt to sway them to do what they want. It's a problem that keeps people, to include our youth, to be interested in violent media, such as TV, movies and print media that prey on peoples desire for more violence. The cosmetic and fashion industries keep telling people that they will improve their self image with this cosmetic or that fashion. The manufacturers or cars, truck and SUVs constantly say you need to have this new gadget or feature. The tobacco industry continues to tell us that we need to have this cigarette to look cool. The junk food manufacturers tell you that in order to have fun you must consume our product, etc. Perhaps, the only value that advertising really has is to simply inform the public that a product or service actually exists, and let the consumer make up their own mind? So what is at stake here? The greatest casualty in this discussion on advertising and its impact is ultimately the truth that lets us contemplate just how free we really are. If people's desire bodies (lower manas and emotional bodies) can be manipulated cleverly and easily into buying an idea or product that in most cases they don't really need, then we will continue to maintain a materialistic culture bent on using up as many resources on the planet as possible. Part of the truth that's lost here is that the culture of consumerism, which exists in virtually every country in the world, is destroying our environment (the astral and physical plane) by encouraging people to continue to buy, go into debt, not to recycle, and even to the point of pressuring our children in schools to train for becoming more "successful" in a competitive in a materialistic world at the cost of their own health and happiness. The drive for procuring more materialistic gain has not made our civilization any happier. Solutions? With the understanding that our free wills and desire bodies can easily be swayed, we have a very insightful window into the nature of what drives consumerism, and materialism in our civilization. So with the understanding that our expressed (or unexpressed) unconscious and subconscious desires do indeed exist, then it is incumbent on us, as "conscious" members of humanity to persuade our leaders in the financial, media and governmental sectors to neutralize the power of the advertising / propaganda machine tactics and promote the concepts of right ethics, right values. With regards to the public influencing government, this is already happening with the exposure of the tobacco industry deliberately hiding the fact that smoking is detrimental to the health. Strong support from government and the public sectors (for over 15 years) has severely limited the tobacco industry's ability to sell their products in the US. Now, virtually every state and a large majority of cities in the US have smoking bans at restaurants and pubic places. Also, there's a growing movement of not selling or promoting unhealthy food (junk food industries promoting sugar and fattening foods) in schools. The issue? Do we want to continue allowing obesity in children and undermining their health? The ideal here is for industry and government to take the initiative and protect the public's health. Further, they need to tell us the truth of who we are so we can make informed decisions without outside coercion. The issue of advertising and how its abused, impinges on the spiritual principle of freedom and free-will. Through the public's awareness and expression of freewill, governments are being compelled to change laws that protect the citizenry and the well-being of the environment. |
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