As we expose various nefarious historical figures, it is important to acknowledge how we got to where we are, especially in terms of mass manipulation of people through propaganda. A generation prior to Noam Chomsky writing Manufacturing Consent, a very calculated and genius character was laying the framework for the mass mind manipulation we take for granted in modern times. Edward Bernays (1891-1995) was the father of propaganda with wisdom passed on by his infamous psychologist uncle, Sigmund Freud. Of Edward Bernays’ many books, Crystallizing Public Opinion (1923) and Propaganda (1928) received special attention as he pioneered the concepts of shaping public mentality. In 1947, Bernays wrote the notorious essay Engineering of Consent which became a book in 1955. Credited for convincing / empowereing the American woman to socially accept smoking cigarettes and even credited with convincing the public that fluoridated water is heathy, Bernays was responsible for the “Trust Us, We’re Experts” propaganda campaign which convinced the public to blindly believe what doctors say.
