On most days, I ask myself, or someone asks me, "How can someone of reasonable intelligence believe the lies and false realities that Trump and his minions spin?" Since my reading interests encompasses pre-World War II Germany these days, unsurprisingly, I thought of the quote that we have all heard, to paraphrase, "If you tell the big l…
On most days, I ask myself, or someone asks me, "How can someone of reasonable intelligence believe the lies and false realities that Trump and his minions spin?" Since my reading interests encompasses pre-World War II Germany these days, unsurprisingly, I thought of the quote that we have all heard, to paraphrase, "If you tell the big lie often enough people will begin to accept it as truth." My assumption was this quote was likely generated by Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's chief propagandist. However, to my surprise, Goebbels cannot lay claim to this quote. The quote is attributed to Edward Bernays, the father of American advertising and public relations, in his book" Propaganda". The exact quote is "If you tell a lie big enough and keeping repeating it, people will eventually come to believe." Bernays propaganda work has been called the leading reason why the US entered World War I when most American citizens wanted to remain out of foreign wars.
If Trump is anything he is a serial liar, media guru, and master marketeer. He understands and practices that marketing and lying are effective if the message is repeated ad nauseum.
Since I was disappointed that Goebbels did not author the Big Lie, quote, one of the Doctor's colleagues, Hermann Goering did say, in terms of bending the public to an authoritarian will, "the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”
How many outside attackers have been blamed by Trump as a source of our woes?
Perhaps one day, the eyes of a child will be required to remind us that the emperor is not wearing any clothes.
I'm glad you mentioned this, David, because Edward Bernays was a nephew of Sigmund Freud. He used his famous uncle's theories of the unconscious to learn how to manipulate people. Sadly, he came to America and got wealthy teaching advertisers how to appeal to unconscious needs and people's vanity. He suggested that "liberated women" be seen as smokers because before the flapper era, it was considered unseemly for a woman to smoke. But Bernays trained advertisers to make smoking seem modern, enviable, fashionable, and he and the advertisers made millions.
All of this only works because many people are not conscious of being played. And that explains how TFG manipulates others...he's learned by experience that a large number of people fall for a guy who appears charming at one moment, commanding at another moment, and always king of the hill. As a boy he observed his self-centered, commanding father and learned to emulate that persona. He learned that many people are taken in by a guy who thinks "he's everything." They don't recognize the con-man, the arrogant, entitled sociopath who will use them for his own purposes then discard them when they no longer meet his needs. He's learned how to have an impact on people by making himself the undisputed center of attention, relentlessly. Like advertising, he markets himself. He's full of false promises that, unfortunately, many Americans buy.
Doesn't the comb over tell the whole story? Its like hes saying im pretending not to be bald and now you have to as well, because to point out how ridiculous the combed over hair looks would feel cruel. And along the same lines, the hair style looks shockingly similar to his mothers!!
On most days, I ask myself, or someone asks me, "How can someone of reasonable intelligence believe the lies and false realities that Trump and his minions spin?" Since my reading interests encompasses pre-World War II Germany these days, unsurprisingly, I thought of the quote that we have all heard, to paraphrase, "If you tell the big lie often enough people will begin to accept it as truth." My assumption was this quote was likely generated by Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's chief propagandist. However, to my surprise, Goebbels cannot lay claim to this quote. The quote is attributed to Edward Bernays, the father of American advertising and public relations, in his book" Propaganda". The exact quote is "If you tell a lie big enough and keeping repeating it, people will eventually come to believe." Bernays propaganda work has been called the leading reason why the US entered World War I when most American citizens wanted to remain out of foreign wars.
If Trump is anything he is a serial liar, media guru, and master marketeer. He understands and practices that marketing and lying are effective if the message is repeated ad nauseum.
Since I was disappointed that Goebbels did not author the Big Lie, quote, one of the Doctor's colleagues, Hermann Goering did say, in terms of bending the public to an authoritarian will, "the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”
How many outside attackers have been blamed by Trump as a source of our woes?
Perhaps one day, the eyes of a child will be required to remind us that the emperor is not wearing any clothes.
Don't get saucy with me, Bernays! 🤣
Ha!
Btw, Edward Bernays is a nephew of Sigmund Freud. He’s a pioneer of marketing.
I'm glad you mentioned this, David, because Edward Bernays was a nephew of Sigmund Freud. He used his famous uncle's theories of the unconscious to learn how to manipulate people. Sadly, he came to America and got wealthy teaching advertisers how to appeal to unconscious needs and people's vanity. He suggested that "liberated women" be seen as smokers because before the flapper era, it was considered unseemly for a woman to smoke. But Bernays trained advertisers to make smoking seem modern, enviable, fashionable, and he and the advertisers made millions.
All of this only works because many people are not conscious of being played. And that explains how TFG manipulates others...he's learned by experience that a large number of people fall for a guy who appears charming at one moment, commanding at another moment, and always king of the hill. As a boy he observed his self-centered, commanding father and learned to emulate that persona. He learned that many people are taken in by a guy who thinks "he's everything." They don't recognize the con-man, the arrogant, entitled sociopath who will use them for his own purposes then discard them when they no longer meet his needs. He's learned how to have an impact on people by making himself the undisputed center of attention, relentlessly. Like advertising, he markets himself. He's full of false promises that, unfortunately, many Americans buy.
Doesn't the comb over tell the whole story? Its like hes saying im pretending not to be bald and now you have to as well, because to point out how ridiculous the combed over hair looks would feel cruel. And along the same lines, the hair style looks shockingly similar to his mothers!!
Haha! Point well-taken!
=]