The Socjournal A new media journal of sociology and society
There are now a range of academic disciplines which have been indelibly marked by — indeed produced by — the interests and actions of the propagandists. The field of Public Relations research, the discipline of marketing, some aspects of Human Resource Management and Management and Business Studies more generally all bear the mark of propaganda victories by their systemic refusal to face their origins in propaganda. nor have sociology, psychology, and political science dealt with their demons over this. It is an incredible victory for great power that there is no institute for the study of propaganda (in its real meaning) anywhere in the world. Those that remain studying propaganda do so almost entirely from within the authorised framework that this happens largely in war. Let us be clear about this. We do mean that most academics have been ‘persuaded’ and have come to see things in terms conducive to great power. (Miller and Dinan, 2004: 180. Italics in original).
[amazon_enhanced asin=”0745326889″ container=”div” container_class=”bookbox” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /]So you think that the Nazi’s wrote the book on propaganda do you? You think we live in a functioning democracy? Well, think again. In this book by sociologists David Miller and William Dinan you will discover the truth about public relations, propaganda, and corporate control over the public mind. And I’ll be honest with you, it is not a pretty truth. Did you know, the Nazi’s learned about brainwashing the masses from British and American public relations experts? Did you know, some of this centuries most successful public relations experts where in bed with the most brutal and infamous dictators and “serial human right’s abusers” of all time? Did you know the term public relations is a drop in replacement for the term propaganda and is considered the solution to the elite’s “problem” with democracy? Did you know, Britain’s PR man Max Clifford openly acknowledges he lies on behalf of his political clients? “I’ve been telling lies on behalf of people, businessmen, politicians and countries for 40 years” he says “…All PROs at all levels lie through their teeth.” A Century of Spin provides a fascinating and well researched look into the world of corporate mind control and corporate spin. Beginning at the turn of the century the authors document, in painstaking detail, propaganda victory after victory as the global mind control experts carefully and successfully crafted a mass mind set suitable and accepting of neoliberal market reforms. By engaging in massive (and expensive) brainwashing campaigns (er, sorry, public relations campaigns) and by socializing the world’s most powerful individuals in secret and highly exclusive private clubs and getaways, the PR masters have made the world safe for autocratic control of labor, resource, and economy.
It may not be a pretty or popular argument, especially amongst those working in the corrupted hallways of PR research, and it might be surprising to people who believe their concentrated corporate media is anything other than an extension of ruling class propaganda and control, but if the well documented and candid look at the world of corporate influence and propaganda is accurate as presented by Miller and Dinan, and if functioning democracy is important to you, then it is certainly worth taking a brave and open minded look at.
It is nice to know that people have looked into this topic. Indeed there is something strange to democracy as they serve it in western societies. They make it seem all possible, in the sense that you really have freedom, right and power to change things. The truth is when you run to the battlefield something hits you suddenly. An invisible wall I would call bureaucracy. Kind of unequal distribution of power that only becomes evident when you try to get something changed. Then you feel that from somewhere high, a paper called Constitution has a big mouth widely open, laughing at you, saying: “I am beautiful, but I am not for you.”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acVqHjMQFq4&feature=related
This video says a lot about the topic.
As a PR and marketing professional, I can attest to the fact that this is basically all true. Living with the cognitive dissonance of knowing that all PR and marketing is essentially formalized, authorized lying and that millions of people have been brainwashed because of the field in which I work is somewhat disturbing. My only recourse is to a) switch industries (which wouldn’t really help) or b) sustain light brain damage.
[…] Corporate Control Over the Public Mind? By ophelia69 A new book, “A Century of Spin: How Public Relations Became the Cutting Edge of Corporate Power” claims to uncover the secret history of the PR industry and relate our current, sanitized corporate PR environment to the dirty world of war propaganda. Although it seems a little far-fetched at first, upon further reflection it sounds about right. If you think about it, the goals of public relations align pretty closely with the goals of propagandists: Sway people to think positively about your message. Whether the message is “Apple products are swell,” or “Communism is the best system for the people,” the methods are the same. Authors William Dinan and David Miller make a good point when they say: The field of Public Relations research, the discipline of marketing, some aspects of Human Resource Management and Management and Business Studies more generally all bear the mark of propaganda victories… They verbalize what I have so often thought, not just about the fields of PR, marketing and communication, but about society in general: That there is something sinister going on here. Something to do with power and influence and the dynamics of how the powerful interact with the powerless. My optimistic conclusion? It’s not just people in positions of power — CEOs and presidents — that need to be careful of the corruption that can come so easily with that power. It might be more important for people near the powerful or in a position to sway the public to guard against the abuse of power. For another take on the book, see the great sociology blog, The SocJournal. […]