Discoveries in psychology have shown us why people behave the way they do. The work of early scholars and scientists gave us some fundamentals, but their work has been continued by each new generation. By the early 1900s the field of psychology was becoming so profound offshoots began to emerge. Public Relations emerged and there was soon a public relations council.
In his book Crystallizing Public Opinion (1923), Edward Bernays wrote that of all fields none have “touched upon intimate and important aspects of everyday life of the world more significantly than the profession of public relations counsel.” Bernays was integral in the U.S. Committee on Public Information (CPI) in WW I. He was hired by the American Tobacco Company to break down the aversion to smoking held by the female half of humanity. His firm was able to nearly double cigarette sales. He assisted the CIA in well-documented campaigns that successfully overthrew the democratically elected president of Guatemala. His firm used the media of the time and other methods to reach the opinions of the population of that nation so profoundly he was able “manufacture public thought.” People mistake their opinions for thinking.
They are innocent victims of manipulation so profound it installs resistance to it that guards against reality. The incredible things people are writing on this thread and millions of others is profound testimony of near total subjugation to forces they desperately need to recognize.
Edward Bernays, Walter Lippmann, and Edward S. Herman wrote books long ago that will help the victims of opinion manipulation, but people who have been subjected to the hypnotic power of modern media, such as this social media application, are not going to read them. The people who have the resources to utilize the knowledge that has emerged from psychology over the past one hundred years or so know this. That is why they are not worried about being prosecuted.
I already know how the victims of psychological manipulation will respond to the various posts that come across the social media sites including this one. People are making fools of themselves. Eventually they are so deeply embarrassed they have a subconscious aversion to reality and begin to behave so irrationally they cannot function. Life never provides them with fulfillment and disease accompanies senescence until old age is a frightful decline into decrepit bodily and mental condition the makes death a desirable relief. They think it is normal and submit to it so profoundly they never even catch a moment’s glimmer of thought about another way. They take their enculturation from parents, family, and others and submit to the power of manipulation from those who want to use the power of the people for purposes until independence is so profoundly negated there is no freedom left. The human psyche is not able to tolerate it long. People kill themselves, take drugs, drink alcohol, and behave so irrationally they make history a horror, today a nightmare, and tomorrow a failed dream. So, go ahead. Post something stupid. Make fools of yourselves and be certain you are just fine.
I posted this on MeWe because people were posting some crazy stuff.