Finding Space

The cacophony of noise called "news" is suffocating today.  For many, a day might go better if one decides not to bother to watch, listen, engage with the information that has been curated to be presented as news.

Reports are mostly about conflicts - as in war, destruction, disasters  -both natural and political.  And mostly, it is devoid of insight into how society could create healthier systems and processes for living well.  It's understandable why people sometimes choose to take a break from being informed about the news.  By ignoring it, one can find space to reconnect to the vitality of life.

I discoverd the name Edward L. Bernays - the man whose name is little known but whose life work led to the creation of the field referred to as, "public relations".  The old term was propaganda.  

The name was shared at lunch this week as the conversation turned to politics and the fact that our friend was facing the uninspiring task of having to cover news about the Golden Globes in Los Angeles.  He hated the assignment, but it pays the bills.  The lunch conversation was focused on politics and media's role in how people in the United States are perceiving events and occurrences through what we call "the news" and seeming not to have any idea of context, or care about source, or analysis.  In short, the concern was the lack of critical or creative or free thinking.

Bernays, whose work flourished in the 1930's was a consummate elitist.  A nephew of Sigmund Freud, living in Cambridge - he was a highly regarded consultant  who was known to have insight on how to re-shape how masses think, act, and see themselves.  Businesses hired him as their counsel on how to create pithy slogans and attend to the need to attract customers to their products.  How best could dreams be made up so that reality transform into behaviors that bring purchases?

It is stunning to learn that he actually is credited with having developed an entire scheme to get women in this country to smoke.  And more specifically, get them to smoke a particular brand of cigarettes, the packaging of which was not particularly attractive before his involvment with the product.  He devised a way to shift consciousness and attitudes by enlisting elite women in New York society to lead the charge.  Then, he succeeded in securing the Waldorf Astoria hotel as a venue for annual "charity" events sponsored by businesses who wanted to gain the loyalty of the elite hostesses of the event.  Then, he designed the message that would attract (non-smoking) women to the deadly habit of smoking by suggesting the product and behavior would lead a woman to be seen as more sophisticated, of a higher class, and more attractive generally while holding the cancer stick in her delicate hand.  The strategy even made the color (forest) green more desireable (think today's black).

All the while, the identity of Bernays was hidden - never was his name mentioned in the huge annual event at the Waldorf;  never was he credited with any of the advertising images or stories in those times; never was he recognized or honored for his contributions as the creator of the strategy.  He was, however, highly revered among those who needed to know how best, and how effectively mass manipulation of minds could happen.  

This advice would be most needed among politicians and businesses interested in growing their bottom line.  Pubic relations was a less brassy term than propaganda and propaganda was key to re-shaping the thinking and behaviors of a society that might move away from the individualism upon which the nation is founded. Freedom might actually produce exactly the wrong outcome for a society that needed leaders in industry to grow the economy, to produce leadership mindsets that understand and value placing intellectual power behind capital.  Perhaps this is why new members of Congress today are invited to be "oriented" at Harvard, where industry leaders and lobbyists are the main presenters.  Orientation to power, capital, and culture fundamentals must be set so that newly minted elected officials,  can make the correct choices in pushing out the messages that the people "need" to hear and see.  (A new generation of electeds in Congress seems to have started to upset that apple cart.).

How best to minimize the personal impact of public relations messages in today's world?  One cannot really avoid news altogether, but one can take breaks now and then.  Failing to attend to how people are being invited to think about things deprives one of the chance to bear witness.  So some attention to "news" is important.  Now and again, there are stories that inspire and those are gems. Rarely, there is news that opens an invitation for one to act in support of the critical need to act in the interest of our common good - and that is precious.  

But back to how best to minimize the effect of propaganda/public relations messages?  Sit quietly and don't think about news or actions/reactions needed- for at least 20 minutes.  Move through the day more slowly and allow observations of self as though one is watching from above.  Develop the ability to respond without calculation, but with genuine care for others.  Observe how you respond to the "news" and if something doesn't feel right about what is being reported - check that.  

Perhaps it is unrealistic in today's world to be free from all the reports, opinions, analyses, and other inputs that come through all the media sources that exist.  But there is certainly within the control of each one, the ability to choose stillness, quiet, a slower pace, and a conscious choice to bear witness to all that is happening.