And Just When You Thought.....

 ...You Always Think Things Through...

Today is not just the day that Elizabeth Taylor clawed her way into the world 79 years ago, it is also the date that - 75 years ago - the influential Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov passed away. Does that name ring any bells...?

Born in September of 1849, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov's name is often heard in the idiom "Pavlov's dog," with regards to any situation where your reaction to stimuli is due to some sort of conditioning. Held in high regard by none other than Vladimir Lenin, Pavlov proved the existence of the "conditioned reflex." 

He behaviorally trained dogs by combining the ringing of a bell with the act of being fed, and eventually the dogs would salivate in reaction to the sound of the bell. Well, perhaps a bell - according to Wikipedia "his writings record the use of a wide variety of stimuli, including electric shocks, whistles, metronomes, tuning forks, and a range of visual stimuli, in addition to ringing a bell."

In essence this means that he proved that the dog's mind no longer thought about food, but the dog's body (salivary glands specifically) reacted to the sound involuntarily and its body associated the sound with food.

Surprisingly, Wikipedia also cryptically points out, "It is less widely known that Pavlov's experiments on the conditional reflex extended to children, some of whom apparently underwent surgical procedures, similar to the dogs, for the collection of saliva." I guess they didn't want to elaborate too much on that. 

Probably because all one has to do is extend the connection between Pavlov's dog(s) and your average fast food and television addicted or shopaholic human in the 21st century - and it may become all too apparent that there is not much difference between the "conditioned reflex" and well, simply put, "brainwashing." 

Plus, admit it, the idea of this guy being around kids and experimenting on them is downright creepy - there's an involuntary response for ya.

Pavlov laid the groundwork for the in depth study of behavioral modification, and behavioral conditioning, and many psychologists and even sociologists built upon his experiments. He had shown that eventually people can also be controlled (just like dogs) to do things at the behest of an entrained stimuli. 

Long after his theories have been perfected and ramped up with new technologies, we can look around today and see that his concept has taken on a new life. Like Edward Bernays, Pavlov also believed in the Hive Mind, or Herd Mentality. The amount of stimuli to which we are exposed that implicitly instructs us to react without critical thinking is enormous - and usually done without the best of intentions (for you and me anyway). Pavlovian responses are teased out of us on a daily basis. Think about it. No, I mean really think about it.

And Just When You Thought....

...Propaganda doesn't happen in the USA...

Allow me to introduce Edward Bernays.

AKA "The Father of PR," "The Father of Spin"

Edward Bernays is the nephew of another promoter of despicable ideas, Sigmund Freud. If you have ever heard of the "Herd Mentality" or "Crowd Psychology," you should definitely read up on him.

Life Magazine named him "one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century," and we have him to thank for many of the tactics used in the advertising, politics, and marketing of today's world. Bernays was a huge promoter of propaganda and the use of the subconscious as a means to manipulate public opinion, and even wrote a book entitled "The Manufacturing of Consent." Oh yeah, and one entitled simply "Propaganda."

If you think that he couldn't possibly influence anyone in high places, realize that he worked hand in hand with many large companies and leaders.

 After all, he himself stated:

"If you can influence the leaders, either with or without their conscious cooperation, you automatically influence the group which they sway."

Perhaps you feel that his tactics were benign in intent...you are of course, entitled to your opinion, but I for one find it insulting. I know, shame on me.

Here are some other quotes from the friend and adviser to the American Tobacco Company, Procter & Gamble, The American Dental Association, Chiquita Brands International, Cartier Inc. Best Foods, CBS

Cartier SA

, General Electric, Dodge Motors, and the fluoridationists of the Public Health Service. In fact, he's even the reason that bacon and eggs became a popular breakfast...

"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society." Edward Bernays

"If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without them knowing it." Edward Bernays

"It is not necessary for the politician to be the slave to the public's group prejudices, if he can learn how to mold the mind of the voters in conformity with his own ideas of public welfare and public service. The important thing for the statesman of our age is not so much to know how to please the public, but know how to sway the public." Edward Bernays

And there is this creepy admission:

"In the ethical sense, propaganda bears the same relation to education as to business or politics. It may be abused. It may be used to over-advertise an institution and to create in the public mind artificial values. There can be no absolute guarantee against its misuse." Edward Bernays

"Artificial values"...what is he talking about??? Any ideas? But it was okay to create his "values" in the public mind, right?

Just one example of modern propaganda would be the "Obey" campaign by Shepard Fairey. 

Shepard Fairey's website even calls it propaganda, and claims that it has been "Manufacturing Quality Dissent since 1989." Ironic...wouldn't it actually be more accurate to say that they were Manufacturing Assent? How exactly are they manufacturing dissent, and calling it propaganda at the same time? After all, don't they want people to buy their clothes? Notice that this is also a play on words of Bernays' book "Manufacturing of Consent." 

Propaganda definitions: 

"Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist."

(Garth Jowett and Victoria O'Donnell, Propaganda and Persuasion, 4th ed. Sage Publications, p. 7)

"Propaganda is neutrally defined as a systematic form of purposeful persuasion that attempts to influence the emotions, attitudes, opinions, and actions of specified target audiences for ideological, political or commercial purposes through the controlled transmission of one-sided messages (which may or may not be factual) via mass and direct media channels. A propaganda organization employs propagandists who engage in propagandism—the applied creation and distribution of such forms of persuasion."

(Richard Alan Nelson, A Chronology and Glossary of Propaganda in the United States (1996) pp. 232-233)

Wikipedia states that "Propaganda is generally an appeal to emotion, not intellect. It shares techniques with advertising and public relations, each of which can be thought of as propaganda that promotes a commercial product or shapes the perception of an organization, person, or brand."

The Saks 5th Ave. new Spring Ad Campaign "empowers" women buy urging them to buy ridiculously expensive purses...

...and demands that you "Want It."

There is a documentary put out by the BBC called "The Century of the Self" concerning this very topic that may interest you if you would like to learn more. You can watch it free in its entirety here or here. Keep in mind that it is not for the faint of heart...

How about you? Do you feel like you have been or are being "persuaded" or "manipulated" into giving consent in your everyday life? Remember, Ivan Pavlov proved that a reward system can be quite powerful...whether the reward is real or imaginary. Are you reacting, or thinking?