WJM, I see he was quite significant, esp. on applying psychology and sociology to transform marketing, and the nephew of Freud connexion is also interesting. That lends support to the force of what he says in the above clip. There is a name for organised intelligent manipulation of the public, where the implication is, secrecy and compartmentalisation. Conspiracies, openly acknowledged as driving the politics and media that shape public opinion but of course not laid out as to who, what, where, when. But then, the smoke-filled board room meeting is a longstanding metaphor. Call it, a battle to impose, sustain or support a dominant worldview and cultural agenda and we have it nailed. Then, we can ask pointed questions about what is happening with the media and linked cartels: print, broadcast, cable, Internet-delivered, social, etc. Our issue is to challenge the agenda. KF kairosfocus
There's a great documentary on Bernays on YouTube - he's basically the father of consumerism. He changed the world and how hundreds of millions, if not billions, think at a very fundamental level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3RzGoQC4s William J Murray
Bernays (father of PR) on Propaganda, 1928 kairosfocus
Food for thought. END