The Century of the Self

[sasha031]

Why are the American people so apathetic in regard to the Iraq war, torture, and the slaughter of innocent civilians by our own troops?

How politicians and business learned to create and manipulate society.

This a must watch video
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/

[TallahasseeGrannie]

1. To answer your question before I watch the video

we are apathetic because it is thousands of miles away and it happens on a black box in the living room. We weren't so apathetic on September 11th.

I suppose that is human nature.

[reprehensor]

2. Edward Bernays, etc...

Brilliant!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/century_of_the_self.shtml

Adam Curtis' acclaimed series examines the rise of the all-consuming self against the backdrop of the Freud dynasty.

To many in both politics and business, the triumph of the self is the ultimate expression of democracy, where power has finally moved to the people. Certainly the people may feel they are in charge, but are they really? The Century of the Self tells the untold and sometimes controversial story of the growth of the mass-consumer society in Britain and the United States. How was the all-consuming self created, by whom, and in whose interests?

The Freud dynasty is at the heart of this compelling social history. Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis; Edward Bernays, who invented public relations; Anna Freud, Sigmund's devoted daughter; and present-day PR guru and Sigmund's great grandson, Matthew Freud.

Sigmund Freud's work into the bubbling and murky world of the subconscious changed the world. By introducing a technique to probe the unconscious mind, Freud provided useful tools for understanding the secret desires of the masses. Unwittingly, his work served as the precursor to a world full of political spin doctors, marketing moguls, and society's belief that the pursuit of satisfaction and happiness is man's ultimate goal.

[jobendorfer]

4. "We've Had A Hundred Years of Psychotherapy ...

... and the world's getting worse."

An excellent rumination by James Hillman & Michael Ventura. It posits that psychotherapy has a built-in bias
to locate problems "inside", in psychological space, with the result that we are less likely to take positive
action "outside", in the real world. For instance: you get cut off in traffic on the way to your therapy
appointment. Chances are -- if you bring this up in session -- your therapist will move the discussion inward:
big trucks remind you of your father, you feel inferior, etc. The problem is "in" you. Imagine, however,
that your therapist helps you find effective ways to help change the mess of traffic in your hometown, help
you find the motivation, the drive, the passion, the energy to get involved in civic planning, city council
meetings, protests, etc. How can a therapist's office turn into a cell of revolution? That's the question
Hillman and Ventura take on in this book. Highly recommended reading.

J.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

3. You can get the next 3 parts from archive.org

This search link should get you there:

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=adam%20curtis%20century%20self

The guy behind them also made the more recent "Power of Nightmares" which is very much a must-see