Howdy folks,
March 19, 2024 the Redneck will be joined by Executive Producer Jackrabbit as we do a deep dive on the profoundly important documentary film “The Century of the Self.”
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Below my signature is a thought piece that does a deep dive on the subject of the upcoming show. Jackrabbit is the principal author, and I get co-credit for his brilliance because I just polished and edited his work….lol
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Onward to the world we deserve,
David Cobb (he/him)
Why I put my pronouns in my email signature
Consumerism has long been heralded as the hallmark of modern society, shaping our perceptions, desires, and ultimately, our identities. Over the past century, corporations have orchestrated a relentless campaign aimed at convincing the public that products are the key element of stability and contentment in our lives. They have convinced most Americans that the key to happiness and self-actualization lies in buying the right things.
This strategic manipulation of mass consciousness is not a new phenomenon. Instead, it is deeply rooted in the historical struggle for power and control between the elite and the 99%. What sets this era apart is the insidious method through which elite dominance is perpetuated: public relations, advertising, and consumerism.
Taken together, public relations, advertising, and consumerism form an unholy Trinity that turn active citizens into passive consumers. In this paradigm, politics becomes trivialized and detached from our pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. Instead of viewing ourselves as essential participants in a larger community, we are reduced to individual consumers whose satisfaction hinges upon the products we consume and the corporations that supply them.
The architect of this transformation was Edward Bernays (nephew of Sigmund Freud) who leveraged his uncle's psychological insights to - as Bernays himself put it - “engineer consent” and manipulate emotions on a mass scale. Bernays, a propagandist during World War I, recognized the potential to harness the fervor of war propaganda for his advertising work in peacetime. Prior to his influence, products were primarily marketed based on their utility, catering to material needs rather than emotional desires. Bernays revolutionized the advertising landscape by pioneering the creation of emotional connections between products and consumers, effectively bypassing rational thought processes and appealing directly to subconscious desires. Truly, there is a special place in hell for this monster.
What makes this process particularly insidious is that it literally erodes democracy. Democracy is premised upon the public's ability to effect material change in the conditions of their lives. By diverting focus away from civic engagement and toward individual consumption, consumerism fosters apathy and disengagement from political processes. In the consumerist worldview, personal fulfillment is equated with material possessions, rendering collective action and social change irrelevant to one's pursuit of happiness.
The documentary "Century of the Self" offers valuable insights into the origins and consequences of consumerism, shedding light on the individuals and ideologies that have shaped our present reality. It underscores how the same techniques devised to sell products have been repurposed to sell political ideologies, resulting in a shallow and irrational political landscape. By dissecting the mechanisms of manipulation employed by advertisers and propagandists, the documentary prompts critical reflection on the pervasive influence of consumerism in shaping our beliefs and behaviors.
To confront the pernicious effects of consumerism, it is imperative to reframe our understanding of power and agency in society. True empowerment lies not in the accumulation of material possessions, but in collective action and civic engagement aimed at creating meaningful change. By reclaiming our identity as active citizens rather than passive consumers, we can challenge the hegemony of corporate interests and cultivate a more equitable and democratic society.
The rise of consumerism represents a pivotal moment in human history, marking the ascendance of corporate power and the erosion of democratic values. By unraveling the mechanisms of manipulation inherent in consumerist ideology and reclaiming our agency as citizens, we can strive towards a more just and equitable future. "Century of the Self" serves as a powerful catalyst for this awakening, urging us to confront the forces that seek to commodify our desires and reassert our collective humanity in the face of rampant consumerism.
Indeed, David, the elite journals of the day were full of what they had learned from Bernays that they no longer had to make what people wanted but could instead make people want what they made. Of course those who controlled the creation and allocation of money were delighted. Dislodging our Corporate Masters is what monetary reform is all about because money is the mechanism of power. I'm sure you know that nothing happens unless there is a flow of money and that money is created out of thin air and its allocation directed by the global banking system, which creates all money as interest-bearing debt, a form of slavery. We pay tribute to that system every time we buy something because on average 50% of the prices we pay for goods and services is in interest going to the bank system which concentrates it to the top via compounding interest. As long as these private interests control the money we will have wars for profits. So, we're organizing a protest rally at the Chicago Fed in May and hoping to attract the many as they are so abused by the few. It must be understood that publicly issued money is synonymous with democracy, they emerged as one in Ancient Greece. I think it was a resurgence of indigenous values eventually crushed by the oligarchy whose gold money had been outlawed. I hope you can join us in Chicago in May. https://www.monetaryalliance.org/uniting-all-voices-for-social-and-economic-justice-join-mayday-for-money/ Expanding on this video I would love to talk to you about the psychological consequences of a debt-based money system.