PS: The A-holio, chicken *&%^ fanatics in Iran are burning posters of Obama. Chelsea in tow!

awwww bummer man!!
that means draft dodger rush won't be able to smear obama with innuendo about iran.

why the need to prep the masses with a buzz phrase that will save the world and have the international community fawn over America?

Buzz words to prep the masses and save the world, etc.:
Axis of evil
Weapons of mass destruction
The mushroom cloud
We fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here
Wanted: Dead or Alive
The surge
Uranium from Africa

Need I go on? Come on Art, it happens on both sides of the aisle. I'm going to start calling you Mr. Pot because you're always calling Mr. Kettle black.

Winston - For Bush, it was Rove who orchestrated the buzz words and passed them out in the form of talking points to every Republican out there so the words would be said at least 7 times and therefore, stick. Not sure who Obama's master wordsmith is. We've got Hillary down for one count of "smart power". Let's keep counting to test the theory!

My implication is that it goes much further/deeper than speechwriters and advisors (who advises the advisors?).

Regardless, I, too, find it fascinating to watch how phrases/ideas are introduced into the mass consciousness at will.


[attachment=3534:bernays.jpg]

"Those who manipulate the unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. .........in almost every act of our lives whether in the sphere of politics or business in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind."

– (Edward L. Bernays, "Propaganda", page 9, 1928)

Who did Bernays think "they" was

who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses?

That's a pretty big statement for him to say without some explanation or theory as to who "they" is.

And do they really manipulate the masses?

Or are the masses more like sheep and are followers and willing to believe just about anything?

I believe there are more follower types than leader types in the world. Followers are more predictable. Doesn't necessarily make them manipulatable. You can just predict what they'll accept.

And who advises the advisors? My guess, people the advisors learned from, were mentored by, people they trust, their own experiences, etc. I also guess it's the DC think tanks that really develop the buzz words for mass distribution.

Why not? We've been conditioned and bombarded since birth with advertising buzzwords. We take in so much information every day that sometimes a buzzword is what's needed to evoke a feeling about an issue rather than having to give any thought to it, especially if we don't have time.

Just a reality check, Joe.

I cant tell if you are being rhetorical or not. I will assume not.

Bernays is quite interesting. He is considered the father of public relations and gained the title by applying his uncle's theories of human psyche on the masses. His uncle was Sigmund Freud. If you find this sort of stuff interesting, you will like the BBC documentary "Century of Self." Below is the link for the Bernays section.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltUt3jOx0jA...feature=related




Power brokers. Given the time, I would say the Morgans and the Rockefellers. Wall Street.



People like him. He was a hired gun. And quite good at what he did based upon results.


I am to blame for the misunderstanding. I only quoted one paragraph from his book.

yes they do. google "freedom torches" or "united+fruit+bernays+cia"


What is the difference?


You and Bernays would probably have seen eye-to-eye on many issues.



Now you are on to something!

Buzz words to prep the masses and save the world, etc.:
Axis of evil
Weapons of mass destruction
The mushroom cloud
We fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here
Wanted: Dead or Alive
The surge
Uranium from Africa

Need I go on? Come on Art, it happens on both sides of the aisle. I'm going to start calling you Mr. Pot because you're always calling Mr. Kettle black.

PS: How about I smoked reefer but did not inhale?

It's so fake and convoluted..the moniker "Smart Power" via the Hillary folks has been floating around the net since Sunday...why the need to prep the masses with a buzz phrase that will save the world and have the international community fawn over America?

Why can't intelligent journalists see through that?

Let's just hope it does not become the next "mission accomplished". No, wait..Olbermann will never, ever do that to Hillary!

PS: The A-holio, chicken *&%^ fanatics in Iran are burning posters of Obama. I am sure he will be welcomed with open arms there, to negotiate without precons walking hand in hand with Hillary, with Chelsea in tow!

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/ph...1645453159.jpg/

. . . In laying out a general outlook for American foreign policy under Obama, Clinton spoke in a clear, unhurried voice and looked at ease. She made it plain, citing policy themes that were familiar from Obama's presidential campaign — and in many cases her own — that the incoming Democratic administration wants to elevate the role of diplomacy. She and Obama contend that the Bush administration relied too heavily on the military to carry out foreign policy and that it leaned too much on ideology and too little on pragmatism.

. . . Let's just hope it does not become the next "mission accomplished". . .

The A-holio, chicken *&%^ fanatics in Iran are burning posters of Obama.