Review: Propaganda

Propaganda by Edward L. Bernays
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Have I read too many business books and books on persuasion and sales? This seems like a tame book on the introduction of the concept of public relations as a means to persuade opinion, and sales or action if that's the intent. Every time Bernays uses the word "propaganda" he seems to mean "PR", and that's the way I read it. You can just picture a movie of men in peak-lapel suits in art deco highrise offices meeting about the new propaganda plan, while smoking Lucky Strikes. It seems that propaganda was originally a bit more innocuous than post WWII, where the word is tied to the Nazis, lies, and evil. Unless I missed it, Bernays doesn't recommend lying or intent to deceive. I didn't notice any recommendations to destroy the competition. His examples were more focused on boosting the positive, often through publicity stunts. He provides mostly anecdotal evidence that this method works, unlike more modern books on persuasion that can point to scientific studies in addition to anecdotes. To understand current mainstream media and news, you'll need a more modern book.

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