Edward L. Bernays interview, 1986-10-23

Edward L. Bernays interview, 1986-10-23
From the book "Propaganda" by Edward Bernays the nephew of Sigmund Freud (1929) we read: "Those who manipulate the hidden mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the real controlling power. We are governed, our minds are moulded, our tastes are formed, our ideas are almost totally influenced by men we have never heard of. This is the logical result of the way our democratic society is organised. A large number of human beings have to cooperate in this way if we are to live together as a peacefully functioning society. In almost every action of our lives, whether in politics, in business, in our social conduct or in our moral thinking, we are dominated by a relatively small number of people who understand the mental processes and patterns of behaviour of the masses. It is they who pull the strings that control people's minds". Those who hold this mechanism in their hands constitute the real executive power of the country.