Today’s manipulation is placed in the hands of much less respected people who have different intentions of changing public opinion. Bernays says, “In this age, there must be a technique for the mass distribution of ideas. Public opinion can be moved, directed, and formed by such a technique. But at the core of this great heterogeneous body of public opinion is a tenacious will to live, to progress, to move in the direction of ultimate social and individual benefit.” (Bernays, p 57). If manipulating public opinion is for the good of the public, how do politicians and advertisers justify their manipulation?
And what is the punishment when our government officials intentionally sway the public’s focus to either unimportant issues or straight up lies? There is none. Public manipulation has been happening for so many years, and has been digressing so far from what it at first was supposed to do that we now live in a world where public manipulation is used to give government officials what they want. With the little time I have to devote to reading the newspaper, I would like to think that my government officials can do it for me while still giving me the information I need to know on select issues. But what if I do not agree with the “important issues” my government is promoting to the public?
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