Mic Check Radio

We are all affected by it...call it advertising, propaganda,

programming, social engineering, psychological operations, or whatever

other term could be applied.  The act of a force outside of your mind

trying to convince you to do something.  In this installment we take a

look at the world of propaganda we are currently stuck with.  At this stage, we have to look past political ideologies to the one true underlying factor that guides the programming...money.  Our coverage begins with the good intentions found within the Church Committee.  But, it turned out to just be a bunch of words on pages.  Corporations continued their financial hijacking of democracy.  Now, the CIA has their own Media Liaison Office, the Government of Mexico bought a scene in 007's newest adventure - Spectre, a retired senator is Hollywood's top lobbyist, NPR and CNN are employing active duty Army officers and the First Lady presents Best Picture at the Academy Awards.  Not since late 1930's Germany have the government and the media been so well separated. [Click to Listen]

In this fifth and final episode of the Mic Check Radio Book Club series we conclude with the final chapters of the audio book, Propaganda by Edward L Burnays,

published in 1928.  Noam Chomsky has called this book "the main manual

of the public relations industry".  It may be 87 years old, but the

ideas and concepts are still used (and successful) today.  This book

explores the psychology of manipulating the masses in order to influence

consumerism, politics, social change and gender dynamics.  On this

episode we will hear Chapter 8: Propaganda for Education, Chapter 9: Propaganda in Social Service, Chapter 10: Art and Science and Chapter 11: The Mechanics of Propaganda. [Click to Listen]

We are all affected by it...call it advertising, propaganda,

programming, social engineering, psychological operations, or whatever

other term could be applied.  The act of a force outside of your mind

trying to convince you to do something.  In this installment we take a look at a perfect storm that developed starting in the 1950's.  After WWII, there was a mass exodus of white citizens leaving the major cities of America and settling in the newly created suburbs.  This is the birth of the 'cute' little suburban home with the white picket fence and 2.5 kids.  We look specifically at a place called Levittown as well as just how powerful "car culture" became, economically speaking.  Once everyone is sectioned off in their suburban homes...along comes TV.  Literally, a box of bright, flashing, blinking images set to audio is sold to the American public - and we all wanted one.  What better device than this to sell the idea of the "American Dream".  The TV was specifically used as a psychological weapon to target Women.  There was a concentrated effort to get Women into the kitchen, to stay put in the home and be grateful to have found a man to provide everything.  I suggest standing up for the last few minutes of this show as we will be playing audio from advertisements trying to sell consumer goods to women and the sexism will make you want to pace and curse. [Click to Listen]

As we work thru some serious computer issues, here is a rebroadcast from the archives.  It dovetails perfectly with the upcoming Episode 6 in our We Are Being Programmed series.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Way back in 1987 a government funded study, Perception of Risk, was published in the journal Science.  While the study is officially a look at how the general public evaluates and perceives risk, it also reads as a manual for the manipulation of the public's fear and the unrealistic desire to live in a "zero risk society". [Click to Listen]

In this fourth episode of the Mic Check Radio Book Club series we continue with the audio book of Propaganda by Edward L Burnays, published in 1928.  Noam Chomsky has called this book "the main manual of the public relations industry".  It may be 87 years old, but the ideas and concepts are still used (and successful) today.  This book explores the psychology of manipulating the masses in order to influence consumerism, politics, social change and gender dynamics.  On this episode we will hear Chapter 6: Propaganda and Political Leadership & Chapter 7: Women's Activities and Propaganda. [Click to Listen]

We are all affected by it...call it advertising, propaganda,

programming, social engineering, psychological operations, or whatever

other term could be applied.  The act of a force outside of your mind

trying to convince you to do something.  In this installment we take a look at what happened to the enormous propaganda machine after WWII was over.  Once the Office of War Information was disbanded in 1945, the Central Intelligence Agency took over the domestic operations and "assumed many of the information gathering, analyzing and disseminating responsibilities".  So, what would the CIA use its new found domestic propaganda powers for?  In the early 1950's, Frank Wisner (head of the Directorate of Plans for CIA), Allan W. Dulles (Director of Central Intelligence) and Cord Meyer (Office of Policy Coordination) started Operation Mockingbird.  By 1953, Operation Mockingbird had "major influence over 25 newspapers and wire agencies".  We also touch on the House Un-American Activities Committee and the CIA's Project MK Ultra program.  [Click to Listen]

In this third episode of the Mic Check Radio Book Club series we continue with the audio book of Propaganda by Edward L Burnays,

published in 1928.  Noam Chomsky has called this book "the main manual

of the public relations industry".  It may be 87 years old, but the

ideas and concepts are still used (and successful) today.  This book

explores the psychology of manipulating the masses in order to influence

consumerism, politics, social change and gender dynamics.  On this

episode we will hear Chapter 5:Business and the Public. [Click to Listen]

We are all affected by it...call it advertising, propaganda,

programming, social engineering, psychological operations, or whatever

other term could be applied.  The act of a force outside of your mind

trying to convince you to do something. In the forth episode of this series we take a look at the Golden Age of Propaganda, World War II.  We do this by analyzing several audio clips from films played in motion picture theaters during the 1940's.  The clips include: Education for Death (made by Walt Disney), The Batman - The Electrical Brain (an 8-part serial), Japanese Relocation (Office of War Information), Our Enemy - The Japanese (United States Navy Training Film), Remember Pearl Harbor - Buy War Bonds (again, the US Government), Wartime Nutrition (Office of War Information) and It's Your War Too (made by the War Activities Committee of the Motion Picture Industry and the US War Dept.).  [Click to Listen]

In this second episode of the Mic Check Radio Book Club series we continue with the audio book of Propaganda by Edward L Burnays,

published in 1928.  Noam Chomsky has called this book "the main manual

of the public relations industry".  It may be 87 years old, but the

ideas and concepts are still used (and successful) today.  This book

explores the psychology of manipulating the masses in order to influence

consumerism, politics, social change and gender dynamics.  On this

episode we will hear Chapter 3: The New Propagandists and Chapter 4: The Psychology of Public Relations. [Click to Listen]

We are all affected by it...call it advertising, propaganda,

programming, social engineering, psychological operations, or whatever

other term could be applied.  The act of a force outside of your mind

trying to convince you to do something. In the third episode we play a couple of clips of commercial radio from the 1940's, then we enter 'The Lab'.  Once sound film is perfected (more or less), Hollywood productions are now the great laboratory of for propagandists experimentation.  Any good propagandist would look at the sheer numbers, up to 90 million moviegoers each week, and start drooling at the possibilities.  One homogenized audio/video message seen in just one week by 90 million people?!  This had never been an option in all of human history before motion pictures with sound were invented.  Brave new world.  American politics took notice of the potential for reaching so many people with one homogenized message and took action.  Those white men in power in Washington D.C. started hanging out with those other white men in power in Hollywood...a lot.  This is the moment when American politics had to first, and evermore, deal with what they will look like to the public.  People in politics/industry quickly figured out how to sell the image needed to get citizens/consumers to choose their product.  Oh, and then WWII started and the Golden Age of Propaganda was about to begin. [Click to Listen]