“Possibly the effectiveness of women’s organizations in American politics to-day is due to two things: first, the training of a professional class of executive secretaries or legislative secretaries during the suffrage campaigns, where every device known to the propagandist had to be used to regiment a recalcitrant majority; secondly, the routing over into peacetime activities of the many prominent women who were in the suffrage campaigns and who also devoted themselves to the important drives and mass influence movements during the war.” ~E Bernays
There is perhaps no truer application of the adage ‘actions speak louder than words’ than in examining the life and work of ‘The Father of Public Relations’, Edward Bernays. While on one hand, Bernays seemingly supported women’s liberation, his advertising techniques contributed heavily to making smoking a socially viable and desirable activity for women.
Episode 81 of the Smells Like Human Spirit Podcast focuses on Chapter 7 (‘Women’s Activities and Propaganda’). Past attitudes to women’s smoking, Bernays’ influence, and the long-term effects of his strategies are all discussed; and in the end, you may see that the more that things have changed, the more that they have stayed the same.
BONUS: This show contains an interview with Dr. Jerry Kroth, Professor Emeritus at Santa Clara University, on the topic of propaganda techniques. Enjoy!
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Chapter 7 Transcript – “Women’s Activities And Propaganda”
Women in contemporary America have achieved a legal equality with men. This does not mean that their activities are identical with those of men. Women in the mass still have special interests and activities in addition to their economic pursuits and vocational interests.
Women’s most obvious influence is exerted when they are organized and armed with the weapon of propaganda. So organized and armed they have made their influence felt on city councils, state legislatures, and national congresses, upon executives, upon political campaigns and upon public opinion generally, both local and national. Continue reading