The Hidden Mechanisms of Unfreedom

 Imagine you get an invitation to an unusual event. The organisers are seeking your input on an important issue of the day, and it seems a rare opportunity to do something socially useful and have a bit of a day out. You’ll get to express yourself and make a contribution – to ‘have a voice’, as we say in the contemporary lingo. Lunch will be provided, along with some ‘expenses’ for your time.

We are looking at one of the key mechanisms of manufacturing consent, a dark art increasingly being used by those with power (and after more power) to shepherd populations in a certain direction.

In an essay published in 1947 called ‘The Engineering of Consent’, Edward Bernays described the principles of modern public relations as: “Activities are planned and executed by trained practitioners in accordance with scientific principles, based on the findings of social scientists.”...<<<Read More>>>...