Nudge Nudge Wink Wink
“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country...We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. We are dominated by [a] relatively small number of persons...who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.” - Edward L. Bernays, Propaganda
Now we have the announcement of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy "Nudge Team" led by 'wunderkind' Maya Shankar who will lead a 'behavioral insights team' to tinker with our minds and nudge us in the directions they want us to go. Nothing new here. We have had governments, religions and individuals trying to nudge us towards their viewpoints, well, forever. Often times if the nudge won't work, then the shove will. Failing that, the barrel of a gun works wonders. The science of behavior modification has come a long way in the last 100 years since the Federal Reserve came into being. Maya's task will be to put a kinder, gentler, youthful face to the fascism of our day. It's all for your own good and that of the collective, you know. Brainwashing is such an outdated term so let's try a new one without the baggage. I don't think that is a coincidence. Ever since Edward Bernays was hired by Woodrow Wilson to promote World War I, there has been one nudge after another to get the public to accept wars as the biggest money making scams there are. Bernays' propaganda became 'public relations' and the consumerist race was on. One can be nudged into buying just about anything as long as there is an emotional attachment to it, contrived or not. - We must be in the 'reveal our methods' times. It's so they can say 'you were told, you didn't say much, so you must have agreed.'