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StitcherYour overconsumption may not be your fault. There is one man who helped shape what consumerism looks like today. In this episode, Jen and Jill show how Edward Bernays made buying feel emotional and personal, while a system designed to influence our natural desires fueled it.
We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.
Introducing: Edward Berneys
Jen and Jill introduce Edward Berneys who is the author of the book on Propaganda and also known as the ‘Father of Public Relations’. As he earned the title of a doctor, more people came to believe in him, making it an avenue for psychological manipulation to look like a good thing and that it was good for people.
Berneys combined the psychology of the unconscious mind with the power of mass communication he learned as a journalist and used it to become very rich helping corporations and politicians engineer consent. Now, it has gotten a little out of hand.
What Berneys Did and How it Affected Us
Jen and Jill explain how Edward Bernays helped Lucky Strike link smoking to women’s liberation through the 1929 “torches of freedom” stunt. They cite this as one of four ways his tactics shaped today’s overconsumption by marketing products as identity and empowerment.
Today, brands have learned to attach themselves to identities, so using their products signals what you believe in and who you are. This shows up in how we shop for leisure, how we shop to “save the world,” and how buying is often framed as a reflection of our values, status, and even patriotism.
Who’s responsible for why you’re building wealth?
For Jen, it is Joe from Stacking Benjamins, Brad, and ChooseFI. Meanwhile, Jill says it’s Jen.
Bill of The Week
Thanks Haley for sharing your bill about prepping to live on 1 income and receiving an extra 2 paychecks and putting it towards savings!
Thanks so Much for Listening!
Thanks so much for listening. We love love love reading your kind reviews of our book Buy What You Love Without Going Broke and we especially loved this one from:
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Not You Typical Finance Read
This is not a typical dry book about finance. The authors deep dive into behaviors and made me reflect on what I value and why I spend the way I do. The content is relatable and actually applicable to many stages of my own financial journey. None of it is shame or guilt based, so if you want to be scolded, this is not your book. Read it to better understand yourself and your relationship with money.
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