Jun 08 2009
KPFK Fund Drive – Day 7
The Century of the Self
Fewer jobs were lost in May compared to previous months according to new labor data. While many mainstream economists are declaring that the economy looks like it may begin recovering by next year, the underlying capitalist and consumerist basis of recession is still not being questioned. The largest share of the US economy is based on consumer spending, and during a financial crisis of this magnitude, consumer spending continues to shrink as people lose jobs, which leads to companies tightening their belts and laying off even more workers. How did the US financial system become a largely consumer economy? It’s a fascinating story that has its roots in the fallout from FDR’s New Deal and the rise of the Public Relations Industry. It’s a story about how Americans were manipulated to shop based on desire rather than need, a concept pioneered by a man most of us have never heard of: Edward Bernays, the father of the PR industry, and nephew of Sigmund Freud, the founder of the field of psychoanalysis. Today we’ll hear that story through BBC documentary film maker, Adam Curtis, whose 4 hour film, The Century of the Self, explores the growth of the mass-consumer society in the West. How was the all-consuming self created, by whom, and in whose interests?. According to Adam Curtis, “This series is about how those in power have used Freud’s theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy.”
Thank you Gifts:
Century of the Self – $90
The Adam Curtis 3 DVD Pack – $200
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