One Idea To Rule Them All, Ep #49

The media is completely disconnected from reality. We’ve all known it for a while. The challenge becomes—if we don’t trust the news—where do we source information? How do we filter it? How do we discern the truth?

When did spreading propaganda begin? When did the news become a source we could no longer trust? Michelle Stiles wrote the book, “One Idea To Rule Them All: Reverse Engineering American Propaganda,” to answer these questions. It’s written to expose the realities of the world we live in, in terms of the role of propaganda and manipulation. Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation.

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LISTEN IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN…

[3:34] What propelled Michelle to study propaganda
[6:57] George Creel’s WWI propaganda
[10:47] Le Bon: The origins of mass persuasion
[13:45] Bernays: The idea of stagecraft
[16:35] The infrastructure of belief
[23:37] Why do we trust the propaganda?
[30:25] Deconstructing what we’ve been told
[37:47] Michelle’s research on the American Red Cross

George Creel’s WWI propaganda

George Creel was the Chairman of the Committee on Public Information and the mastermind behind the propaganda campaign promoting US involvement in WWI. He was given $6.6 million to do so.

They shared facts about the war, soft news in magazines, and dispersed national service bulletin in schools. They created the iconic posters and signs everyone is familiar with. They even created a Speaker’s Bureau, where everyday trusted community members memorized speeches and delivered them to the community (borrowing on the trust they’d built).
Le Bon: The origins of mass persuasion

Gustave Le Bon wrote “The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind,” which was translated into 19 languages. He studied the time period and the fractures in the Judeo-Christian ethos of the West. He believed that the “Era of Kings” and divine rule was out and the “Era of crowds” was in. It was a time of unrest and upheaval. You can read his 125-year-old book and it’s 100% applicable to today.
Bernays: The idea of stagecraft

Stagecraft is taking an experience and bringing it into the physical realm. Seeing is believing and humanity orients ourselves through our eyes. Logic and reason don’t matter. He took ideas and concepts and manipulated people into believing real things were happening by showing them news coverage of those things. Suddenly a “problem” emerged and he could present the solution. That’s stagecraft. It’s being manipulated by a PR expert.
The infrastructure of belief

Your personal experiences, people in authority, social pressure, culture, imagination, etc. all influence how you form your beliefs. If you question something, where do you start? Think about small, local culture. If you don’t know something, you might look to your local authorities, right?

If you still don’t have answers from personal experience or local authority, most people look to what everyone else is saying and doing (social pressure). Most beliefs are informed by experience, authority, and social pressure.

In the past, as things moved further and further away from us, we had no way—other than the news—to corroborate what we were being told. But the internet gives us access to more boots-on-the-ground views. Someone taking a video on their phone can give us a far different view than what we’re being fed by the mainstream media. That pokes holes in the strength of their authority.

Why do we trust the propaganda? How do we deconstruct what we’ve been told? How do we avoid being controlled? Who do we trust? Michelle helps us learn how to dissect propaganda in this conversation. Do not miss it.

Michelle Stiles is not affiliated with or endorsed by LPL Financial or Capital Investment Advisers.

Securities and Advisory services offered through LPL Financial. A registered investment advisor. Member FINRA & SIPC.

The financial professionals associated with LPL Financial may discuss and/or transact business only with residents of the states in which they are properly registered or licensed. No offers may be made or accepted from any resident of any other state.

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RESOURCES MENTIONED

The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind: https://www.amazon.com/Crowd-Study-Popular-Mind/dp/1636000169
Propaganda by Edward Bernays: https://www.amazon.com/Propaganda-Edward-Bernays/dp/0970312598
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom: https://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319

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CONNECT WITH MICHELLE STILES

Smart Sheepe: https://smartsheepe.com/
Get her book and study guide: https://smartsheepe.com/store/p/one-idea-to-rule-them-all-reverse-engineering-american-propaganda-paperback-s39e2-xajmz
One Idea To Rule Them All: Reverse Engineering American Propaganda: https://www.amazon.com/One-Idea-Rule-Them-All/dp/B0BNQMH9J8

Connect with Emerson Fersch

Website: www.CIAdvisers.com