This week I finished:

Propaganda, by Edward Bernays: Bernays wrote this book before WWII and shared views on propaganda with Hitler, whose Mein Kampf, volume 1 I just finished. Both share views on influencing public views with modern practice.

Bernays points out that the world works this way. You can deny it and still be swayed by it but be helpless to act on it, or accept it, embrace it, and use it. It’s hard to imagine what it would feel like to read it when it came out, not having lived my whole life in its wake.

People freak out about it, implying he’s one of the most influential people of the 20th century, which he may have been, but also that he’s a Svengali, pulling strings. The cover of the book shows him that way. Still, he didn’t create the situation.

Anyway, my biggest observation is the cultural shift from companies and markets focusing on needs to focusing on wants. Mostly I’ve looked at that shift as resulting in always-increasing consumption and waste, since you can satisfy needs but wants can remain forever.

This book also led me to see the effect on people and how we feel. Our emotions have moved from satisfaction to dissatisfaction and craving. More people crave today. Fewer people are satisfied.

By contrast, my living more sustainably has brought more satisfaction to my life. I see it in people I work with.

Debunking the Stanford Prison Experiment, by Thibault Le Texier: Also Zimbardo’s response to recent criticisms of the Stanford prison experiment.

I found Zimbardo’s book The Lucifer Effect helpful in understanding how people become corrupted, a big topic in my upcoming book. He’s a scientist and science involves being wrong. I followed up by reading and watching many videos and documentaries about the Stanford Prison Experiment, Milgram’s obedience to authority experiments, and more.

I found this paper by someone who challenged the Stanford Prison Experiment’s results so wanted to see if I should reject much.

Fixed, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky: A friend works in the arts and invited me to see this movie at a pre-release screening followed by Tartakovsky answering questions in person.

I was glad for him that the audience laughed a lot. I got the jokes but didn’t find it engaging. To clarify, I wasn’t bored, and at least once I laughed uncontrolled, but I didn’t find it meaningful. I think a lot of attendees saw it as an advance in adult animation.

I don’t put all the media in my Sunday posts. If I had just watched it outside a VIP screening, I probably wouldn’t have remarked on it here, but I just posted how I love recognition for my work and friendships that others pay for, like going on the field for batting practice and being invited to the screening felt like another occasion.

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