The Man Who Taught America What To Want
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
The Man Who Taught America What To Want
-
Narrated by:
-
By:
About this listen
In this episode of Farms and Frontlines, Max and Jess dive into the unsettling origins of modern advertising, consumer culture, and even the American breakfast. The conversation centers on Edward Bernays, the pioneer of public relations and nephew of Sigmund Freud, whose ideas reshaped how Americans think, buy, and eat. From engineering the bacon and eggs breakfast through manufactured medical consensus to reframing cigarettes as symbols of women’s liberation, Bernays pioneered techniques that blurred the line between information and manipulation. The episode explores how advertising shifted from meeting basic needs to shaping identity, desire, and behavior, laying the groundwork for today’s media saturated world. Along the way, Max and Jess wrestle with the uncomfortable legacy of brilliance used in service of profit, power, and control, and ask listeners to reflect on how often our choices are truly our own.Sign up for our newsletter!