On Monday, November 10, 2025, I wrote about Edward Bernays, often called "the father of modern consumer culture." A friendly comment on my blog discussion was almost immediately posted by Derede Arthur, a Senior Lecturer in UCSC's Writing Program. I happen to know that Arthur is also working tirelessly to mobilize students, faculty, the University community, and the community at large to do something meaningful about the rapidly-advancing, and human-caused, global warming that is challenging our ability to continue to live on Planet Earth as we now do.
In her comment, Arthur recommended a discussion about Bernays by James B. Greenberg (on Greenberg's own substack blog). Greenberg's blog posting is entitled, "The Century of Persuasion: How Madison Avenue Rewired the American Mind." I think that what Greenberg has to say is well worth pondering, and I particularly appreciated his observation that Bernays developed a technique of "engineering consent" that was based on "replacing argument with emotion." Per Bernays, as an example, cigarettes became "Torches of Freedom."
Oh, yeah! Cigarettes are "Torches of Freedom!" Luckily, I missed out being motivated by that one.
If human beings are, as Bernays claimed, best motivated by "emotion," as opposed to "argument," should we all get out there and emote?
It does seem that this is how our politics is going, today, and since we do live, as I continue to maintain, in a "political world," this is a serious concern. Is there any antidote to a politics, and a world, that derives its legitimacy, and even its existence, from deceptive and disingenuous appeals to our emotions - and usually to our worst emotions?
I refuse to concede, myself, that emotions are the only thing that will be effective in motivating us. Argument still has some credible ability to move us, I think, and maybe this will seem far-fetched, but I think that there is something else, too, besides "argument," that can outplay "emotion."
What is that? Well, it's "action." As we take action to achieve a new reality (best done together), we convince ourselves of its possibility. Action to achieve the possible - again, best done together - remains a tried and true way to help us understand, and define, and create the realities that move our spirits and sustain our existence.
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