posted December 27, 2016 07:22 PM            

Most of it is rather mundane, which talks about historical fact, ad campaigns, the rise of PR (later spin doctors), and a general history of psychotherapy in practice. I liked how interviews with family members of the people involved not only described it in frank terms, but also how those doing these experiments and engaging in unethical behavior (sometimes knowing it had to be kept from the public) generally had the best intentions (that by subverting the democratic process, they were preserving it, for example). It flows right into the conspiracy stuff (though ex-CIA say the more extreme experiments they funded, which I presume includes MKUltra, were a disaster that didn't work as hoped, other than wiping memories).

Just to be clear, this isn't some "good vs evil" New World Order thing (though it can easily be applied to that), and is more of a historical documentary rather than some "exposing the hidden truth by Dr. X." It talks about the good and the bad, the amazing breakthroughs and the limitations as well as the vile experimenting during the Cold War. It also goes into how psychiatry and psycho-analysis affected other segments of society and how a "dance" occurred, as some rejected the conformism being imposed, and corporations wanting to make a buck went with that while still hiring psychiatrists to read the public mood, and help them influence it through PR stunts, advertising, etc. And ideology and partisan politics (both left and right) followed marketing. It's a mix of pandering and manipulation, and a complex example of beware unintended consequences, and expect to be surprised

I also don't see Scientology being behind this, and I have my doubts they'd even fund it. That's because they typically depict psychiatry as far more evil and even fungible (know one evil psychiatrist in their view and you know them all) and without redeeming features, and that it was a tool of the Nazis and Commies to create a One World Order. This documentary says quite the opposite (though it does mention them using and abusing psychiatry as well). Furthermore, Scientology often promotes the idea that mental illness is a hoax anyway (ironically using the methods described in this documentary in stirring up and exploiting fears of Communism by the US Government using consultants who were experts in psychology) whereas this documentary says psychiatry has real insight (though not as much as many claim) in the workings of the human mind, which is proved by how they've successfully manipulated societies (more specifically acted as consultants for others to do so) and "engineered consent." Just because someone doesn't worship psychiatry as infallible doesn't mean they're a Scientologist anymore than being against lobotomies means you are one.

In any case, if you want to see it, I suggest sooner rather than later as it will probably be taken down in the near future.

Full Doc:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3RzGoQC4s

Or alternately in parts

Part 1

(Dawn of psychoanalysis, how it was used in marketing, and why the government became interested as well.)

Part 2

(Post-WW2, and how psychotherapy shaped the US both subtly and overtly, and looks at the CIA experiments with it)

Part 3

(Psychotherapy continues to serve corporations and the state, but the counterculture also begins to use these ideas--especially those of Reich and then later movements--in similar ways with as much impact as corporations and state, and I'd say a nurturing of narcissism well before social media, ultimately with unexpected results on partisan politics)

Part 4

(And how it shaped the modern world, and how after some surprising success in partisan politics that all successful parties began using it, to both pander and manipulate more as demagogues rather than leaders, and the methods are a stunning success--though no surprise to Aristotle, just something I'd thrown in--in both the US and UK)

posted December 31, 2016 01:02 AM            

Long story made short, news companies don't sell news, they sell advertising space. And it's connected to the above vids in that psychology is used to exploit us by the news (which is just to get a click to make money from ads) as much as the ads themselves, and even more insidiously, how to get you to spread it for them (thus generating more revenue for themselves). And like the documentary on psychology in marketing and ideology, it's about how the irrational will beat out the rational every time.

posted January 29, 2017 01:45 AM            

It's no longer about homogenized groups, but rather psychographics, and to get that companies use groups like Facebook. It also uses the OCEAN model which many have heard of. And by tailoring the message, they create greater nuance and use the same methods (as Facebook) to then spread it to the target audience. Whereas the internet was initially a hazard of double talk, new ways have been pioneered to make the internet work to facilitate double talk rather than expose it, and to also more efficiently get their message (and their psychological manipulation) to the target audience more cheaply, and with less risk of alienating others would be turned off by the particular spin used.

Perhaps the most important part is about Big Data, starting at about 5:40 to about 8:00, but the part after about tailoring to individuals in the society based on the Big Data is just important. The latter point goes on to how the system is so exact that a husband and wife living together can both get mail about a political issue that uses different means to persuade based on their purchases (most of which is recorded online even when it isn't online) and Facebook likes and posts. Even when you watch TV, your choices are being recorded, and that is used to market to you, and manipulate you in the name of politics.

It ends with how at the time of the vid, only 2 viable candidates were left in the US, Hillary and Trump. And only one had hired them while the other used outdated manipulative techniques. In case you don't know which one (though you do know), here's more on that (and also Brexit which they also were hired to get UK voters to favor, or at least stay out of the election):
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/big-data-cambridge-analytica-brexit-trump

quote:

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A few weeks earlier, Trump had tweeted, somewhat cryptically, "Soon you’ll be calling me Mr. Brexit." Political observers had indeed noticed some striking similarities between Trump’s agenda and that of the right-wing Brexit movement. But few had noticed the connection with Trump’s recent hiring of a marketing company named Cambridge Analytica

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Psychological and behavioral sciences continue to grow, and perhaps it will one day truly become a hard science as Isaac Asimov predicted...but unfortunately, it won't be used for ideal purposes, but as everything else is: to get and retain power. And even if someone "fights fire with fire," they'll have to get just as dirty (or, if you prefer, pragmatic) because the irrational will win out over the rational.

posted January 29, 2017 01:53 AM            

Btw, if you start it say about 15 seconds earlier, it'll share about how data mining is even allowing to create "personalities." I personally don't believe people are being replaced by androids as some who post in this forum do, but it does appear that who were are online could soon be duplicated!

posted January 29, 2017 12:51 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by PixieJane:
By coincidence (?), as I was getting ready to post this, I saw this vid someone sent to me, and has more about mining personal data, including from message boards as LL:
http://youtu.be/EOpY_eMpSTY?t=2m44s (this part ends by the 4 minute mark)

Btw, if you start it say about 15 seconds earlier, it'll share about how data mining is even allowing to create "personalities." I personally don't believe people are being replaced by androids as some who post in this forum do, but it does appear that who were are online could soon be duplicated!

Anyway, a bit more on Scored Assure:
http://medium.com/@snapmunk/score -assured-will-sell-analysis-of-your-social-media-activity-to-employers-and-landlords-32f49af68884#.g32q735hk

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