Father of Spin: Analysis of Book on Edward Bernays
Edward L. Bernays deserves recognition far greater than that which he receives. “The father of spin” documents the career of Edward Bernays, the man himself and the monumental findings that precede him. Bernays not only fathered public relations as we know it he also shaped molded and embodied ideal practices of public relations and spin in everything that he did.
Bernays and his studies did the unthinkable in that they were able to grasp the social, political, economic and cultural developments and to live on with a sense of timelessness.
The author Larry Tye describes Bernay’s in a very positive light. He organized the book in a way that outlines Bernay’s relations with various entities as the main points of “the Father of Spin”. Throughout the book, “the Father of Spin” he attests to Bernay’s greatness and the extent to which he was important to society. One example of Tye’s praise of Bernays was when he spoke of Bernays role in maintaining the situation between the country of Guatemala and the company which was then known as the United Fruit Company. When in actuality Bernay’s tactics (producing many articles across the mass media about the communist influence in Guatemala) actually led to a brutal uprising against the government; Larry Tye described it as Bernays "(remaining) a key source of information for the press, especially the liberal press, right through the takeover….[ ] he gave the first information regarding the takeover to the public”. Larry Tye was not very hard on the negatives of Bernays and his practices and in that sense the book may appear somewhat one-sided.
Though Larry Tye casts Edward Bernays in a positively biased light, I still agree with his argument more than I disagree with it. I only disagree to the extent to which he was praised because from what I have read Bernays is motivated only by money and rarely morality and discretion in the sense of people’s health and safety. Bernays was very beneficial to society and many of
Bernays and his studies did the unthinkable in that they were able to grasp the social, political, economic and cultural developments and to live on with a sense of timelessness.
The author Larry Tye describes Bernay’s in a very positive light. He organized the book in a way that outlines Bernay’s relations with various entities as the main points of “the Father of Spin”. Throughout the book, “the Father of Spin” he attests to Bernay’s greatness and the extent to which he was important to society. One example of Tye’s praise of Bernays was when he spoke of Bernays role in maintaining the situation between the country of Guatemala and the company which was then known as the United Fruit Company. When in actuality Bernay’s tactics (producing many articles across the mass media about the communist influence in Guatemala) actually led to a brutal uprising against the government; Larry Tye described it as Bernays "(remaining) a key source of information for the press, especially the liberal press, right through the takeover….[ ] he gave the first information regarding the takeover to the public”. Larry Tye was not very hard on the negatives of Bernays and his practices and in that sense the book may appear somewhat one-sided.
Though Larry Tye casts Edward Bernays in a positively biased light, I still agree with his argument more than I disagree with it. I only disagree to the extent to which he was praised because from what I have read Bernays is motivated only by money and rarely morality and discretion in the sense of people’s health and safety. Bernays was very beneficial to society and many of