I want my MTV!

The Century of the Self (2002)
Produced and Written by Adam Curtis
#03 - There is Policeman Inside all our Heads, He Must Be Destroyed

The teachings of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud and Edward Bernase that underneath every individual lies an irrational self is soon to be challenged. They profess that the inner being is not all that bad and need not be repressed or controlled. Human were described as not mere vessels but need to express themselves. This propelled a revolution which ended producing isolated, vulnerable and greedy individuals who were more easily manipulable than before. This was liked by the powers that be and fed it for their own liking!In the 50s, a renegade group of psychotherapists (including Wilhelm Reitch, a former disciple of Freud) encouraged people to release their hidden anger and other repressed feelings. Repressed feelings by the society made it dangerous. Reitch's approach met opposition from Anna Freud (a virgin) when he suggested that lack of orgasm led to depression and release of libido led to freedom. This conflict killed Reitch's career. Treated as a pariah in the psychotherapy community, he retreated to Northern America to venture more venture which bordered on ludicrous experiments like capturing libidal energy from the atmosphere which could ward off UFO attacks! He was imprisoned when he tried to treat a cancer patient with his orgon energy!
In response the deep involvement of psychoanalysts in advertisement, came groups (including thinker Herbert Marcuse) who tried to attack 'Corporate America' whom they complained of trying to change the population to brainless one dimensional consumers of the products of mass production. They accused of keeping its citizens contented and docile while the Government went on to attack Vietnam.
Suddenly, the youths embarked on a mission to overthrow the Government which they say 'Put the Policeman in the Head'.

Numerous failed demonstrations and mortality on the side of the students proved that the State was too strong against the demonstrators/ leftists.
They decided to change strategy. Instead of changing the external force (i.e. Government), they advocated changing themselves -making them strong against the set of rules set by the society. With the change of autonomous individuals, it was hoped the society would finally change.
Like mushrooms after a rain, sprang Esalen Institutes which taught self revelation and releasing of inner demons. They tried to solve racial disharmony in the society but failed. In a convent however, they managed to persuade nuns to disrobe the tunics for regular clothes. More than half of the nunnery had their nuns giving up their divine call and some even became lesbians after releasing themselves from the shackles of conformity of the community.

A trend began to develop in the Western world where people had individual likes and needs. To them only the individuals matter, not the society. The market forces again try to bring them under their spell.
Stanford Research Institute with the help of economists and psychologists, tried to discover man inner values and to measure their desires! They discovered a pattern of choices and values which transcended social class. They called it lifestyle choices. Again, the big companies managed to discover the need of the specific type of people and targeted their advertisements to this end.

Politicians like Reagan and Thatcher joined in the bandwagon and started preaching self expressiveness and non meddling by the Government. With the new discovery of lifestyle, economy started booming again and everybody was happy.

Buried deep in the crypts lurks danger!

The Century of Self (2002) 
Produced and Written by Adam Curtis
#2. The Engineering of Consent
The unleashing of raw human brutality in World War 2 made it more urgent to control the aggressive feelings hidden in the crypts of the human mind as described by Sigmund Freud. In the post war era, Freud's youngest daughter, Anna became a doyen in psychoanalysis on her accord. Even though her father was pessimistic on man's future, Anna believed that she could alter their behaviour with the right approach. Meanwhile, Edward Bernase and big companies continued making more money through their subtle advertisement messages whilst the US government and the C.I.A. used psychoanalysis to hoodwink the American public with their own agenda.
During the second World War, 49% of the American soldiers were incapacitated by mental illness and to be rehabilitated. Interestingly, they called it nostalgia then! Well, then the whole concept of this blog must be pathological as it dwells on sentimentality and nostalgic subjects! Psychoanalysts theorized that the mental illness was not the effect of war itself but rather of the unleashing of suppressed violent feelings. They cautioned that this irrational behaviour is infective and need to be controlled before it repeated itself like it did in Germany in WW2.
Anna Freud, a firm believer that environmental manipulation, conformity to said social rule and conduct would help people to live. When she was in Vienna, before their escape to England in 1938,  she was seeing the children of a divorced American millionairess, Dorothy Burlingham. She thought that by strengthening our control on ego, it would be strong enough to crush the unconscious negativities. Unfortunately, we would see later on that her two kids did not do well, the son fought in vain against alcoholism and the daughter killed herself showing that the human mind is just too complicated.
In 1946, the Truman government passed The Mental Health Bill increasing the post of psychiatrists, psychoanalysts and counselors. Ernest Dichter used focus groups and psychological techniques to identify and people's inner desires to help to increase sales.
In 1953, the Soviet Union tested their hydrogen bomb, increasing the fear of the Commies. At that time, the United Fruit Company who exported bananas from Guatemala had problem when the popularly elected President Arbenz nationalised the land. The Company seek Bernase's help. Even though they were no communist threat in the country, Bernase, CIA and Eisenhower government created a propaganda of fear of the Reds being just a stone's throw from US soil to justify their backing for a coup. Everybody was happy for managing to overthrow a communist government!
The CIA also tried to control minds and wipe unsavoury memories through the use of ECT and LSDs. Donald Ewen Cameron tried to make a new slate of the brain and implant new positive materials. All these endeavours only ended up in utter failure, leaving a trail of people with headaches and memory loss!
Another high profile failure was in the case of Ralph Greenson who tried to create a conductive home environment and father figure for a sorely lacking Marilyn Monroe who committed suicide in 1962.
Many, including Monroe's ex-husband, Arthur Miller, started questioning the role of psychiatry and psychoanalysis. They asked whether we are setting constraints on normal human behaviour to satisfy certain quarters in society. Suffering, they reiterated, is not a mistake and need not be undone. We should not only be looking for happiness.
Another philosopher Herbert Marcuse described the consumerism world as a schizophrenic existence and a wastage of resources giving empty prosperity. Humans had inner emotional motivational desires and not always violent or evil. Society, by conforming people to society made them dangerous. And the debate continues....

Holistic holy fun at the Holi?

Freud's suggestion that human beings are irrational creatures was proven true by the turn of events this weekend. The ushering of spring, which was initially celebrated with pomp and splendour by pagan farmers was given a religious perspective by including some event in the scripture. Whereas, some quarters sneer at their behavior for they were referred to as 'April Fools' as they were thought to be oblivious of the creation of the Gregorian calendar and were unaware of fast forwarding of days!

 

Evidence of irrationality came to fore during the recent colorful event of Holi. People who were particular fussy about getting any part of their body wet or soiled, decided to forgo their stance. If normally they would run away from the rain, this time around they decided to hire a container load of water to splash water on them. If appearing neat, fair and presentable was their forte, this time too, they dirtied themselves with stashes of brightly hued colors so much so that they were indistinguishable from one another, colour wise. With an array of mixed colours and water, they all looked in various shades of rust.

 

People who were remotely pious also joined in the festivities. A convoy of tourists were seen beelining in a single file in a near 2km walk from the nearest train station dressed in their typical touristy attire - thin Tshirt, short shorts, Japanese slippers and sling bag, to join in the foray. Looks like the temple celebrations must have made it to list of tourist destinations.

 

After a good 3 hours if immersing themselves in spray of water partially aided by nature's outpouring, colouring themselves pretty dirty, swinging to sounds of Hindi film songs set in Holi festivals and even modern songs to keep with the times (Harlem Shake), everybody went home happy after some free vegetarian snacks, courtesy of some kind soul. The only thing missing in the festival was bhang (hashish laced milk). But who knows what they had before to last 3 hours of non stop dancing!

Pix courtesy of N Lal
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Ferocious animals, you and I!

The Century of Self (2002)
#1. Happiness machines

"This series is about how those in power have used Freud's theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy." —Adam Curtis'

Yet another documentary, in fact, it is his famous one, from the disillusioned Oxford academia who traded his robe and mortarboard for a place behind the camera. This time around, he tackled something quite unique and it is quite mind-boggling, actually.
It shows how the mind of the general public was and is still being manipulated by people in power for their own vested interest.

Irrational suppressed minds

The story starts in the late third of the 20th century in Vienna with Sigmund Freud. He postulated that human beings all have suppressed aggressive and sexual feelings. Civilization in essence, put a lid for them to demonstrate this primitive feelings and law and order prevailed. And that people in power were using this to control people in the name of mass democracy. His profession, of analyzing repressed memory and dreams was not accepted by Viennese high society then.
Over in New York, Freud's nephew, Edward Bernays was instrumental in using this same theory, not for therapy but to manipulate the masses to enrich American businessmen later.

Edward Bernays

In 1914, America joined the Great War. Bernays was employed by Woodrow Wilson as a publicist to spread the nation's intention to join the war of spreading democracy. After the War, he joined in the Paris Treaty. Bernays was impressed with the masses' admiration of the American president. He thought that if people could be manipulated during the course of the war, they could also be moulded in peacetime.
If in war, it was called propaganda, in peacetime Bernays called it 'public relations'. Bernays' public relations office received many clients. Philip Morris was one such client. At a time when smoking amongst women was a taboo, Bernays was approached to increase sales.

Torch of freedom?

With the help of psychoanalysis, he discovered that a cigarette was a phallic symbol, denoting power. So during an Easter Day parade, he paid a few ladies (non-smokers) to light up and join the parade, holding the lit cigarettes. He also summoned newspaper to print the whole fracas in their papers. The tagline was that they were holding the 'Torch of Freedom'. It went down very well with the women folks. After that was America stood for - freedom, liberty and Statue of Liberty. Suddenly women started smoking giving a false sense of freedom and control (of what?).

Torch of freedom?

Hence bred the generation of people who started buying things not because they need it but because they desire it. They think they need it and feel happy about having it. Consumerism had started.
To market the mass-produced things that started during WW1, this technique was taken to a different level. Products placements are done in movies and magazines. Paid celebrities and even psychologists (with biased studies) were used to endorse products. People without means were coaxed to venture into the stock markets, loans courtesy of the banks that Bernays represented!
It was a time when Bernays could do no wrong. Even the uninteresting President Coolidge had his image boosted with his help.
While in Europe, times were bad after WW1. Freud was bankrupt. Bernays marketed his books in the US which created lots of controversies but he capitalized on it and laughed all the way to the bank.
Freud, by this time, was quite disillusioned and pessimistic about mankind. He thought that the unconscious aggressive feeling was more dangerous than he thought. He described Man as a sadistic and ferocious animal that cannot be tamed from he saw in the Russian Revolution.
In the US, Walter Lippmann suggested that democracy was wrong for the unconsciously irrational people. He suggested a new elite to head the unbewildered herd! Bernays took this to stimulate the inner desires and manage them and increase his business. They had created contented individualistic docile happiness machines while the leaders do what they want to do.
On 29.10.1929, markets collapsed. Consumers stopped buying, Bernays fell from grace and violent street fights were the order of the day in the US and Europe.
Freud, stricken with cancer of the jaw, writing from the Alps, wrote that civilization is an expression to control the animal instincts of man. He cannot be allowed to express too freely as it very dangerous and they always need to control!
In fact, Adolf Hitler had this same vision. Democracy, he thought, unleashed dangerous individualism. He let the Nation plan for the people. It bound people together and forged the minds of people for the nation. Like a pack of wolves, they were aggressive to outsiders. This same irrational forces that drew people to products drew people towards Hitler.

Adam Curtis

Back in the USA, after the 1930's collapse, FD Roosevelt used the power of the nation to control the free market to strengthen democracy. In his New Deal policy, he appointed bureaucrats to plan mega projects to stimulate the economy. Roosevelt, unlike Bernays and the corporates, believe that people were rational! He appointed statisticians to obtain approval ratings on his policy. The corporates retaliated by challenging his policies. They lured the public with more emotional attachments. The 1939 World Fair showcased a futuristic view of America with lures of more new products!
1938 came and Annexation of Austria (Anschluss) again showed the irrational behaviour of man and brutal treatment of the enemy of the state.
A displaced Freud, in London, succumbed to his malignancy before witnessing the savages forces of Man at work in the death camps.
The first part of the documentary ends with the gruesome reel of dead bodies of mostly preteens thrown down a slide leading to a mass grave!

The life of a TaiTai 太太 lady

What is a TaiTai 太太?
noun 
1. A term used in Chinese circles for supreme wife (implying situation where a man is wealthy enough to have several "wives") but no longer strictly interpreted. Term now applies to citizens of the world with an Asian viewpoint who have bounds of time and money. A TaiTai 太太 is a privileged lady of means. 
2. Supreme of the Supreme is its literal translation. The term implies respect.
Real TaiTai's 太太 meet the following criteria
1. A tremendous amount of leisure time
2. Lots of money to spend. A TaiTai 太太 travels a lot
3. Concerned about status, social standing, and owning the 'latest in anything" that is remotely hot (ie: Pashminas. Fendi Baguette Bag,....) God Forbid a TaiTai 太太 be seen with last year's style!
4. Keenly interested ih beauty upkeep (Pedicures / manicures/ facials/ slimming treatments) Will stop at nothing to eradicate the tiniest sign of ageing.
5. Often associated with do-good charity works and community.
6. Discerning about the company she keeps. Must be in the right social circles
7. Well educated and global in perspective. Has lived on more than one continents. Experience and detail are what distinguishes a real tai tai from the wanna-be's.
8. Buy in multiples and only the real thing. To get a better price and for their other homes in New York, London, Hong Kong, Vancouver and Singapore, they will bargain.

Of course the word TaiTai is more than what my sister and I used to describe our paternal grandfather. I can  tell with a straight face that we had never seen him sober. The few times we saw him, he was either slouched in a post drunken midday stupor or be boisterous with the little kids around him dancing to an imaginary tune murmuring tai,tai,tai.... Hence, his nickname was Tai Tai Tata so as to differentiate from our maternal grandfather who had his own not so braggable feats himself.

Ka ching!

Of course I was fascinated when I stumbled upon this concept of Tai Tai lady, which I think is every Asian lady's secret wish. Laze all day, pampered by maids and butlers at the lift of a finger, showed compassionate to the downtrodden and the abused as though as to wash away their own  guilt of unladylike behaviour to people around them, appear to be seen charitable so her own 'friends' can die of envy, brag about their achievements, keep their appearance spick and span, pedicure, manicure, waxing, botox, capsicum wrapping body contouring, wrapping in latest wear complemented by matching accessories and brag all day about their children's achievements of who she probably do not know about their whereabouts! The cash cow (ka ching!) probably is  more than happy to be away from the clutches of the tai tai wife and is probably is quite immersed up to the knees with his own imbroglio!