Welcome to the episode that gave Kate “the deepest ick” of any we’ve done yet. And don’t worry, it’s not about factory farms or the morality of eating meat.
We all know bacon and eggs as an iconic breakfast combo. But have you ever thought about why we eat it for breakfast?
It’s because it was sold to the American public by a master of propaganda: Edward Bernays.
Bernays revolutionized the advertising industry by using psychology to appeal to people’s feelings rather than their logic. He manipulated the world of fashion to push cigarettes on women, helped overthrow a Guatemalan president to protect banana sales, and pioneered techniques that were used by the Nazis and the orchestrators of the opioid crisis.
It’s one of our wildest rides yet, so buckle up and get ready to question whether your tastes are really your own… and who benefits from them.
On that note, check out Larkin’s sister’s Etsy shop, mentioned in the episode. We promise your purchase won’t secretly benefit big tobacco.
*Kate misspeaks at the beginning of the episode and states that "Propoganda" was written in 1828: She meant 1928.
References
Watch Bernays talk about his bacon and eggs strategy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLudEZpMjKU
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Bernays
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/12/consumer
https://blogs.loc.gov/preservation/2022/11/housing-bernays-scrapbooks/
http://www.ww1plays.com/2020/08/eugene-brieuxs-damaged-goods-les-avaries.html
https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/about-wwi/unrestricted-u-boat-warfare
https://americanillustration.org/project/james-montgomery-flagg/
https://www.britannica.com/money/George-Washington-Hill
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Propaganda/p3NDAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA9&printsec=frontcover
https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.163.3.386
https://apsa.org/about-psychoanalysis/
https://www.womenshistory.org/articles/womens-political-participation-after-1920-myth-and-reality
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44311/#A6558
https://tobacco.stanford.edu/cigarette/img1093/
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/smoking
https://alswh.org.au/resources/smoking-linked-to-painful-periods/
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