The Century of Self, Part 1 If you’ve never had a chance to hear how the public relations industry in this country began, and how we got to where we’re at (e.g. much of modern “news” reporting is simply paid-for advertising by PR companies), take a look at what I believe is one of the very best presentations on the subject. In “The Century of Self,” Adam Curtis illustrates how the American father of PR, Edward Bernays, employed his uncle Sigmund Freud’s ideas in the US in the 1920s to change the way decisions are wrought at all levels of society. It’s one of the few times you’ll hear about the idea of “the mass-manipulation of public opinion” that is actually informed by a great deal of research and historical standing rather than self-satisfying, conspiratorial assertion. The series also speaks much to the nature of non-obvious propaganda that infuses American discussions of lifestyle, war rhetoric, etc. All four-parts of the riveting series can be watched immediately via Google Video.