Playboy Magazine’s Unsurprising History of Abortion-Rights Activism

Edward Bernays, the nephew of Sigmund Freud, father of modern psychology, observed the seminal role played by propaganda in modern society in his 1929 book:

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, and our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of…. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind.”

Because propaganda developed strongly negative connotations after the Second World War, Bernays, the master propagandist, rebranded his immoral counsel, coining the term ‘public relations’ that is still used to disguise propaganda from the public (upon whom it is still practiced) to this day.

Bernays dispensed with the moral category of appropriateness or justice as a guide for public speech entirely, replacing it with the (Machiavellian) criteria of effectiveness.

‘Public relations’ thus became an exercise not in operating within a context of promoting the public good, but shaping public opinion for any purpose whatsoever, whether beneficial to human beings or not.

For that reason, it is hardly surprising that many, like the author of this tribute to Hugh Hefner, is surprised to learn that Hugh Hefner and his Playboy magazine were such strong ‘feminists.’

The author notes “From 1965 to Roe v. Wade in 1973, Playboy covered abortion in almost every single issue, and advocated for the legalization of abortion on demand with no restrictions.”

Of course, the reason she is so surprised is because of the influence of propaganda upon her own intellectual assumptions.

Although the exploitation of women by Playboy is obvious (and indeed infamous, as the author’s “surprise” indicates), the public relations (propaganda) of the abortion industry and the New Left have so inextricably linked “women’s health” and “women’s rights” with unfettered access to abortion that she simply cannot see what is as plain as day.

The insidious effect of propaganda is that she cannot handle the truth.

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