Exhibition

Image Curation: Illustrated Essay and Exhibition

206 Image Curation

Illustrated Essay: From Propaganda to Plastics; how Edward Bernays Shaped the World of Disposables and Pollution

Connecting a singular advertising guru from the 30’s to a worldwide disaster seems more akin to a strange fever dream or a conspiracy theory, but rest assured that the connection will become sensible as the evidence is laid out. If the title does not give the purpose of the essay away, the goal of the paper is to demonstrate the full cause and effect of disposable marketing, and to appeal to a sense of causality to prove how small actions can grow into insurmountable problems given enough time. A rise in disposable production combined with modern manufacturing, and modern attitudes has led  to a significant increase in difficult to remove waste. What must be done before any other explanation however, is to first take a look at the grandfather of disposable products, the all American Dixie cup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(The modern Dixie Cup)

Seen above is the modern Dixie cup, an innocuous item of day to day life. Paper cups are almost taken for granted, from offices to hospitals and home use, they have found niches in every facet of life, and have paved the way for other products of their nature. That nature being cheap, one use, and easy to manufacture. Those traits were not the reason for their creation however, the inventor, a lawyer named Lawrence Luellen. Its purpose was rather noble, “Lawrence did this to help improve public health and hygiene due to the concerns of shared-use cups.”(printed cup company). Before the paper cup, cups for water ended up being reused many times over, which while efficient, was unsanitary on a cellular level in public facilities, with the transmission of bacteria and viruses becoming a major issue. Such practices were not questioned before, as the existence of germs was never given much thought before scientific minds made strides in the field. He called his creation the “Health Kup” as seen in the advert below, a product meant for those in need of better sanitary conditions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(An advert for the Health Kup)

 

Health Kups had a mediocre performance until the Spanish Flu outbreak after World War I, where sanitation became a god unto itself. With its newfound success, Lawrence expanded his company, which included the hiring of the now infamous Edward Bernays to help with marketing campaigns.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Edward Bernays, wearing an ugly sweater vest with a suit jacket. Smart maybe, but fly? No)

 

Before mentioning how Bernays intersects with Dixie cups, it would be best to present a general idea of the man in his entirety. Edward Bernays is known as the “Father of Public relation”, and has a storied history that seems to have dug into many seemingly untouched facets of American life. His most popular work was with United Fruit, a Banana company he used as a front to increase interest in the home countries responsible for producing the fruits. He used this interest to create special interest groups, which served as the foundation for the CIA funded revolution in Guatemala, creating the first “Banana republic”.

 

 Bernays could also be attributed to the rise of Women smokers post suffrage for the Lucky Strikes company, where he touted cigarettes as slimming and good for the voice, likened cigarettes as a “torch of liberty” for modern women, and even had famous actresses of the time be seen in public and in photos smoking to increase interest. He even could be attributed to the rise of the all American eggs and bacon breakfast, where he personally mailed doctors questions if eggs and bacon was better than eating nothing , and used their answers without context to promote it as the healthiest breakfast possible. Much of Bernays’ work is psychological in nature, manipulative and cunning for sure. This understanding of human psychology came from working with his uncle, the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud, a man who could be considered the father of modern psychology. Bernays’ himself does not deny this misuse of psychology, and in fact has written books on his work, including the aptly titled Propaganda, seen below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Illustrated cover of Edward Benrys’s Propaganda)

 

Bernays doubled down on the health aspect of the dixie cup, which might be fitting. What he did differently though was focus on the common man, and played to fears of illness. This was especially successful in a world that experienced the Spanish Flu, a worldwide pandemic that killed 50 million people in total. This was no doubt further exacerbated in the late 30’s when another world war began looming and with it, another possible world pandemic. An ad Bernays created that harnessed that feeling can be seen below, where Bernays throws the fear of death directly into the viewer’s face and offers Dixie cups as the solution. Bernays took his advertising so far he claimed that all non disposable cups were unsanitary, an attitude that even with modern washing techniques is still held firm. Bernays was also known for linking the drinking glass’s reuse with female anatomy and venereal diseases aka STDs, furthering a stigma to both glasses and women’s bodies. One could say Bernays was being extreme but noble, that public health was the first good to serve, no matter the cost. However, the damage Bernays had on the public mind regarding sanitation and one use products had been done, and would soon become far worse.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Dixie cup advert from 1942)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

( A Los Angeles oilfield from the 1950’s)

Now it is important to shift for a short time into a lesson on the world’s cheapest, most widely used material, plastics. Plastics had existed for a long time, since 1869 when they were invented by one John Wesley Hyatt.  For a invention company for a Billiards company that knew ivory wasn’t sustainable, when “By treating cellulose, derived from cotton fiber, with camphor, Hyatt discovered a plastic that could be crafted into a variety of shapes and made to imitate natural substances like tortoiseshell, horn, linen, and ivory.”(Science history Institute, 2019). However the turn of the century, compounded by both the demand for massive use of cheap material in World War 2, and an abundance of organic material to use in the form of oil, led to the rapid development and use of plastics as we know them today,(See images below). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Plastic in its pure hardened form, ready to be heated and put into molds)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Plastic after being hardened into a solid form, in this case, a fork)

 

Plastics are inexpensive, and easily moldable, everything from appliances to nylon to whatever you could name was either converted to plastic or experimented with being plastic. Society assumed this miracle material had no weakness, and would lead to a bright future of endless material to build wonders and more. Plastic was so useful that it even began being used in disposables, both as a primary material and as a supplemental material. Plastic utensils, straws, wrappers, bags and bottles soon had fully plastic, one use counterparts. Even items like Dixie cups, originally a paper product sealed with wax, switched to using plastic coatings thanks to the price, efficiency and ease of manufacturing.  However, there was a weakness with plastic that was never taken into account until recent years, and that was its disposability.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plastics are described as chemically inert, which means two things. One, as a good thing, is that they for the most part, will not react with the human body on a chemical level. This led to its rampant use, as it was durable beyond belief, and was considered safe for intimate human use in an immediate sense. Two, as a bad thing is that it is beyond durable to even the forces of nature and time. Plastics, while made of organic material, are unable to rot or decay within reasonable time due to the bonding they have on a molecular level.  This means that plastics, once created with minimal effort, require maximum effort to destroy. Plastics cannot simply disappear, which unfortunately was not assumed  upon their early use, where plastics were considered another part of the garbage stream, and were not given any special attention until four decades ago, and while that may seem like a long time, the average singular plastic bottle takes 450 years to decompose, a drop in the bucket of trouble.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Plastic brought by the ocean to the shores of Brito, Portugal) 

Seen above is plastic waste that fell into the ocean, and eventually washed on the shores of Brito in Portugal, probably from thousands of miles away. Such a thing is now common, where waste now no longer decaying and returning to earth, becomes a cross generational issue. Plastics can, with great effort, be recycled, however the amount of plastic disposables, combined with their multi decade use has led to a great surplus of material that needs to be dealt with, a task that can fall even to the smallest among mankind, as seen in the image below, where homeless children sift through garbage to be sent to recycling plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Homeless child collecting plastic waste)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Face mask advert)

Above is an advert for disposable face masks, a common sight of the still young 2020’s. A global health crisis has led to a rise in the use of disposables for fear of illness and sake of sanitation. Bad reruns usually were a summer only phenomenon, but apparently that is no longer the case. In an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19, mandatory face mask orders were issued. This need for masks was filled by what was once a medical only apparatus, the disposable facemask, used in environments where sanitation is crucial, such as operating tables, and their production skyrocketed. Demand was so great that new companies grew from nothing, turning profits with ease as more and more facemasks were needed for compliance. Surgical masks become an iconic sign of the times, which is unfortunate since they will be around much longer that anyone will hope, thanks to what they’re made of. Jenna Sherman of Health Desk states “The material most commonly used to make these masks is polypropylene—a type of fabric made from a “thermoplastic” polymer (meaning that it’s easy to work with and shape at high temperatures). Blue surgical masks can also be made of polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyethylene, or polyester— all of which are types of fabrics derived from thermoplastic polymers.”(Sherman, 2021). These plastics will last longer than any pandemic, and are treated as much as refuse as any other one use item has in the past. All the rules and encouragement of recycling, reusability and environmental stewardship have gone out the window forgotten, facemasks litter the streets, just like the Queens street in the image below. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Facemasks littering the streets in queens)

 

What is occurring today is no different than the short sighted consumerist fuelled destruction wrought by those who brought the world to where it is today. A world destroyed by shortsightedness created when people once driven by fear filled advertisements let those thoughts become unconscious decisions. What is most unfortunate about all of this is the man who created this attitude for nothing but a fat paycheck, Edward Bernays, was cremated, so there is no grave to violate for catharsis. What can be done in that stead however, is to take action against what he has created, a world where decisions that ruin the planet and the prospects of future generations. To revolt against this modern world, against its over misuse of cheap, easy and destructive options, its mob mentality, to aspire to create a tomorrow that will be better than today even when it isn’t profitable, will have to be good enough.  

 

Cited Sources:

IMAGES(In order of appearance):

 

CooksInfo. “Dixie Cup Day.” CooksInfo, 11 July 2021, www.cooksinfo.com/dixie-cup-day.

Mcleod, Max. “A Simple Solution to a Relevant Problem – The ‘Health Kup.’” Printed Cup Company, 19 Mar. 2020, www.printedcupcompany.com/blog-a-simple-solution-to-a-relevant-problem-the-health-kup.

 

Emerson College, Karen Couture. Edward Bernays. April 23, 1991. Artstor, library.artstor.org/asset/22450431

 

“‘Propaganda’, the Greatest Work.” NewsMuseum, 24 July 2016, www.newsmuseum.pt/en/spin-wall/propaganda-greatest-work.

 

Reed, Steve. “Advertisements, 1942.” Shadows and Light, Blogger, 15 June 2018, shadowsteve.blogspot.com/2018/05/advertisements-1942.html.

 

Chiland, Elijah. “Mapping LA’s Long, Strange History as an Oil Town.” Curbed LA, Vox Media, 5 Nov. 2019, la.curbed.com/maps/oil-los-angeles-drill-sites-offshore.

 

“How to make Plastic Cups and Cutlery {www downloadshiva com}” Youtube, uploaded by DSCDocumentries, Aug 14, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoIbPGFjQmM 

Timestamp 3:10

 

“How to make Plastic Cups and Cutlery {www downloadshiva com}” Youtube, uploaded by DSCDocumentries, Aug 14, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoIbPGFjQmM 

Timestamp 2:55

 

Brito Edges, plastic bottles collecting at the edges of Brito after high tide. Image Date: 12/29/2014. Artstor, library.artstor.org/asset/SS36939_36939_34718659

 

Fernando Moleres. Child labour: Dozens of abandoned street kids live and work in the city’s huge rubbish dump, collecting materials that can be reused. This girl is collecting plastic.. Artstor, library.artstor.org/asset/APANOSIG_1031357065

 

“20/50/100 PCS Disposable Face Masks Outdoor Disposable Face Masks.” Gooplayer.Co.Uk, Gooplayer, 13 Mar. 2020, www.gooplayer.co.uk/protective-equipment/2146-2050100-pcs-medical-disposable-face-mask-surgical-protective-antivirus-masks.html.

 

Grist. “The World Is Drowning in Used Face Masks. Should We Turn Them into Fuel?” Joseph Winters, Grist, 7 Aug. 2020, grist.org/climate/the-world-is-drowning-in-used-face-masks-should-we-turn-them-into-fuel.

 

Text sources:

 

“History and Future of Plastics.” Science History Institute, Science History Institute, 20 Nov. 2019, www.sciencehistory.org/the-history-and-future-of-plastics.

 

Sherman, Jenna. “What Are Blue Surgical Masks Made of and Is the Material Safe?” Health Desk, Meedan, 21 Apr. 2021, health-desk.org/articles/what-are-blue-surgical-masks-made-of-and-is-the-material-safe.

 

Gunderman, Richard. “The Manipulation of the American Mind: Edward Bernays and the Birth of Public Relations.” The Conversation, The Conversation US, 9 July 2015, theconversation.com/the-manipulation-of-the-american-mind-edward-bernays-and-the-birth-of-public-relations-44393.

 

Perez, Riana. “Plastic Pollution – Environmental Issue Profiles 2021.” Medium, Medium, 22 Mar. 2021, medium.com/environmental-issue-profiles-2021/plastic-pollution-ccd7b2269aac.

 

Printed Cup Company. “History of the Paper Cup.” Printed Cup Company, 15 Jan. 2020, www.printedcupcompany.com/about-us/history-paper-cup.

 

Wikipedia contributors. “Edward Bernays.” Wikipedia, 30 Nov. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays.

 

From Propaganda to Plastics

How Edward Bernays Shaped the World of Disposables and Pollution

 

Healthy self -> Unhealthy planet

This exhibition is about linking the father of public relations, Edward Bernays, from past epidemics to the disposable epidemic of today.

Starting with his promotion of Dixie cups using the fear of disease from the spanish flu and his background in psychology, Americans became used to the idea of one use disposables for all sorts of functions.

This has led to a rise of plastics that are both near impossible to dispose of or recycle. A cycle that has repeated again recently, with the promotion of the disposable face mask during the COVID 19 pandemic, and has further contributed to plastic/polymer based disposable waste.

The exhibition is meant to be a reflection of the past, and present a result of failing to properly reflect today.