Finding Happiness.

           In the Happiness Machine Adam Curtis documents the life of Edward Bernays and the start of public relations. This film shows the trickery and thought that goes behind advertising and the pursuit of profit.  But it also raises the question of our role in society in this society that is so twisted can anyone ever be happy? Yes and no, it all depends on how you define happiness. If your mindset is purely that of a consumer than no I don’t believe you will ever be happy, but if happiness is viewed as a more personal discovery than I believe anyone could be happy.

Bernays found mankind’s desire for happiness and twisted it into a career path for himself. Bernay’s used advertising into thinking people would gain happiness by buying more. It just the thought of owning more but it was the idea behind it, for example Bernay’s made smoking appear that woman smoking was an act of power. He called them Freedom torches, using the lack of rights for woman to turn smoking into a symbol of freedom. I believe that Adam Curtis thought that it was possible to be happy, but only for a moment. His portrayal of Bernays shows that his main focus was on gaining wealth and power. Curtis shows that Bernays does not even think of people as individuals as mass consumers. When companies continue to make new products non-stop it is impossible as a consumer it is impossible to be happy. Curtis and Bernays show that happiness is something that can only be achieved for a brief moment but then as more products continue to be released our happiness will need to be found in new places. Happiness has been turned into a never ending quest. We are happy with what we have until we turn on the T.V. or walk past a billboard. Whether it is conscious or not, we see those  bright smiling faces and we wonder what is making those people in that ad so happy and how can we get that. We can not achieve something that never has an end. The consumerism race is one that will never be over and if we fall into it our quest for happiness can never be fulfilled.

            It’s upsetting to think that their happiness is unachievable, but to be happy is an individual decision. It’s up to the individual to decide what their personal goals in life are, what they enjoy doing. Don’t let your definition of happiness be defined by media and advertising because if it is you will never find it. As a society we need to prove Bernays wrong. We need to prove that are views of happiness our not controlled by those around us and the media.  If we lose our consumer mindset, we can all find happiness.