Marketing
War is by far the easiest commodity to sell. Military propaganda uses tried and true unconsciously informed techniques like vilification amongst many other techniques that trigger the genetic instinctual chimpanzee-like human male mid-brain which is pre-programmed with a high predilection of going to war. Thus, the human mid-brain is very often successfully tempted into taking the bait that is military propaganda and rushing blindly into battle. The military leaders understand that potential recruits and the public are always easily conned.
Edward Bernays, Freud’s nephew, applied his uncle’s psychoanalytical theories to invent the fields of Public Relations and the related field of propaganda, which he presented to the world in his historic book Propaganda. The term propaganda was originally coined by Pope Gregory the XV in 1622 based on a Catholic Church committee the pope designed to spread Catholic doctrines. PR and propaganda are now used as terms that refer to the use of Freud’s psychoanalytical theory to manipulate unconscious motivations in the service of control and profit as applied to both business and militarism. Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Minister of Propaganda, personally owned Bernay’s books, which were found on the bookshelves of his home after his suicide. Goebbels drew on them to convince the German people to support World War II and perpetuate the Jewish Holocaust.
Bernays used these techniques to market cigarettes to women by claiming he was “liberating women to smoke” on behalf of his client the American Tobacco Company. As well, he orchestrated the invasion of Guatemala on behalf of his client the United Fruit Company, now called the Chiquita Banana Company, by falsely claiming they were a communist regime. The real reason the United Fruit Company wanted to invade Guatemala was that its new President wanted to nationalize its banana holdings because “they are on our land.”
Bernays work is now used extensively on an on-going basis in the worlds of business public relations and military propaganda.
Corporate power disinformation about even the very existence of climate change parallel with the role of military propaganda in using distorting vilification to create an enemy. Military marketing draws on themes of patriotism and nationalism, which are very emotionally resonant with the public. Military marketing often benefits from an inherent, “noble” reputation, which helps build trust. This marketing emphasizes security and reliability, which translates to high brand recognition and loyalty from government procurement agents. Further, the use of military imagery such as rugged gear, equipment and clothing creates a perception of superior toughness, durability, and efficiency.
Historical analysis shows military ads are highly tailored to specific demographics, such as highlighting career and education opportunities to young adults or offering equal opportunity messaging to minorities. Research indicates that, generally, increased investment in military advertising yields higher recruitment numbers.
Through their wealth, billionaires can hire large numbers of lobbyists and PR communication consultants for their marketing needs as does the military/defense industry who also have large budgets to be able to do the same thing as well.
Billionaires are often discreet about political action. They use disguised vehicles for their PR goals such as the pro-trickle-down financial think tank the Fraser Institute which falsely presents itself as an independent source of economic research. Similarly, military contractors and companies use the false fronts of military think tanks such as the Canadian Global Affairs Institute to generate false pseudo-authoritative pro-military research all the while concealing that their donors are weapons manufactures. A 2025 report found that North American think tanks are among the least transparent in the world, with only 35 per cent disclosing their funding source. On the other hand, non-military billionaires, because of their narcissistic needs, will openly brag about their wealth by having their names plastered all over public monuments, buildings and statues.
Both military millionaires and the fossil fuels industry use high levels of denial in marketing their products. The fossil fuel industry uses the unproven Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology to make false claims that this technology can reduce fossil fuel emissions. Our Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, is a major promoter of this lie. Similarly, militarism uses the ‘Deterrence Doctrine’, based on the concept of Mutual Assured Destruction, which irrationally and falsely claims that two countries that both possess nuclear weapons will never attack each other. These industries use this denial and these false claims to resist the only real viable proven solutions to these crises, which are renewable energy and global nuclear disarmament.
Most Canadian media is owned by American hedge funds. There is a dearth of free independent press in Canada, which suits the needs of the billionaires and military millionaires just fine, and they would like to keep it that way.
Canadian newspaper chains have consolidated over time until now Canada’s largest newspaper chain is no longer owned by Canadians but rather by the U.S. hedge fund Postmedia Network Canada Corporation. This American ownership has led to editorial policies that promote American interests and values. Thus, these policies promote unregulated free market economics, blind support for militarism and gutting Canadian legislation that attempts to mitigate climate change. All these policies are entirely in keeping with the values and goals of our newly minted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as he effectively deceives the Canadian electorate into directions they don’t understand. Carney is one the most effective pseudo-liberal propagandists Canada has ever seen, far surpassing Justin Trudeau in the art of selling political illusions.
As we see, the ever-adaptable Carney has learned to change his tune about Trump and his America. Realizing that playing the supplicating lover to the rejecting Trump has not been playing very well regarding his respect from the Canadian public, Carney is now playing the scorned lover who it turns out never ever needed Trump and his America in the first place. This appeals to the Canadian public, which now has the illusion of having a sense of strength as opposed to the sense of weakness that was engendered when Carney was playing his old supplicating lover role.
How the billionaires and military millionaires are destroying the planet
Billionaires and military millionaires show no sense of social responsibility for the environmental damages their activities cause such as the extractive damage that is caused by the mining business or the pollution caused by military activity, let alone the cataclysmic crises of climate change and nuclear war.
Global military activity produces an estimated 5.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions annually and 2,750 million tons of total carbon footprint. And of course, the astronomical environmental damage from Trump’s wars that are now currently in play. But this, of course, does not at all address the well documented obliterating destruction of the planet by a nuclear war, despite the fact that it is the industrial-military complex that, for billions upon billions of dollars, builds and modernizes the vast storehouses of nuclear weapons that exist throughout the world. This documentation led to the awarding of the Nobel Peace prize in 1985 to the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War for the modeling of the effects of dropping a nuclear bomb on Boston. The conclusion these esteemed physicians drew from their study is that “there is no meaningful medical response to a nuclear bomb.”
Conclusion
As mentioned above in the section on “How They Make Their Money,” the creation of social cohesion is essential if we are going to be able to survive ourselves. Social cohesion refers to the strength of relationships and the sense of solidarity that binds members of a community or society together. It is characterized by trust among individuals, a shared sense of belonging, and a commitment to the common good.
Social cohesion leads to human survival by enabling collective action, enhancing safety through cooperation, and acting as a critical protective factor for both mental and physical health. Thus, social cohesion is a vital prerequisite to help maintain the physical and social well-being of the planet.
It is the responsibility of all governments to create and foster social cohesion to build socially healthy groups of citizens.
Military violence and war and high levels of competitiveness have always been a part of longstanding American historical values and history. They are both a cause and a symptom of low social cohesion in the United States. These are the values of “getting rich at all costs” which is what the “American Dream” has always been about. So, the fact that America has by far the most billionaires is totally consistent with these American values and history.
In this way, billionaires and military millionaires are connected. Both attract highly competitive individuals who thrive in the highly competitive social systems of unregulated free-market economies.
In Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carey, since being elected, has revealed himself to be a disguised militarist and false environmentalist. He is, in fact, the usual standard right-wing politician owned by the military and the fossil fuel companies, consistent with the values and behaviour of the billionaires and military millionaires.
Social cohesion is a fluctuating commodity that requires constant attention by governments to maintain and protect it from being overshadowed by the inherent individualistic side of human nature that both co-exist in the human condition. There are clear and workable methodologies to foster social cohesion amongst the citizens of all human societies.
By adopting these multi-pronged, long-term strategies, governments can build more resilient, trusting, and cohesive communities. This requires government legislation that promotes techniques that foster a sense of fairness, social bonding, opportunity, mutual citizen’s respect and safety as some of the many examples of the many building blocks that make up social cohesion.
