Selling the American Way
Selling the American Way

Author: Laura A. Belmonte

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2013-03-01

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 081220123X

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In 1955, the United States Information Agency published a lavishly illustrated booklet called My America. Assembled ostensibly to document "the basic elements of a free dynamic society," the booklet emphasized cultural diversity, political freedom, and social mobility and made no mention of McCarthyism or the Cold War. Though hyperbolic, My America was, as Laura A. Belmonte shows, merely one of hundreds of pamphlets from this era written and distributed in an organized attempt to forge a collective defense of the "American way of life." Selling the American Way examines the context, content, and reception of U.S. propaganda during the early Cold War. Determined to protect democratic capitalism and undercut communism, U.S. information experts defined the national interest not only in geopolitical, economic, and military terms. Through radio shows, films, and publications, they also propagated a carefully constructed cultural narrative of freedom, progress, and abundance as a means of protecting national security. Not simply a one-way look at propaganda as it is produced, the book is a subtle investigation of how U.S. propaganda was received abroad and at home and how criticism of it by Congress and successive presidential administrations contributed to its modification.

The American Way of Eating
The American Way of Eating

Author: Tracie McMillan

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-02-21

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 1439171955

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A journalist traces her 2009 immersion into the national food system to explore how working-class Americans can afford to eat as they should, describing how she worked as a farm laborer, Wal-Mart grocery clerk, and Applebee's expediter while living within the means of each job.

Selling the Great War
Selling the Great War

Author: Alan Axelrod

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2009-03-03

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 0230619592

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The riveting, untold story of George Creel and the Committee on Public Information -- the first and only propaganda initiative sanctioned by the U.S. government. When the people of the United States were reluctant to enter World War I, maverick journalist George Creel created a committee at President Woodrow Wilson's request to sway the tide of public opinion. The Committee on Public Information monopolized every medium and avenue of communication with the goal of creating a nation of enthusiastic warriors for democracy. Forging a path that would later be studied and retread by such characters as Adolf Hitler, the Committee revolutionized the techniques of governmental persuasion, changing the course of history. Selling the War is the story of George Creel and the epoch-making agency he built and led. It will tell how he came to build the and how he ran it, using the emerging industries of mass advertising and public relations to convince isolationist Americans to go to war. It was a force whose effects were felt throughout the twentieth century and continue to be felt, perhaps even more strongly, today. In this compelling and original account, Alan Axelrod offers a fascinating portrait of America on the cusp of becoming a world power and how its first and most extensive propaganda machine attained unprecedented results.

Borrow
Borrow

Author: Louis Hyman

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2012-01-24

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 0307741680

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In this lively history of consumer debt in America, economic historian Louis Hyman demonstrates that today’s problems are not as new as we think. Borrow examines how the rise of consumer borrowing—virtually unknown before the twentieth century—has altered our culture and economy. Starting in the years before the Great Depression, increased access to money raised living standards but also introduced unforeseen risks. As lending grew more and more profitable, it displaced funds available for business borrowing, setting our economy on an unsustainable course. Told through the vivid stories of individuals and institutions affected by these changes, Borrow charts the collision of commerce and culture in twentieth-century America, giving an historical perspective on what is new—and what is not—in today’s economic turmoil. A Paperback Original

The American Way of Death Revisited
The American Way of Death Revisited

Author: Jessica Mitford

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2011-11-23

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0307809390

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Only the scathing wit and searching intelligence of Jessica Mitford could turn an exposé of the American funeral industry into a book that is at once deadly serious and side-splittingly funny. When first published in 1963, this landmark of investigative journalism became a runaway bestseller and resulted in legislation to protect grieving families from the unscrupulous sales practices of those in "the dismal trade." Just before her death in 1996, Mitford thoroughly revised and updated her classic study. The American Way of Death Revisited confronts new trends, including the success of the profession's lobbyists in Washington, inflated cremation costs, the telemarketing of pay-in-advance graves, and the effects of monopolies in a death-care industry now dominated by multinational corporations. With its hard-nosed consumer activism and a satiric vision out of Evelyn Waugh's novel The Loved One, The American Way of Death Revisited will not fail to inform, delight, and disturb. "Brilliant--hilarious. . . . A must-read for anyone planning to throw a funeral in their lifetime."--New York Post "Witty and penetrating--it speaks the truth."--The Washington Post

Preventing and Reducing Violence in Schools and Society
Preventing and Reducing Violence in Schools and Society

Author: Singh, Swaranjit

Publisher: IGI Global

Published: 2021-02-05

Total Pages: 331

ISBN-13: 1799840735

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In recent years, different regions of the world have been unfortunately experiencing an increase in violent acts within various communities. For example, the United States has seen an emergence of severe violence within schools over the past two decades. This tragic phenomenon is causing administrators and practitioners to rethink teaching techniques and implement concepts of violence prevention within schools and other social organizations. Preventing and Reducing Violence in Schools and Society is a collection of innovative research on the evolution and implementation of nonviolence concepts within social settings in order to repent oppression and violence among global communities. The book explores the effective diffusion of violence through masterful negotiation and mediation skills as well as mentoring, counseling, and related processes. While highlighting topics including nonviolent teaching, active shooter training, and LGBT-phobia, this book is ideally designed for UN, governments and their heads, politicians, NGOs, communities riddled with gang and other violence, schools, educational leaders, social organizations, community leaders, teachers, preachers, religious leaders, mediators, peace activists, law enforcement, researchers, and students seeking current research on contemporary nonviolence techniques to facilitate change in schools and other societal environments.

Final Rights
Final Rights

Author: Joshua Slocum

Publisher: Square One Publishers, Inc.

Published: 2021-10-19

Total Pages: 771

ISBN-13: 0942679350

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Josh Slocum and Lisa Carlson are the two most prominent advocates of consumer rights in dealing with the death industry. Here they combine efforts to inform consumers of their rights and propose long-needed reforms. Slocum is executive director of Funeral Consumers Alliance, a national nonprofit with over 90 local affiliates nationwide. Carlson is executive director of Funeral Ethics Organization, which works with the industry to try to improve ethical standards. In addition to nationwide issues, the book covers state-by-state information needed by anybody who wishes to take charge of funeral arrangements for a loved one, with or without the help of a funeral director. More information about the book and related issues can be found at www.finalrights.org .

Crap
Crap

Author: Wendy A. Woloson

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2020-10-05

Total Pages: 405

ISBN-13: 022666449X

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Crap. We all have it. Filling drawers. Overflowing bins and baskets. Proudly displayed or stuffed in boxes in basements and garages. Big and small. Metal, fabric, and a whole lot of plastic. So much crap. Abundant cheap stuff is about as American as it gets. And it turns out these seemingly unimportant consumer goods offer unique insights into ourselves—our values and our desires. In Crap: A History of Cheap Stuff in America, Wendy A. Woloson takes seriously the history of objects that are often cynically-made and easy to dismiss: things not made to last; things we don't really need; things we often don't even really want. Woloson does not mock these ordinary, everyday possessions but seeks to understand them as a way to understand aspects of ourselves, socially, culturally, and economically: Why do we—as individuals and as a culture—possess these things? Where do they come from? Why do we want them? And what is the true cost of owning them? Woloson tells the history of crap from the late eighteenth century up through today, exploring its many categories: gadgets, knickknacks, novelty goods, mass-produced collectibles, giftware, variety store merchandise. As Woloson shows, not all crap is crappy in the same way—bric-a-brac is crappy in a different way from, say, advertising giveaways, which are differently crappy from commemorative plates. Taking on the full brilliant and depressing array of crappy material goods, the book explores the overlooked corners of the American market and mindset, revealing the complexity of our relationship with commodity culture over time. By studying crap rather than finely made material objects, Woloson shows us a new way to truly understand ourselves, our national character, and our collective psyche. For all its problems, and despite its disposability, our crap is us.

Selling War to America
Selling War to America

Author: Eugene Secunda

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 2007-08-30

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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Since the end of the 19th century, the relative skillfulness of the U.S. government's propaganda efforts have largely determined the American public's willingness to support the wars the United States has waged. The job of informing and persuading America to support its war efforts has become increasingly more challenging as media technologies, like the Internet and the instant global coverage of television news, reach into every American home. Selling War to America begins its examination with the U.S. government's campaign to instigate a war with Spain and ends with a review of the methods the government is using now to encourage support for the War Against Terrorism.

American Ways
American Ways

Author: Gary Althen

Publisher: Hachette UK

Published: 2011-03-04

Total Pages: 365

ISBN-13: 1473643465

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Whether you're a businessperson beginning to work in the United States or a foreign student visiting for a semester, this new edition of American Ways will help you navigate America's diverse and changing culture. From the deep-seated attitudes that mark the American character to customs and everyday activities, American Ways explores the tapestry of the country's life, providing invaluable information on cultural values, politics, education, religion, and relationships. In this revised edition, Gary Althen and Janet Bennett have added material that reflects some of the important changes that have occurred over the last decade. This edition features new material on American politics, reflecting the impact of the Bush administration as well as the election of the nation's first black president, and an updated chapter on the effects of social networking sites on meeting people and creating friendships.