TPG 9: The Formula

HEY! Did you think you were normal, functioning and happy? You are NOT! You are at risk! The siren sounds and the warning lights go on! You are suffering from a gross deficiency in your life, and it is threat to your very existence. No problem, what you are deficient in is Product X and ‘they’ just happen to have some to sell you.

In an ideal world, commerce would be fair and above board i.e., present the product, tell the truth and if the product idea is good, sales should be successful. Unfortunately, there are a large number of Advertising Executives who are well-educated, monetarily motivated, quasi social scientists who DO NOT play fair. The true social scientist studies people with the intent to understand and possibly help society. Political science and Business majors studying advertising, use social research to exploit people, particularly those less aware of the rules.

‘They’ will use any means necessary, fair or unfair to expose your weaknesses

as human beings and consumers…

Sex has sold products for years - remember the subliminal ice cubes? Recently, with the aid of a little neuro-science, FEAR has taken over marketing. Fear and its immediate resolution is a much stronger motivator for selling products, ideas or charity, than sex could ever be. When you are scared and anxious, sex takes a back seat. Fear activates the unconscious biological THREAT response system originally designed to protect us from foes. The adrenaline kicks-in, the pulse and blood pressure rise and you feel anxious and uncomfortable. Immediately, they present the solution in the form of some product for sale. Even the thought of this product will ease you back to calm.

The ‘fear-mongering method of advertising’ is easily identified - if you know how. 'They' are predictable and 'they' are formulaic in advertising. Basically, “The Formula” for the ‘fear-mongering method of advertising’ is as follows:
(There are a million variations on this formula, simply change the THREAT to suit the product)

The Formula:

1) Present THREAT to initiate the biological ‘Threat Response’ - creates anxiety.

2) It is a THREAT because you lack X - they can provide X.

3) If you buy product X, the THREAT is gone - anxiety subsides.

Advertisers typically threaten three basic human conditions: a) physical health, b) social relationships and c) personal self-identity and well-being. Present a threat to your health and poof - instant anxiety. Present a threat to your social life poof - anxiety. Present a threat to your identity or self worth poof - anxiety. These people are highly schooled and study for years on how to get this response. We are unconscious victims of science turned bad.

Health care products are Huge! Why? Because we buy them. The real question is why we buy them. Excluding actual sick people, most purchases are due to fear mongering advertising. Ray Moynihan in his book, Selling sickness: How the World's Biggest Pharmeutical Companies Are Turning Us All into Patients, provides evidence on how women are presented with the idea that menopause is a physical deficiency, not a normal natural state of aging. This deficiency threatens horrific symptoms ranging from hot flashes to nervous breakdowns. No problem, the drug companies have a little X laying around that will solve all your problems and even get you playing tennis.

Human beings need to be social; that is, they need there fellow man/woman. These social THREAT commercials work two ways. The first is simple, if you do not buy product X, you are offensive to others and risk social isolation. The second is a little more subtle e.g., buy product X and boost your social relations, make more contacts and increase your likelihood of love and success. In this case, if you do not buy product X, your success is threatened.

The first method is simple. The THREAT is being socially isolated; the solution is deodorant X. Perfume X on the other hand, is going to make men crazy about you, marry you and support you for the rest of your life. The THREAT here is lack of success. Therefore, buy perfume X to reduce the chance of losing success you only fantasized about during the commercial. Reality Check!

A survey asked over a thousand men, “Which do you prefer, a fresh washed woman, or one wearing perfume?” When able to answer honestly, men overwhelmingly prefer a fresh washed girl to an artificially stinky one. Of course, he tells the woman that he loves it; behind his tolerance of the eye watering, breath taking stench of woman’s perfume, he just wants to get lucky.

Finally, advertisers looking to lift a few more bucks from your pockets will threaten your identity and self worth. In my opinion, people identify with celebrities way too much. However, celebrities in ads foster that positive image you identify with, and then they present product X. The threat here is cognitive dissonance. These idols use product X, so if you do not, maybe you are not as solid with this identity as you thought - creates tension.

Humans react to abstract threats and these companies have learned to use that information for their own greedy gains. Be aware of the most sinister of these, the ones that presents themselves as caring folk just trying to ‘educate you’. It is a more sophisticated celebrity presentation, where supposed academics (whom we used to trust and respect) who are actually doctors and scientists paid buy the company selling product X. They come across as sincere and knowledgeable, yet are getting hefty fees for speaking on a product's behalf.

Okay, what can we do about it? First, simply become aware of their tactics, learn and understand ‘The Formula’. Secondly, whenever possible refrain from purchasing products from companies using this method of advertising. These techniques work on the unconscious and the unsuspecting. Knowing the rules of the game is helpful. Be aware and choose wisely.

by xntrk
xntrkpublishing@gmail.com

TPG 8: They Can Get It If They Want IT

“They can get it if they want to…”

I was horrified when a fellow employee made this statement. As we walked down Jasper Avenue, this PhD in human geography looked at the homeless in disgust. Not with the disgust that compassionate and caring people have. They are disgusted that other human beings are forced to endure such a life. Compassionate people understand that, “there but for the good fortune of their own life, go they”. Unfortunately, the PhD whose parents were both PhDs and very rich, was the most over-educated ignoramus I have ever met. These people were simply messing up her walk and had no reason to be there in such a state. “They can get it if they want to…” she stated, “All men are created equal!”

And, she believed it! In her mind, they could obtain a PhD if they set their mind to it. I pleaded with her in the usual way, “Have you ever heard of poverty, mental illness, social isolation…? What about social opportunity? It was her insistence that these human beings choose to be poor, uneducated and unemployed, that got me thinking. Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers, examines very successful people. After acknowledging their innate talents, Gladwell goes on to describe the fortuitous social environments that were essential to each success story. Gladwell’s point is that even if you are a genius, you need opportunity.

Opportunity and ‘Luck’ are the same thing. The first and most important lucky break in your life, is what kind of family you land in. Are your parents, well educated, well mannered, well off, kind and caring? Or, are they, poor, ignorant, fearful and abusive? In reality, only a small percentage of children raise above their parents accomplishments. Children learn from the examples set for them. It is not because, ‘they don’t want IT’, it may be because they have no idea what ‘IT’ is. Picture being born into any of the three families below.

In family number one, if John laid on the couch and read a book, he was either sick or lazy. “Go outside! If you don’t have anything to do, I’ll find some chores for you” John’s mother would yell. Reading was not valued as much as, learning how to take care of animals, and his little brothers. John gets up early everyday before school to feed the animals and feeds them everyday after school. Weekends are spent cleaning the barn and doing other essential chores. There is little time for dreaming and deep reflection when physical labour is the family worth. Reading is limited to checking the hog reports and the latest gossip in the local scandal sheet.

Learning your place is very important childhood lesson. John’s mother’s favourite comment was, “Children are to be seen and not heard”. His father’s worldly advice was to, “Remember, he may not be right, but he’s the boss!” In other words, do not make waves and be thankful that you have a job. Parents teach kids where they belong in this world, and lower working-class kids learn right from the beginning, that they are NOT in a position of power. These children will learn about the omnipotent ‘They’, who know-all, and should never be questioned. Discipline includes put-downs and physical abuse. In general, these kids learn to be ‘compliant workers’, but have little else to aspire to - except perhaps a hockey game or a TV reality show.
In my second family, the mom and dad are professional people. They have worked and saved for years for Jason’s medical degree. For Jason, going to university is a fore gone conclusion; it is simply a matter of which advanced degree he will choose and which school is best for that choice. These parents have been supportive all along Jason’s development. From a young age, Jason’s told that he is talented, and that he can be anything he wants. When he was having trouble with math, Jason’s parents paid big bucks for a tutor. After school, music lessons are offered and his hockey equipment is brand new. His parents drive him anywhere he ‘needs’ to be. Discipline involves losing the computer for a night or two. (Gee, maybe that’s where Miss PhD got confused).

In the third family, the mother is an addict and the father is gone. Dad may come home occasionally for a fight, but the kids are better off without him. He is a drunk and a criminal. Joe and Jane are the eldest of five kids from at least four different fathers. John and two of his siblings suffer from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. They learn the ins and outs of the welfare system. For Jane, the welfare benefits increase with the number of kids, so having more kids is logical - not bad, not evil, but logical for survival. For Joe, welfare is not enough for anyone to live on, so crime is logical - not bad, not evil, but logical for survival. Attempting to escape, Joe and Jane learn to use substances. The circle is complete.

Our society is appalled at the thought of a little child being mentally abused, emotionally neglected or physically beaten. What happens to that compassion with these same children (humans) now they are over 18 years old? Many of our homeless people are those same little kids that we profess to be so concerned about. The first kid learns labour and works for a living; the second kid learns academics and thinks for a living, what have these badly abused kids learned? Shame, fear, self-loathing and hopelessness seem logical results.

Yes, all humans are created different, and family inheritance plays a vital role. The sins of the father/mother become the sins of the son/daughter in most cases. Now I would like that PhD to explain how she could possibly be so ignorant. She should be thanking her lucky stars that she was born where she was, instead snubbing her nose at those not as ‘inherently’ fortunate as she was.

by xntrk

e-mail: xntrkpublishing@gmail.com

TPG 7: A Modest Proposal: Revelation

“… is a power incessantly ready for action, and is as immeasurably superior to man's feeble efforts, as the works of Nature are to those of Art” (prophet A)

Is there order to this complex thing we call nature? According to the above author, there is indeed a power greater than man is. What is this special power? Religions have fought about it for centuries. Although each religious ‘prophet’ sent by the power, brought a message of peace, all ‘Religion’ seems to be is a series of schisms and fighting. “My idea of god is better than your idea of god”. It sounds like playground banter to me, “...my dad is better than your dad!”

“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed” (prophet B).

I have a modest proposal: what if we roll the clock back to one power, creator, god, force, order or whatever you wish to call it. Abraham, acknowledged by most modern religions, thought of only one God, who was all-seeing, all-knowing etc, Some of our Native Canadians believe there is one creator who is simply, “is the oldest ancestor” and knows the plan. That is a good start!

The name is not important; creator, god, or the force, what is important and easy to see is nature - the nature we are and the nature we live in. Many have noted that nature can be cruel and at the same time wondrous. I think that the order of this earth is amazingly brilliant. For that reason, I do not believe that something or someone so brilliant could be mean, spiteful and inflexible - that sounds too human. Secondly, I do not believe that ‘God’ is so insecure that he/she/it requires people to kneel, bow and humble themselves to be in good graces - that sounds too human.

In my modest proposal, the creator that I would like to believe in would be like the best parent imaginable who had many different children. There are many types of parents, teachers, and spiritual leaders. Two parenting styles stand out to me and apply here. The authoritarian parent who is rigid, domineering and punishing; there is no understanding, simply obedience and bow before me. This type of parent is often abusive in their demands for compliance and these methods sound very human to me. I would wish for the other type of parent; the kind of parent who is confident and secure in the plan, patient, and compassionate. This type of parent promotes learning and understanding instead of demanding deference.

The first thing a good parent does for their child is let them know they are there, i.e. give the child security. A good parent also teaches a child how to relate and get along with other humans. Finally, a good parent would encourage learning and independence. Because the creator has many children, variation in instruction for each child is necessary. In my fantasy world, the creator would want to share and reveal the wonders of this world, and would teach us like a caring parent would.

The first step would be to let humans know that they are not alone and secondly, that there is some sort of order to what seems to be an overwhelming universe. It is not hard to understand that in a large family such as humans, there would be a lot of variation in intelligence, interests, and spiritualism between all the kids. Some may not be too bright and some may be very clever, interests vary from arts to science and everything in between.

A good parent first gives the child security - letting the child know there was someone there for them. In my fantasy world, this is exactly what the creator did. The early prophets/teachers, Buddha, Christ, Allah to name only a few, were sent to tell humans almost the same thing, god, force, creator says, “Hey, I’m here! You are not alone”. Additionally, “Here are some basic rules on how to get along with the other critters on earth.” Cool, now we can work together towards the creator’s master plan - whatever that may be.

Second, my fantasy creator would be so happy with the world, that he/she/it would want to share it intellectually. After all, the main big deal with humans is our ability to think. Most parents want their children to bright and inquisitive. My fantasy god would want everyone to use the gifts given to them, in order to understand the wonderful world around them. So, in my fantasy world, the creator/god sent a second wave of teachers: Galileo, DaVinci, Newton, Pasteur, Darwin and a host of others.

In my fantasy world, god is compassionate, kind and a good parent and teacher. The first wave of teachers revealed that we are not alone and there is some higher power at work. They also stress how important it is for humans to get along together. The second wave of teachers begins to reveal some of the inner workings of this fascinating world.

God/creator does not want us to fight about how to get peace, duh! He leaves it to us to learn about the wonders of the world. People do not have to openly declare their humility before god. God does not need it! In fact, being an atheist is no problem either. The creator loves all children. What you declare to other humans has no meaning, because an all-knowing creator can skip that part. An all-knowing creator sees you as you are, not what you protest to be. I hope that this is true because then life would make sense.

I have become a little more spiritual lately after being touched by a brilliantly conceived and passionately written book.

This book was written by prophet A and B above, Origin of Species

Charles Darwin.

by xntrk

e-mail: xntrkpublishing@gmail.com