Covert Metaphor

The following is a stream of consciousness which I wrote sitting at a café one morning. I was thinking about things which disturb me, and this is what came out. Read it carefully because there are a few key components of persuasion and manipulation sprinkled about.

What do I find disgusting and revolting? Now as I attempt to produce an answer I can’t think of much that really gets to me. Where some people might tend to resist the image of blood and guts, I think what makes me cringe the most is the effects of successful persuasion and manipulation which break all ethical boundaries; those insidious techniques used against people to ruin lives.

Even slightly more mild examples make my skin crawl. I can’t stand watching small children parrot every commercial they see, or spew forth religious dogma on cue like trained puppies, their parents smiling so proud. Vomit.

I see it everyday when someone manipulates their partner using emotional techniques of give and take. The willing victims are those who don’t analyze their own actions, question their own beliefs, and accept everything at face value. Is an unexamined life really worth living?

It is a disturbing thought to think humans may be nothing more than organic vessels carrying loads of useless memes around, infecting each other at every opportunity.

If there is such a thing as absolute truth, I have only seen glimpses of it indirectly. That is through pure intuition, devoid of any symbols, stories, language or thought.

It is possible to translate this experience into language and art, but you are still left with only symbols which represent the experience. This is the reason language will always fail to give that which it promises.

It may seem perplexing to some that I study and teach techniques of persuasion and manipulation when I find many of its effects revolting.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your perspective, life does not work without it. We are all manipulators. Every child manipulates its parents, every lover their partner. It is inescapable.

Of course not all outcomes of persuasion and manipulation are negative. Wouldn’t you try to persuade a friend who might be walking down a path of self-destruction? It all depends on the context doesn’t it? Context is everything in this game.

There are some recent ads targeted at teenagers against the use of methamphetamine (speed). I’ll take two of these ads to clarify the point I am trying to make. The first billboard shows a young man with lesions on his skin, dark circles under his eyes, and a caption reads, “Actually, doing meth won’t make it easier to hook up.”

Imagine if we changed the context and put him in a completely different environment. For example, change the background and put him underneath a tropical sun standing before a beautiful pool, surrounded by a group of skimpily clad bikini models. The caption remains the same, but the story changes completely.

The second billboard is a picture of a filthy toilet stall and a caption that reads, “No one thinks they’ll lose their virginity here. Meth will change that.” Now keep this caption but instead of a filthy toilet stall, replace it with an image of a beautiful room, a large ornate bed with silk sheets and a young attractive half-naked man with muscles. The effects will obviously be different. The context tells an entirely different story. Context is being used to control the masses on a daily basis.

Also, recognize the type of appeal being made in these ads. They are targeted at teenagers who tend to be more susceptible to emotional appeals rather than rational appeals. Ads using rational appeals are declining because of an increase of less-educated people.

Speaking of stories…

Humans are hardwired for stories it would seem. Depending on your own stories is what determines your life outcome. The stories you consistently tell yourself determines your own reality. Is yours a story of frustration, sadness, and failure, or one of success, happiness, and health? Do you hate your job? Well, that’s a story too.

Perceive what is behind the language, symbols, and metaphor. Recognize the context and write your own story.

admin :: Dec.23.2007 :: metaphor, persuasion, psychology, storytelling, symbology, propaganda, deception :: No Comments »

The following reads like a stream of consciousness. It really all ties together but I couldn’t be bothered to organize it anymore today.

My friend and I had an interesting conversation today about how more and more people seem to be in a deep trance, consistently on auto-pilot. My memories tell me this phenomenon didn’t really begin on such a wide scale until the late 80’s. He made the point that it was about that time when the so-called “information age” really began to turn its wheels. We are now constantly bombarded with mass media and useless information. It seems to be a natural reaction for humans to tune out to protect themselves. It’s quite sad really. Reality is now an extreme social construct and most people no longer live their lives deliberately.

I have lived in many countries across the globe, and I can tell you Americans take the cake for their number of automatons. Americans represent approximately only 6% of the world’s population, and yet they consume about 57% of the world advertising!? Yes, that’s right. How much of your day is spent being programmed by the mass media or the Internet which spins loads of half-truths. I am amazed we don’t have more schizophrenic cases in this country. Oh, wait, we’re OK because more than 10 million children in the US are being issued antidepressants and other psychotropic drugs.

Everything is fine. Back to sleep…

No, no. Wake Up! I have a thoughtful message to convey…

As I look at one of my bookshelves I see two titles that are worth mentioning in this post: Words That Sell and More Words That Sell. Ads that contain certain words measurably sell more product. To demonstrate I will create a worthless fictitious product called ‘EasiTime‘. What its purpose is makes no difference. Let me whip up a quick ad using some effective words.

Introducing The New Mega EasiTime!

Dear Friend:

Could you use an extra $1000 a month? Success starts with EasiTime.

Join the small handful of people who use EasiTime like a millionaire.

You’ll fall in love with EasiTime when you realize how quick and easy it is to use…

With AMAZING results!

ACT NOW!

Well, there are some other copywriting techniques involved here, but as you can see some words are more powerful than others. They’re like triggers.

Did you ever wonder why most supermarkets are laid out in a certain way? Why do you think the produce section is on one side of the market and the bread is on the opposite side? They force you to basically walk the entire market and put goodies in your path. Most goodies have been tested to be impulse buys, and they are usually situated at the end of every aisle. Every product has its special place in a market because psychologists study the data obtained from consumer discount and member cards. Their main purpose is not to give you a discount. It is to study consumer’s buying habits, as well as increase loyalty.

Next time you’re in a market, notice the products they put at eye level and compare them to other products which are below eye level. Statistically it is said by researchers that products at eye level sell much more product.

You’ll also find that in most of these product’s ads, animals, babies or sexually appealing images are used predominantly. Hopefully, they don’t cross any lines and begin using all three in the same ad, but I wouldn’t put it past some the major marketing firms to come up with a way to do it. More than half of commercials on TV seem to include these images.

A more recent tactic is bundle pricing. It almost looks like a “Buy 2 for 1″ kind of thing at first blush, but it isn’t really. It is used to increase the consumer’s perception of the value of the product. For example, they offer 2 gallons of milk for $5.99. If you choose to read the tiny lettering you will realize that you can buy 1 gallon of milk for half that price, but many consumers automatically think, “Oh! I can get 2 for that low price?” Sneaky fuckers, aren’t they?

The bundle pricing ploy reminds me of a time in High School. I was about 16 years old. My friend and I were completely broke, but we wanted to go to the movies. We were so bored and desperate we thought about asking for spare change. At that moment a girl I knew from school walked by. I’d already been studying psychology, mostly in the library after school, and it occured to me that if she were to ask older men for a specific amount of money for bus fair, she’d most likely get it. We watched her for about an hour in amazement. She’d amassed about $40 within an hour and took half.

Panhandlers seem to have recently discovered this technique. They no longer ask for spare change, but usually an exact amount like 23 cents so they can eat or 95 cents so they can put gas in their car and get their family to their destination. People respond more favorably when given a thoughtful justification.

Take the time to notice propaganda and mass media in everday life. Reverse engineer your social construct of reality. Just becoming conscious of it is enough to begin protecting yourself.

It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.
It is by intent that my
thoughts aquire speed,

The dream aquires form,
The form pervades certainty.
It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.

admin :: Sep.13.2007 :: propaganda :: 2 Comments »