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Edited on Sat Jul-24-04 02:50 AM by necso
I became resigned to this when PBS started airing commercials.
The basic issue to me then was not the power that this gave advertisers, although this was a big issue, but the change in philosophy that this represented.
Before commercials, the philosophy of PBS was to inform, not influence -- or at least not to influence mindlessly (as in "to act"). Now, however, that is precisely what PBS is doing -- PBS is now marketing.
This is not good... Marketing has finally won -- completely and totally won.
Marketing reigns and rules in America. People buy cars, clothes, food, drink, hats, cats and rats based on marketing. Many people do almost everything because of marketing and almost everybody does some things because of marketing. Hell, many people even support an ignorant, moronic, malevolent, preppy-boy elitist as a "wise, thoughtful, ethical, good-ole-boy, man-of-the-people", because it has been marketed to them that way --- and they simply don't have the candlepower to see their way through the smoke.
Marketing is everywhere. It is in or on our radio, TV, internet, magazines, news shows, movies, billboards, posters, clothes, cars, buses and almost everything else. It surrounds us, it engulfs us, it suffocates us -- it drives us.
Marketing is even reflected in the people around us, what cars they drive, what clothes they wear, what they eat, what they drink, what pets they own -- what they read, what they watch and even what they talk about. America is one gigantic fucking cesspool of marketing --- we eat, drink, sleep, dream, shit and fart marketing -- And we make choices based upon it.
And if this wasn't bad enough, we have infected the whole fucking world with it. Worldwide you see all the same shit. Worldwide everybody wants all the same shit. Worldwide everybody "must have" all the same shit. Worldwide everybody does all the same shit... It is like some creepy fucking plague taking over the human race, transmitted through sight and sound, touch and smell.
And what a plague it is -- testosterone-charged vehicles, slutty looking clothes, plastic tits, "plastic" sex partners, plastic laughter and an endless supply of overpriced, overblown, oversold everything --- and tomorrow there will be more useless shit. But wait --- if you want even more, then how about class, dignity and culture. Still more? --- How about political office or a seat on the bench? ... Or maybe you need a longer dick.
But the really sad part of all this is that we are never going to be able to change it --- Never. Why not? Because all this marketing stuff is merely an appeal to human weakness, greed and lust. Marketing works because most people operate on the level of the most unenlightened self interest --- and lack the basic strength of character to do otherwise.
It is simply fucking hopeless --- we will have to wallow in this filth if we are ever to have any impact on the course of events. But polluted by doing so, how can we hope not to pollute?
..... It is simply fucking hopeless.
(I guess that this is a media issue, although I would have said more economic or political.)
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