In the 19th century Karl Marx came up with the term “capitalist” to describe a nation in which the most power is in the hands of those with the most capital (a.k.a money), and that is surely what America has become. One major issue with capitalism is that it is fueled by pure desire, and extra smart capitalists have figured out pretty clever ways to engineer our desires through advertising, advertising which is mostly regulated by other capitalists only seeking to turn a profit. This has manifested itself through streams of random penetrating advertisements on your television, and even worse through clever marketing algorithms used by companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, etc. Trust me, it is no coincidence that you have started receiving more spam mail since creating social networking accounts, nor is it a coincidence that you googled “puppy” last night and this morning saw nothing but “puppy shampoo” ad’s alongside your Google searches. Edward Bernay taught advertisers how to use Freudian psychology to mold the minds of consumers in the late 20’s and it has held strong ever since.
Bernay is quoted as saying “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ...We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. ...In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons...who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind.”
This rise of propaganda has engineered our country into a new breed of humans known by most simply as consumers. As consumers, we must constantly consume to keep the system going; this is essentially how capitalism works, through an endless cycle of spending. When you aren’t spending you should of course be working, that way you will have more to spend later. As a matter of fact, most of us work at consumer hangouts like Starbucks, Walmart, Jcpenney, Applebees, Mcdonalds, etc. and are often given incentives to spend more money at said place, such as a discount. By doing this an organization can ensure that a portion of the money they give you will end up safely back in their own pockets, that way they can pay you again of course!
In short, as long as capitalism flourishes, we will continue to live mainly as consumers, but you can however think for yourself within this system. The next time you see an advertisement and think to yourself “I want that”, ask yourself if you would have wanted it if not for the way the advertisement made you feel. Was there something in the Ad that made you feel like not having the new shoes would leave you feeling left out, or make you less cool? If this is the case, maybe the decision is worth reconsidering.
And remember kids, to pledge allegiance to our country is to pledge allegiance to brands!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_ut93YYZu8
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Visit www.bonfireofthebrands.com for more information on consumerism.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays
Propaganda (1928)
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