When my generation were kids, we only had 3 channels to watch. We watched whatever was on- be it Gilligan's Island or Dallas- we watched it. So the branding gurus had a very attentive audience. I believe that was what made so much of those old jingles we are now nostalgic for successful. If it was scheduled to air during Saturday morning cartoons (there was a golden time slot devoted to kids, and we were devoted to it) then we, in our memories, tie up the brand with that soft and gentle time, splayed out in front of the console with a bowl of Corn Pops. They know how to market to us, when to market to us, and they got us by the short and curlies. We are still loyal to many of those brands today- and its this loyalty I continue to question.
BAAAAA-AAAAA-AAAA
In considering brand loyalty, it brings to mind the idea that we simply accept certain information and don't question it. Of course, when you are a kid, why would you? But it sets up this pattern of being lured in to a certain state of compliance by the messages they feed us. (Who are they? The corporate fat cats who make $217million off you eating their crappy bread, for example. Its worth it to them to pay psychological branding experts to sedate you with images and ideas. Or the companies who are now not even regulated by federal laws- what the hell is that? This makes them more powerful that you can even imagine.) This blind acceptance of someone else's ideas of what should be desirable or acceptable is a dangerous thing. It would sound very conspiracy theorist to suggest that perhaps they have been programming us for some time to be docile and accepting- it would sound a bit radical to suggest that they have been doing it and keep getting better at it and have been and continue to use this to...ever...so...subtly...enslave us. (Us-the ever shrinking middle class. We are sicker, we make less money, we have fewer benefits and poor educational systems, a gallon of milk costs a minimum wage laborer half an hour of their life to buy- you know, the American Dream.) So... lets just say I am not suggesting it. But I leave it for your consideration, all the same.
RED PILL, OR BLUE PIILL?
How many Americans will flat our refuse to question the things they have come to accept as part of their lifestyle? I know that a small percentage will rise to the challenge. Comfort is a motivating factor in the first world we live in. Who cares if its full of ground up chicken feet and intestines and feathers, and bleach, and food dye, and if they had to bleach the meat so much that it lost its flavor and so they had to add chicken flavor and also some color to the now pasty looking substance that they pass off as chicken McNuggets? I recently posted the video at the pervious link, and had more than a few people say, even after watching it- "Oh, but they are so good!" At this level, isn't that beside the point? Who but someone who has been hypnotized into being the perfect consumer since childhood could not see the evil in this food product? And this is what makes me sad. And....I get it, too. I was slow to heed the call. I tried to ignore it. I didn't want to give up the way I was living my life. Ignorance isn't bliss, it just seems that way- just ask the moms who took the sleeping aid thalidomide in the 50s. Ever heard the term thalidomide baby? They were blissful too, until their babies were born without arms. This, I agree, is a drastic example. They are much more subtle now. Stuff like cancer can't be pinpointed to food exactly, even though most processed foods have enough trace amounts of carcinogens that in combination can add up to more than enough to kill. THAT is not a joke.
Wow. I didn't mean to this far- but right now I am just winging it. I sat down to write and I wasn't sure what I was going to say. I think that the point of it all is that the antidote to the evil foodmongers is simply for all of us to be informed- and to be open to the information. Maybe we hear it all, take it into consideration, and THEN choose to continue eating processed, GMO laden foods. That is anyone's choice. But to simply refuse to know- come on now. Who wants to be a sheep with a ring in their nose? I don't, but I also don't want it for you and your family, either.
OCCUPY YOURSELF begins with questioning and curiosity. What have you just allowed yourself to accept as your life? What parts of your life did you choose with your eyes open, of your own free will, and which parts were doled out by society, media, parental beliefs, or outmoded ideas about life?
JUST KIDDING- I am not suggesting you go that deep yet. That's why food is such a great place to start. Once you start there, it takes on a life of its own. That is why revolutionary eating is so radical- its not just about food, when you get right down to it. Its the beginning of everything, and its how we can wage a protest without blood shed or arrests or pepper spray or rubber bullets. Our best revenge is to be healthy, to take back our minds, to shut out the sales pitches and investigate what we put into our bodies and mouths and minds, and to help wake up others through any and all outlets- however! Vive Le Resistance!
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