How the Mass Media Thinks for you Part 2

In Part 1, we introduced this topic and left off with one example of how the media used the sounds and lights of a cartoon, Pokemon, and an adverse reaction occurred within the viewing audience. We’re going to continue on that same vein of reactions here in Part 2.

Reactions are instigated by stimuli, whether they are internal or external. More simply put, everything is cause and effect. I would like to direct your attention to a few very powerful quotes by some very influential people in the history of this country, and this should set the tone for where we are headed in this segment: "I don't want a nation of thinkers. I want a nation of workers." John D. Rockefeller (Oil magnate who founded the National Education Association); and "In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way." Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States. These two quotes are very disturbing, but it gives us some insight into the minds of the so-called elite in this country, even more than a half of a century ago. Another quote from Rockefeller’s General Education Board Occasional Paper No.1 declared: "In our dreams we have limitless resources and the people yield themselves with perfect docility to our molding hands.

These quotes should cause you to ask why these people would say this. Three questions that I asked myself when reading these quotes were: Why don’t they want me to think? If politics is planned, then what else have they planned? How are they trying to mold me? Remember, at B.G. Street, we think proactively and not act reactively. So let’s be proactive and answer these questions like this: I am a thinker. I don’t care what you have planned for me, because I’m not going along with anything that I haven’t read, studied or analyzed, and I’m certainly not going to be putty in anyone’s molding hands, unless it’s the Creator. Ok so let’s move forward.

Have you ever noticed how much advertising money is spent by these large corporations, and the amount of time the average person spends watching television? Well, let me give you an example of what it does to most children. What is a television program? It’s a series of images. What is self-esteem? It’s the image you have of yourself. Do you see where we’re going with this? What are some of the kinds of images that we find on television? A couple of things we see are sexually explicit images, and images of women and men that ads say are beautiful, with hair, a body shape, fashion style and facial features that most people probably don’t have. But these people are successful and famous, and everyone wants to be like them. Right? So the children emulate these people, because they are “popular” on TV. Wow! She’s got a great body! Oh yeah girl he is so fine, light-skinned men are in! I wish that I wasn’t so short! I wish that my nose wasn’t so big! My hair is too short! Why do I have this BAD hair? It’s so nappy! A famous despot once said, "If you tell a lie long enough people will start to believe it." Adolph Hitler, Chancellor/Fuhrer of Germany 1933-1945. And see, you believe their lies and you become ashamed of the beautiful and unique person that God created you to be. There’s nothing wrong with plump hips, small hips, big noses, skinny noses, dark-skin, light-skin, white-skin, brown-skin, nappy, curly or straight hair. But the television makes you feel inadequate because you see, but don’t have “what’s in.” Then the advertisements attempt to sell you what will make you feel adequate. Hey, get these tattoos and be popular like the NBA players. Wear this dress and be pretty like Brittany Spears. Do this and be like 50 Cent. Hey kid, don’t you wanna be like Mike (Jordan)? HECK NO!!!!!!! Michael Jordan and the rest of these celebrities don’t care anything about you. Remember that! This is a commercial transaction ladies and gentlemen. It’s all about money!!!! You don’t want to be like these people, a lot of them don’t have the same values that are instilled in your family, and a lot of these people have goofed up personal lives, to boot. You’ve seen them on television with their trips in and out of rehab, illicit relationship and the like.

I’ve heard rich people talk in business meetings and there conversions are like: “Man there is so much money out here, how do we get it from them.” That quote was referring to you, the average Joe consumer. Remember folks, they are selling to your emotions, not to you; you are just a stream of revenue to them, and they really profit when you have low self-esteem. Now, there’s nothing wrong with supplying a legitimate product to your audience, but don’t be a drone and buy a product because it’s the “in thing" to have, or you just want to “keep up with the Jones’,” or maybe you’ll think it’ll make you feel better or people will like you. That’s just a lack of self-worth. Things don’t make you. You are who you are on the inside. So the television breaks you down on the outside, you don’t know who you are on the inside, so you take a piece of this television image, a piece of that image, and so on, and we never find out who you really are. It’s sad. Parents, Uncles, Aunts, Family Members: We MUST build a positive self-image in these children and ourselves or this next generation is going to be lost.

Another example is that they create Coach Bags and other status symbol things and they make them affordable enough for you to pay more than the average thing, but less than the exclusive thing, and you still have the top name brand thing. Aren’t you special? Forget that it might be outdated with the “A-list of Hollywood” two years ago, but it makes you feel important. “I already had a Coach bag; I have a Dooney & Burke now.” Look, if you want something to wear, a style or whatever, get it because you’re an individual and you think it’s nice, not because Jay-Z and Beyonce are wearing it. And for the record, I am not against plastic surgery, any other beautifying techniques, or designer items; I’m just letting you know what they are selling you, how and why. Remember the opening quotes, they planned this stuff. These are all slick Madison Avenue (in New York where major advertising agencies are located) propaganda, soft brainwashing techniques. Propaganda is simply: information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc. They just want you to dance to the tune, and then they make you pay for it.

They switch styles and fashions all of the time and these are marketing schemes and people think they are up on the times and styles, and you’re just falling for their tricks again. It’s called psychological obsolescence, where they make long dresses the style for a while, then it’s the miniskirts, then its Capri pants, stacked shoes, Pinstripes, polka dots, afros, fades, braids, they even brought back the Zoot suits from the 1920’s. Folks this is all staged! If you were wearing an afro in the 60’s and 70’s you were cool. If you were wearing it the 80’s you were stupid, if you were wearing it in the 90’s you were cool again. But this is the mentality of the follower. They send a stimulus and they want you to react. And most people do this with ease because most people are trained to be followers. Remember what Rockefeller said. He doesn’t want thinkers, and this is the guy that funded the NEA. Now you should really be questioning things, but that’s another discussion for later. How sad is this follower mentality? They do the same thing with dances, people are over the internet are doing Heel-Toe videos. Fred Sanford was doing that on Sanford and Son in the 1970’s, he called his dance “Mashed Potatoes,” and these young kids think they invented something. I know that you can build upon an innovation, that’s fine, but you are unique. The entire catalog of dance moves, musical melodies and beats, clothing styles, books, inventions haven’t been discovered and created yet. What’s in you? You’re an intelligent, artistic and creative being. Lead, innovate, and create! Be original!

We are mammals and behavioral science teaches us that one way we learn is by watching other members of our society. Why do you think babies try to start walking? They see everyone else doing it. There’s nothing wrong with admiring someone, but don’t use these people as role models. Brittany Spears is no role model; neither is Jay-Z, 50 Cent, John Cena, or athletes, entertainers or actors. But these are the role models that the television gives your children. MTV, BET, WWE (television wrestling) and other media outlets don’t care about the values that you’re trying to teach your children. All they want you to do is watch them and buy their products. Again, these people are not your friends, they are entertainers. Your heroes aren’t on TV! Your heroes are all of the people that you know and don’t know who made life possible for you. Jesus, first and foremost, the good parents and guardians you had/have, good teachers, and upstanding people in your family and community. Those good Grandpa’s and Grandma’s, everybody has an Aunt Mary, and some neighborhood family that looked out for everybody’s kids when your parents were away. What about that single mother, working two jobs, maybe going to school? She’s struggling, it’s hard on her, but these are OUR heroes. There are others, but you can see the difference between why we should honor these people and not entertainers. Besides, these celebrities are applauded like they discovered the cure for cancer or something. Let’s just put everything in perspective, these entertainers are more worthy of our prayers, rather than our cheering and celebrating.

I didn’t even hit half of my points in this part. I’ll begin Part 3 discussing music and how we are subtly programmed to react by sounds. Music isn’t bad, but there’s a subtle training that was discovered by Ivan Pavlov and his dogs. Music is in us innately, but the manipulators have found a way to pervert it and cause you to react to their tune, at will. Have you ever heard a song that you’ve never heard before and then you started tapping your feet? We all have. Until next time, be proactive, not reactive.