This is something I posted in 2018, that goes hand in hand with this post
Meme is not original, but is heavily edited to suit my purposes, so it may as well be original
TV commercial
SCENARIO:
Man and woman, standing in kitchen. The woman is looking at a laptop. She says:
"all this political back and forth, bickering and arguing...what does it all MEAN?"
He says:
"none of that is important, what is important is what we have here, here in our home. That is what is important"
[proceed to advert for flooring, implying that the flooring you choose for your home, is what makes it your home, so BUY MY FLOORING!]
Is this not the typical, capitalist ploy?
Distract the masses away from the power play, keep them occupied with trivialities, all the while making MONEY off them?
I grow more disgusted each day!
Gaslighting, if you don’t know the word, is defined as: "a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment, often evoking in them cognitive dissonance and other changes such as low self-esteem."
source
Everyone is hoping, nay can't wait to "Get Back To Normal" but in reality, THAT NEVER HAPPENED.
"Billions of dollars will be spent in advertising, messaging, and television and media content to make you feel comfortable again. It will come in the traditional forms — a billboard here, a hundred commercials there — and in new-media forms — a 2020–2021 generation of memes to remind you that what you want again is normalcy.
For a VERY long time now, the advertising companies (and the corporations who pay them) have had one and only one operating principle:
Find out a weakness that the public has, and push a product, trying to convince an "OH-TOO-WILLING-Populace" that they need this product to make their lives better.
When the problem is practical and tactical, the solution is
“as seen on TV” and available at Home Depot.
Command strips will save me from having to re-paint.
So will Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser.
Elfa shelving will get rid of the mess in my closet.
The Ring doorbell will let me see who’s on the porch if I can’t take my eyes off Netflix.
But when the issue is more deep seated and emotional in nature, then it becomes even more insidious:
Buy a Mercedes, it will help your image and self-esteem
Coke makes you refreshed
Going to an amusement park with your kids makes you proud that you can afford this.
But brilliant marketers know how to re-wire your heart.
And, make no mistake, the heart is what has been most traumatized this last month.
We are, as a society, now vulnerable in a whole new way.
We have seen around the world in just a short period since we've all been in quarantine, is that because of the lesser traffic, pollution is down, people in Northern India can see the Himalayas for the first time in over 30 yrs from their own homes... the largest, tallest mountain ranges in the world obscured from 150 miles away by smog, are now visible.
Himalaya mountains can be seen from Jalandhar since pollution has reduced in Punjab. Beautiful sight
Blue skies over large cities, birds heard singing in Manhattan because there is no noise to over shadow that beautiful music of nature.
Are We Learning This Lesson Yet?
If not, we should REALLY step back and examine our priorities.
Disclaimer the first part of this was all out of my head and the meme was my adaptation, much of what followed was either inspired by or re-worded from this article:
Prepare for the ultimate gaslighting