[Kristen]

Why are people so enchanted with "What kiind of car they buy" or "What celebrity is wearing this." ? It's a toxin that seems to imbibe the brain with it's cleverness. I'm not preaching here, but I was driving with my roommate and a Bentley pulled up in front of us and she admired it. I've heard the term, but I can't tell what a car's name is. Thst same day, I got coffee at the local cafe. When I was in a line with six others before me, one person pulled out their pnone, and suddenly everyone started checking their own. Have people lost the patience to stand with their thoughts quietly for five minutes?

[Stonemason]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kristen', 'H')ave people lost the patience to stand with their thoughts quietly for five minutes?

[Roy]

Television.

Advertising that uses sophisticated psychological techniques to prey upon the viewer's biggest insecurities and deepest needs. Advertising is everywhere in our society and saturates nearly every medium, electronic to print. It does work. It convinces people that their wants are their needs. Often that is not the case i.e. wants /=/ needs. I see it played out in my elementary school-aged kids even though we strictly monitor and limit their exposure to televised advertising.

I find that the less I watch TV and the less I look at catalogs that come in the mail, the less I care about status symbols or celebrities. I don't watch things like the Oscars or the state of the union or the Grammies or whatever. I don't even know who most of the celebrities I see mentioned on mainstream news sites are because I am unfamiliar with their work.

I like it that way; although sometimes being disconnected from popular culture and advertising can make small talk with a person who is saturated with it, difficult. Even good old friends of mine know more about professional football than their own government. They are expert analysts, of the NFL. They don't have a clue about our money supply or our foreign policy other than sound bytes they parrot from 5 minutes of news they saw last week. These are educated and intelligent people. Such topics confuse and aggravate them. Too negative they say. That's reality I say.

I honestly think they prefer the make believe world offered by TV rather than the reality in front of their faces. It's much more palatable to study the specs of the latest type of high-end television or luxury sedan, than to study say: world oil production trends, or financial bubbles/currency manipulation/market manipulation like I do.

They see the next thing they want, and I see doom. Tough conversation as I don't know shite about tvs or pro sports, and they don't know shite about how the world works or where it is going.

People who are aware of the techniques of advertising and propaganda, either avoid it or ignore it.

Those people are out there and I think most of them post here!

[Novus]

I don't even own a Television or a Cell Phone so I don't really get this whole advertising status obsession. I think it is peer pressure. Some people mentally never left middle school even though they are adults in their 30s and 40s.

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Roy', '
')Advertising that uses sophisticated psychological techniques to prey upon the viewer's biggest insecurities and deepest needs.

[Revi]

I think it's a status symbol to be aware of peak oil. Most people can't even see out of the world of products and sports enough to even know what's going on. We have the ability to see where we're going. That makes us an elite group that knows things the rest of the herd doesn't even want to think about.

Our status symbols are the amount of time we've been aware of peak oil, our preps, etc.

Humans are aware of what other humans are doing. Some people buy hummers, we buy land.

The rest of the herd is headed to the cliff, while we have the luxury of looking ahead and peeling off from the crowd. Most people don't want to know where we're going.

[Jotapay]

I agree with Roy. The biggest change one can make is to turn off the TV. Get rid of cable TV if you subscribe. Corporate television and advertising is so full of propaganda it's insane.

[Olaf]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'S')ome people buy hummers, we buy land.

[Pretorian]

Status symbols were here long before TV or any other media and they aren't going anywhere. Not till women give up preferring rich and influential to poor nobodies anyway.

[Roy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hose psychological techniques wouldn't work if we didn't have those vulnerabilities to begin with.

[Ainan]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Roy', 'I') like it that way; although sometimes being disconnected from popular culture and advertising can make small talk with a person who is saturated with it, difficult.

[rangerone314]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Roy', '
')Advertising that uses sophisticated psychological techniques to prey upon the viewer's biggest insecurities and deepest needs.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rangerone314', '
') I suddenly realize there may be a connection between the fact that I only watch ONE TV show ("LOST" -- on tonight after no new episodes for 9 months) and the fact that I have minimal interest in material things or in stuff like reality TV or celebrities or status symbols.

[oowolf]

We all like to think we're better, (stronger, smarter, wealthier, hipper, etc,etc.) than others. That's the nature of social primates--even psychotic social primates like us.
The Native American who killed a grizzly bear got the status of wearing it's claws. Fake claws have been found archaeological digs.
Pretension and scamming, t'was ever thus...

[Kristen]

Well at least I don't feel like I'm going completely mad (or insane) I think it goes beyond television. I don't own a television, but am guilty of watching some shows online for free. I randomly became hooked on the show V (Visitors), and the product placement was sick...


Tim
(Walks in through the doorway) "Hey mom, Whatch'a doing?"

Mom
(Cheerfully) "Just finishing the dishes with Dawn, they have this new frangrance out... Oh I just love it."

Tim
(To himself) "Mom, and her Dawn!".

To make matters more interesting on each of the four episode all the men wore circle-pattern ties. Maybe trying to sell an image? Then shortly after I was reading a Stephen King novel and the main character was wearing Nike's and going to McDonalds. It's impossible to escape!

[eastbay]

A few evenings ago I was watching TV. The show I chose featured a brilliant doctor with a limp who can solve any unusual medical issue. A commercial appeared for a popular black plastic garbage bag. It was in a cartoonish form and it showed all the things a responsible house keeper should toss in the trash without the bag breaking.

1/2 eaten apples, assorted vegetable waste, chicken legs with one bite missing, paper items, and an assortment of other perfectly good food, recyclables, and compostable material.

If you don't buy this strong garbage bag you'll be missing out. You'll be second-rate. You'll be uncaring and a poor housekeeper, in fact. The power of TV advertising is incredible. Those who control this awesome medium can cleverly manipulate, shape, and form our thoughts, speech, and actions. They know this. Just try to pry you way into this fantastic propaganda machine. See how far you get unless you're 'one of them.'

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eastbay', '
')1/2 eaten apples, assorted vegetable waste, chicken legs with one bite missing,

[Revi]

We all know what it's like to be obsessed with status symbols.

I'll confess that I get jealous of other people's giant maple trees.

I just have to learn to be happy with what we've got.

Ours are young, but they're growing.

All my friends have bigger trucks, bigger chainsaws, bigger houses, but my stuff is much more efficient.

That's how I rationalize it anyway.

[Stonemason]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mos6507', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Roy', '
')Advertising that uses sophisticated psychological techniques to prey upon the viewer's biggest insecurities and deepest needs.