Don't let the advertisers fool you
Matt Chiaramonte
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: Opinion
Subliminal messages seem like part of a low-budget science fiction movie; the kind involving an evil villain using a mind CONtrol device to FORm a Mindless legion of followers. Well, the fact is, subliminal messages are a little more real than that. Not only do they exist, but they are dangerous. No, there are no evil villains after your mind, but there are advertisers. And they can be just as scary.
By definition, subliminal messages are messages that enter your brain below the threshold of consciousness. It is subtle enough to not trigger a sensation, but has enough intensity to affect the mental process and behavior of your mind.
The FCC has stated that they will revoke a company's broadcast license if the use of subliminal messages is proven. In addition, the courts have ruled that subliminal messages are not protected by the first amendment. So do you feel safe? By definition, the subliminal message cannot be perceived consciously, so can we really trust the government to find and stop them all.
Right now, I cOuld BE subliminallY informing you that journalists are hot, and attractive women should hit on them at parties. Can you trust me? Can you trust anyone?
During the 2000 Republican National Convention, stations aired an advertisement that contained a subliminal message. The ad displayed the word RATS for a brief moment, as it attacked Al Gore's prescription drug proposal. Of the 179 stations that aired the ad, 162 claimed to not know the message was there. Those who did either said they saw it and therefore it was not subliminal, or said they believed that the message could not be censored because the FCC protects advertisements that contain a positive, identifiable appearance by a candidate. Because of this, the FCC took no action against the ad.
In a study, Dr. Andy Aylesworth BS, MBA, Ph.D., found that sexually suggestive subliminal embeds in an ad significantly increased upbeat feelings, as well as significantly increased negative feelings. So, whether subtle or not, these messages have an effect on our minds.
The idea of a not being in CONtrol oF OuR Minds, or being tricked to think in ways we did not intend is startling, whether it is to get us to buy fast food or cigarettes or to tell us to kill our first-born children. The technology exists, and there is little that is being done or can be done to CONtrol it. I am not trying to scare everyone, but simply to inFORM everyone of a problem that many people are unaware of.
So keep your eyes open, and your subconscious mind closed. Who knows how far away we are from becoming mindless drones for an evil villain.
By definition, subliminal messages are messages that enter your brain below the threshold of consciousness. It is subtle enough to not trigger a sensation, but has enough intensity to affect the mental process and behavior of your mind.
The FCC has stated that they will revoke a company's broadcast license if the use of subliminal messages is proven. In addition, the courts have ruled that subliminal messages are not protected by the first amendment. So do you feel safe? By definition, the subliminal message cannot be perceived consciously, so can we really trust the government to find and stop them all.
Right now, I cOuld BE subliminallY informing you that journalists are hot, and attractive women should hit on them at parties. Can you trust me? Can you trust anyone?
During the 2000 Republican National Convention, stations aired an advertisement that contained a subliminal message. The ad displayed the word RATS for a brief moment, as it attacked Al Gore's prescription drug proposal. Of the 179 stations that aired the ad, 162 claimed to not know the message was there. Those who did either said they saw it and therefore it was not subliminal, or said they believed that the message could not be censored because the FCC protects advertisements that contain a positive, identifiable appearance by a candidate. Because of this, the FCC took no action against the ad.
In a study, Dr. Andy Aylesworth BS, MBA, Ph.D., found that sexually suggestive subliminal embeds in an ad significantly increased upbeat feelings, as well as significantly increased negative feelings. So, whether subtle or not, these messages have an effect on our minds.
The idea of a not being in CONtrol oF OuR Minds, or being tricked to think in ways we did not intend is startling, whether it is to get us to buy fast food or cigarettes or to tell us to kill our first-born children. The technology exists, and there is little that is being done or can be done to CONtrol it. I am not trying to scare everyone, but simply to inFORM everyone of a problem that many people are unaware of.
So keep your eyes open, and your subconscious mind closed. Who knows how far away we are from becoming mindless drones for an evil villain.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
QuiBily
Quinn
posted 10/04/08 @ 11:27 AM CST
Not bad. The paradox of courts unable to prove an ad subliminal or not was an interesting point. I didn't know about that the FCC tries to regulate it. (Continued…)
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