That is what they are. I do some marketing. Most people are very dull and childlike. They can be manipulated (and are) by emotional appeals to do anything.
Liberty Student
Can you please define what an adult with the intellectual capacity of an infant is, and how a person can avoid being one?
He defined more or less in the post you quoted.
Emotionally immature is not the impression I get from dull and childlike.
The people in Oprah’s studio audience.
Sell your TV.
What if I only watch Cartoon Network? And NEVER NEVER NEVER watch any news?
Cartoon Network officially died when they got the idea of doing reality shows. I am not kidding. Adult Swim is just renting space there; without it, cartoon network would’ve died out into UPN irrelevancy a while ago. Adult Swim is far more enjoyable online, anyway.
In any case, why bother to continue with TV? Just download it all off of torrents if you really want to watch something & use your computer & internet connection instead.
At least then, you can voluntarily choose to be subjected to televisional opiates with less exposure to advertising & control your time & exposure more directly.
If anything, I’ve been relying more and more for Internet-grown entertainment & more local stuff to supplement television time. When I’m not reading, writing, & composing music, of course.
I think saying people have a wide variety of interests and most are not as focused on some activities as others is more probable. Many people may be more concerned with riding motorcyles, drinking, being around friends, raising their children, making enough money to live to their comfort level, pursuing the opposite sex, creating some form of art, enjoying movies, etc than caring to much about politics, economics, philosophy, and the like. While they may have an interest in some aspect of grand politics it may not be one of their major “drives”.
Marketing pretty much requires the person marketing to have more knowledge and expertise in the product they are trying to sell than the person buying it, otherwise the person usually wouldn’t be seeking a salesman’s advice. The manipulation of the sale works simply because the people are kind of allowing themselves to be manipulated.
Emotions exist for a reason. They have been useful for humans to survive, otherwise we most likley wouldn’t have them. In fact I buy lots of things because it makes me “feel good”, such as a good whisky or a good piece of music. Me ownig an animal is certainly not due to any appeal to reason.
You give them more credit than I do.
Most marketing is not done through a salesman People don’t want informed opinions. They want to be told what they want to hear. They want someone like Oprah to sell them on “The Secret”, where they can wish for anything and it will be granted. They want to be told the stock market is going up, and up and up. They want to be told that the next President will save them.
The manipulation works because people with low IQs (and some with high IQs) have low impulse control, and act without thinking. Appeals to emotion only work as long as reason isn’t engaged.
But the only people with the capability not to be influenced by empathy and emotions are sociopaths. Every mentally normal people is vulnerable.
I’m not talking about people who cannot be influenced by empathy or emotions. I am talking about people who cannot control their emotions through reason.
Sort of off topic, but wanted to bring this up. Do not take wish for anything and be granted too literally. Rather, it makes the claim that if you are focused on pursuing the means you want, you will better achieve your ends. If you think positive, you will live your life better.
Most marketing is not done through a salesman People don’t want informed opinions. They want to be told what they want to hear. They want someone like Oprah to sell them on “The Secret”, where they can wish for anything and it will be granted. They want to be told the stock market is going up, and up and up. They want to be told that the next President will save them.
This is true, to a degree I think. But I think this mostly takes effect when people are seeking things they have little control over, or less expertise in. Example: Mr. Dad may be somewhat irked when a 18 yr old salesmen/ Neighbor Joe tries to sell him products on how to take care of his lawn. He may be more susceptible to getting sold on some great “hope” that will make the world a better place however, because this is a product that sounds good and he wants; but not a thing he has devoted too much time on, nor do I think he should.
I don’t blame the majority of people, I would look at the system in place that allows it. Sure they have been sold and conned, but I don’t think it is them being “stupid” in general. I think it has more to do with them being generaly apathetic and unconcerned about the “big things” (which is probably a very good thing) and much more concerned about their lawns, etc. Unfortunatly, part of the con is being bombarded by every form of media telling them how stupid and subordinate they are for caring more about their lawns then “the big picture”.
The manipulation works because people with low IQs (and some with high IQs) have low impulse control, and act without thinking. Appeals to emotion only work as long as reason isn’t engaged.
Believe it or not, low impulse control is a survival mechanism. We have it because it is useful. In our current era it is probably of less value than in pre historic times but it is a trait that the human species (and most other species that I am aware of) value it. There is also no study that I am aware of that correlates IQ and impulse control, as far as I know impulse control is distributed in an unremarkable way in relation to intellegence. Remember boredom, procratination, ADD are all part of impulse.
Once again, I don’t blame the majority of the people for the Great Con as much as I blame the system in place. Even a Michael Moore type may be naive in what they are doing, and may not think of themselves as Squealers. In other words Michael Moore types may be sales men who have been sold by someone who has been sold. Mass Popular Government has been in place so long iI think you would agree some of it’s fables are now being served with no propaganda needed to fuel it and are indeed, part of everyday life and thought.
Now that is a pretty good demonstration of naiveté.
Mencken understood the mentality of the masses.
The most common of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind.
if everybody was doing this more often and spontaneously creating links with their neighbors or local lawn company (cause they need to care for their lawns), then they’d be tired and going to bed without watching TV that much. Obama and others would have to show up at the local lawn company to spread his message. Maybe that would be a good propaganda commercial. Obama watering flowers with a green thumb.[:O]
being in the lawn or woods or out in about in the streets or a really good book is where the free space exists and the thoughts have room to grow.
Mencken understood the mentality of the masses.
All of them?
You pick now to quibble over the collectivization of our subject group?
I have been quibbling over the subject group from the start. I have been trying to point out that all “the masses” are, are people who hold a smaller interest or less skill in the area that you specialize in. As you are probably part of “the masses” when it comes to Zoroastrianism, the theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church, rocks, anatomy, motorcycle repair, the fast food industry, etc. Most people don’t care about the “big picture”, and are fine as long as they percieve their lives as relativley comfortable pursuing things they find of interest at the time. I see no problem with people behaving this way.
Of course Mencken can look at the big picture and how groups of people tend to react, he had the time and interest to do it. Hell, it was his job, and he was one of the best I know of at it. Steel Worker Joe who may have the same mental capacity as Mencken doesn’t have the same priorities. He works 40 hrs a week at a steel mill leaving less time to think about the big picture plus he values drinking, hanging out with his friends, and being with his wife more than using his free time to seriously educate himself on philosophy and politics. Steel Worker Joe was probably much better at spending time with Steel Worker Joe’s friend’s and wife than Mencken was at hanging out with Joe’s wife and friends. He was probably a better Steel Worker too. But Mencken was probably less likely to be sold by a politician’s BS than Joe would be.
In previous posts when I use lines such as:
I think saying people have a wide variety of interests and most are not as focused on some activities as others is more probable
don’t blame the majority of people, I would look at the system in place that allows it
It is obvious that I am trying to redefine and re-align the way the term “masses” is being used.
The Constitution gives the government duty to protect the rights, and defend its citizens. And what does this have to do with employment?
Actually the Constitution is a limit on the government and its power. Strictly speaking it allows the government to do certain things. I wouldn’t say it gives it any rights. At best, delegates them.