As so many of us were told when we were growing up: "
They can steal all your money;
they can take away all of your possessions; but,
they can't steal what's in your head and in your heart."
What I've come to realize is that, like so many other things I thought I knew about the world--see my sig line way below--I was wrong about that, too.
You see: Yes. They. Can. In fact, they are. As we're now seeing it reported and playing out in MSM advertising, hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars in corporate marketing media is starting to hit the airwaves from bailout-supported (and still insolvent) firms all putting forth the meme that life is getting better...thanks to them and our economic "recovery." The reality of our jobless recovery, however, is far different...
Our
money is gone.
CHECK.
Our government is fully captured. CHECK.
Now they're after what's left of our hearts and minds...
We are supposed to maintain hope for a future where the corporations and the status get richer while 90% of the population grows poorer. (And, we will keep paying our taxes; and we will like it!)
We are supposed to maintain hope for a "new normal" where we see many years of unemployment at 8%-9%. (And, we will accept the fact that we may no longer have the opportunities we had in years past, but that's okay; somehow, we'll work it out.)
We are supposed to maintain hope for a health care system dominated by big Pharma. (And, we will keep paying those rapidly escalating tithes imposed upon us by the corporatists...for generations to come; because it just...is.)
We are supposed to maintain hope for a too-big-to-fail Wall Street that continues into some indefinite eternity socializing its losses while privatizing its profits. (And, our government will keep underwriting those astronomical costs because without those 10 or 20 zombie vampire squids on life support, life as we know it would be no more.)
We are supposed to maintain hope for a half-assed implementation of an environmental policy that ignores the impending train wreck, ahead. (And, we will keep ignoring science and the warnings of those elsewhere in the world forecasting near-imminent climaticide, because we're told their warnings are wrong...even though we know there's virtually not one iota of solid evidence to refute their claims.)
We're told: "It's all good!" The Great Recession is over. We're in our recovery, although it'll take some time. Maybe a few months...or was that a decade...or generation...or, two?
And, just in case we have the audacity to reference REALISM...to doubt, refute or otherwise rebel against these blatant status quo and MSM lies, just like we paid all of those billions for those lobbyists and corporate campaign contributions over the past few years--and one way or the other it is we, the taxpayers, who did pay for that--we will now pay for the right to have these already-bankrupt corporate behemoths pound their twisted version of HOPE into our heads in the media, as well.
(Yeah, when it comes to contorting reality, those Swiftboaters ain't got nuthin' on the status quo!)
From today's NY Times: "In New Campaigns, Spots Take On a Rosier Hue"
In New Campaigns, Spots Take On a Rosier Hue
New York Times
By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD
Published Online: October 12, 2009 In Print: October 13, 2009
The American economy is back -- or so some of the country's biggest advertisers are saying in new campaigns.
Bank of America's new campaign is estimated at $40 million, and the first ad, highlighting lending, appeared two weeks ago.
It may be a sign that the recession is ending, or it may be a sign that consumers are sick of hearing about it.
While economists and investors study housing starts and gross domestic product predictions to measure economic vibrancy, General Electric, Bank of America and other companies are using commercials to proclaim that America's future is bright.
--SNIP--
But a message that economic woes are over may seem insensitive to some viewers...
--SNIP--
"For the first time in a long time, younger consumers are coming out of high school, out of universities, and are not able to get a job," Ms. Madigan said. "They are saying, `Wow, I can't believe there aren't any jobs in the United States of America.' "
The depressing realities may partly explain why these upbeat ads appeal to marketers.
"The truth is, we want to believe they're right," Mr. Heath of Miami University said. "Deep down inside, even skeptics want to be hopeful."
"Things are getting better." Just wait and see...and wait...and wait some more...any day now...their brand of hope is here to stay, and their "help" is on the way.
You see...the revolution IS being televised...however, somewhere along the way, someone forgot to tell us that it was not going to be our revolution...