[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif](I wrote this for a project while volunteering to help ex-cons re-entering society... I decided to post this because another thread reminded me of this; how we often follow the lead of others without thinking first.)
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[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Our minds record thousands of images every day without our giving them a second thought. Our eyes follow movement faster than we can think about what has moved. Images of products, slogans, and jingles prompt us to act, buy or agree with others every day. What we are most familiar with becomes our truth. Advertisers know this and rely on the fact that we will buy their products because of advertisements that have been created to appeal to us. Subtle images seep into our brains and soothing voices tell us what is good for us, and we buy. We see and we act.
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[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]If something seems pleasurable to us, regardless of any risk, we generally make every attempt at getting that which we now desire. Seeing comes before words, and we don't even always see right. Images are among the first things that we comprehend after we are born, as well as touch, smell, and hearing.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]In knowing that images have a profound impact on our lives, artists and photographers, and even filmmakers create works of art to appeal to each of us in some way. Even in the most casual setting, a family photograph is carefully choreographed so that the result is attractive to the family. Painters use different shades to enhance an area of a portrait and subdue another. Thus, we may never realize the truth that there is the possibility that the painted portrait or landscape is a charade, meant to dupe us into believing in an idea, a concept that may not be true.
[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Persuasion is not a bad thing in and of itself. However, it becomes manipulation when a person or company does not have good intent. However, who is to say what is deemed good intent?
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[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Proof of the simplicity of persuasion can be demonstrated at the movie theatre. How often have you gone to the movies, and found your seat, only to be tempted as soon as the coke starts dancing with the popcorn while the candy is bouncing across the screen? In 1950, a movie came out called Picnic, and like any other theatre, folks sat down to enjoy the show. Interestingly enough, there was a higher amount of coke and popcorn sold that day in the theatre. According to reports in newspapers and magazines, James Vicary, an advertising expert, had secretly flashed at 1/3000 of a second the words, EAT POPCORN and DRINK COKE in the theatre that day. Sales that day increased dramatically.
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[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]To proffer a more complete picture of how easily influenced we can be, lets consider a true story about a young boy who was about 11 or 12 years old when images were placed into his mind that he would never forget, and he would eventually attempt to reenact these contemptible acts in a horrendous way.
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[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]This young man was born in the barrio of El Paso, Texas, on February 28, 1960. His childhood was one of poverty and of hanging out with youth gangs.
[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]His birth name was Ricardo, but his mother Americanized it to Richard when he was young. Richard was the youngest of seven children, and was not a great student, preferring games to homework. He also had an uncle whom he idolized, that had fought in the Vietnam War.
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[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Sadly, his uncle participated in some of the repulsive acts committed by only a few soldiers while in Vietnam. This soldier not only raped and mutilated some of his female captives, but he also took photos of these beaten and dead women after he raped them. He came home from Vietnam and in what must have been an insanely morbid state of mind, and showed these pictures repeatedly to young Richard. He told Richard to never tell his parents what he saw. Richard had so admired his uncle that he did as he was told, and kept this awful secret to himself.[/FONT]
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[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Some years later, when Richard was 17, he was once again in the company of his uncle. His uncle and aunt had been arguing, and his uncle lost his temper. While 17 year-old Richard watched from the kitchen doorway, his uncle took a gun and shot his wife in the head. Although Richard watched this murder, he again kept his silence, once again showing his loyalty to his uncle. His parents never knew until many years later that he witnessed his aunt's cold-blooded murder.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]When Richard was in his early twenties, he moved from Texas to California, and he did little more than waste away slowly in the drug and booze bards of Southern California until he began, finally, to act out the horrific things he had seen pictures of that his uncle had done years before. It began in 1985, and it was several years, and several deaths later, until Richard was finally caught.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]The years of images of the mutilated Vietnamese women and the murder of his aunt had warped Richard's sense of right and wrong, and although not insane, he himself had become a violent individual. Certainly, one might say that this could have been genetic; after all, his uncle was clearly deranged himself.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Nevertheless, one cannot possibly discount the strong possibilities that the images of the women and the witnessing of his aunts murder did not have an effect on Richard. His brutal rapes and murders of women swept across Los Angeles, and up to San Francisco, then back down to the Los Angeles area, until he was finally caught.
[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Who was Richard? Well, the families of his victims know him as Richard Ramirez, also known as the Night Stalker. While this case is one of the most extreme examples of how images can affect or directly influence a person, we must explore the notion that it did have an impact.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Is it possible that what he saw as a young child influenced him such that he felt compelled to rape and murder, or did he share the trait of violence with his uncle? Did seeing these horrible pictures and witnessing the murder of his aunt desensitize him from the acts he would later commit?
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]What compelled Richard to act genetics or a learned behavior? It is here that we can apply John Berger's concept in Ways of Seeing, and start a process of questioning instead of simply accepting that which blindly becomes part of our cultures. It must become an objective in our lives to learn how to counteract the effectiveness of persuasion without becoming overly cynical. It is a sad commentary on our times that we seem to have developed an apathetic attitude toward politics, economics, and democracy. It we are to survive in this age of propaganda, however, we must begin to use reason and critical thinking in how we, as a society, use and accept persuasion, so that what becomes our truth is an acceptable truth.[/FONT]
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© All Rights Reserved. (Reason for edit; I hate typos!)
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Our minds record thousands of images every day without our giving them a second thought. Our eyes follow movement faster than we can think about what has moved. Images of products, slogans, and jingles prompt us to act, buy or agree with others every day. What we are most familiar with becomes our truth. Advertisers know this and rely on the fact that we will buy their products because of advertisements that have been created to appeal to us. Subtle images seep into our brains and soothing voices tell us what is good for us, and we buy. We see and we act.
[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]If something seems pleasurable to us, regardless of any risk, we generally make every attempt at getting that which we now desire. Seeing comes before words, and we don't even always see right. Images are among the first things that we comprehend after we are born, as well as touch, smell, and hearing.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]In knowing that images have a profound impact on our lives, artists and photographers, and even filmmakers create works of art to appeal to each of us in some way. Even in the most casual setting, a family photograph is carefully choreographed so that the result is attractive to the family. Painters use different shades to enhance an area of a portrait and subdue another. Thus, we may never realize the truth that there is the possibility that the painted portrait or landscape is a charade, meant to dupe us into believing in an idea, a concept that may not be true.
[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Persuasion is not a bad thing in and of itself. However, it becomes manipulation when a person or company does not have good intent. However, who is to say what is deemed good intent?
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Proof of the simplicity of persuasion can be demonstrated at the movie theatre. How often have you gone to the movies, and found your seat, only to be tempted as soon as the coke starts dancing with the popcorn while the candy is bouncing across the screen? In 1950, a movie came out called Picnic, and like any other theatre, folks sat down to enjoy the show. Interestingly enough, there was a higher amount of coke and popcorn sold that day in the theatre. According to reports in newspapers and magazines, James Vicary, an advertising expert, had secretly flashed at 1/3000 of a second the words, EAT POPCORN and DRINK COKE in the theatre that day. Sales that day increased dramatically.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]To proffer a more complete picture of how easily influenced we can be, lets consider a true story about a young boy who was about 11 or 12 years old when images were placed into his mind that he would never forget, and he would eventually attempt to reenact these contemptible acts in a horrendous way.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]This young man was born in the barrio of El Paso, Texas, on February 28, 1960. His childhood was one of poverty and of hanging out with youth gangs.
[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]His birth name was Ricardo, but his mother Americanized it to Richard when he was young. Richard was the youngest of seven children, and was not a great student, preferring games to homework. He also had an uncle whom he idolized, that had fought in the Vietnam War.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Sadly, his uncle participated in some of the repulsive acts committed by only a few soldiers while in Vietnam. This soldier not only raped and mutilated some of his female captives, but he also took photos of these beaten and dead women after he raped them. He came home from Vietnam and in what must have been an insanely morbid state of mind, and showed these pictures repeatedly to young Richard. He told Richard to never tell his parents what he saw. Richard had so admired his uncle that he did as he was told, and kept this awful secret to himself.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Some years later, when Richard was 17, he was once again in the company of his uncle. His uncle and aunt had been arguing, and his uncle lost his temper. While 17 year-old Richard watched from the kitchen doorway, his uncle took a gun and shot his wife in the head. Although Richard watched this murder, he again kept his silence, once again showing his loyalty to his uncle. His parents never knew until many years later that he witnessed his aunt's cold-blooded murder.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]When Richard was in his early twenties, he moved from Texas to California, and he did little more than waste away slowly in the drug and booze bards of Southern California until he began, finally, to act out the horrific things he had seen pictures of that his uncle had done years before. It began in 1985, and it was several years, and several deaths later, until Richard was finally caught.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]The years of images of the mutilated Vietnamese women and the murder of his aunt had warped Richard's sense of right and wrong, and although not insane, he himself had become a violent individual. Certainly, one might say that this could have been genetic; after all, his uncle was clearly deranged himself.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Nevertheless, one cannot possibly discount the strong possibilities that the images of the women and the witnessing of his aunts murder did not have an effect on Richard. His brutal rapes and murders of women swept across Los Angeles, and up to San Francisco, then back down to the Los Angeles area, until he was finally caught.
[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Who was Richard? Well, the families of his victims know him as Richard Ramirez, also known as the Night Stalker. While this case is one of the most extreme examples of how images can affect or directly influence a person, we must explore the notion that it did have an impact.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Is it possible that what he saw as a young child influenced him such that he felt compelled to rape and murder, or did he share the trait of violence with his uncle? Did seeing these horrible pictures and witnessing the murder of his aunt desensitize him from the acts he would later commit?
[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]What compelled Richard to act genetics or a learned behavior? It is here that we can apply John Berger's concept in Ways of Seeing, and start a process of questioning instead of simply accepting that which blindly becomes part of our cultures. It must become an objective in our lives to learn how to counteract the effectiveness of persuasion without becoming overly cynical. It is a sad commentary on our times that we seem to have developed an apathetic attitude toward politics, economics, and democracy. It we are to survive in this age of propaganda, however, we must begin to use reason and critical thinking in how we, as a society, use and accept persuasion, so that what becomes our truth is an acceptable truth.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT]
© All Rights Reserved. (Reason for edit; I hate typos!)
