2001-02-28
I think I've finally figured out why we're all so pissed off around christmas time. Before the xmas
holidays even start up, we get inundated with these images and commercials that
badger us to rush out and spend our dough "before it's too late". They
make the common shopper feel panicked with one basic train of thought:
"If I don't buy everything soon,
the items may not be there when I get to the store!"
Now since most people live
outside that fantasy world of advertising and marketing, they tend to put
shopping off for weeks, because, frankly, having a life can get in the way, ya
know? So the media rolls up it's sleeves and produces another extremely useful
tactic to jerk the consumer around: guilt. Heck, it worked for christianity for
thousands of years, so why should the media not profit off of some of this
powerful human emotion?
The closer you get to the
christmas season, the more they apply this guilt factor so more people will buy
needless crap for their loved ones (and even their hated ones). And guilt comes
in great abundance when used on parents.
Most holiday ads can be summed
up in one of the following ways (or a combination of these):
#1. a happy family gathering around the tree with
happy parents and happy kids opening presents, with big smiles on their faces
because they got exactly what they wanted.
Translation: everybody else is doing it, why aren't YOU making your
family happy, too?
#2. a happy family gathering around the tree, only
this time you see people opening presents and have a halfhearted smile on
their faces.
This
symbolizes that they're trying to be gracious but basically they got the short
end of the present stick.
.
Or there is a child crying because
the spoiled brat didn't get their favorite Furby doll in the proper color.
.
And there's also the image of
someone with an "ugh" or "angry" expression on their face cause they
just got Grandma's hand-me-down fruitcake.
Translation: you better get everyone exactly what they want or you're an
evil bastard!
#3. One of the ultimate guilt trips, not to
mention one of the biggest con jobs: And image of Santa Claus leaving presents.
Some of you may be saying
"But Jolly
Old Saint Nick is a symbol of peace & love for children everywhere!"
Ok, to make it simple: the Santa Claus symbol is a
jolly old fat man who works all year 'round to make toys for the children so
they'll be happy on Christmas. This is something that parents now have to live
up to. Not only do they have to keep up the LIE they tell their kids every year
(Yes, folks, you are lying to your children. Don't you feel proud?), but they
also have to go out and buy EXTRA presents because they wouldn't want to
shatter little Johnny's world by showing him that it was all bullshit to begin
with. So now you have to show your kids you love them by buying them off every
year AND you have to put up with prolonging the propaganda
"wonderful holiday tradition" that the media presses upon you (and
interestingly enough you press onto yourselves).
#4. Now this one just annoys the crap outta me:
the pouting child. Basically this image speaks for itself. Most adults feel very
guilty and sorry for a child with a pouty lip on the verge of crying. So does
the media keep this in mind every holiday season? You bet they do. Do they feel
guilty for ...
