I was enthralled at the Tax-Day tea-parties held around the country for a number of reasons.
One reason that this was interesting was due to something that I feel is happening more and more around the country - words and phrases have been inducted into marketing campaigns, often without regard for the true meaning of the words.
I want to focus on “Revolution is Brewing”, which I heard a number of times on April 15th, 2009. The word revolution is a strong word, probably one of the strongest words in any society. According to dictionary.com, the number one meaning is “an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.” Now, is that really what was happening? No. Is that really what was intended? Probably not. Some people may have felt that way, of course, but there is no accounting for every opinion.
What does it really mean then? It’s obviously a play on words - “tea” and “brewing”. Get it?
We say strong things these days without really meaning them because we are just so used to it. This is because marketing is prevalent in all areas of our lives - including everything from cola makers to political lobby groups. The words sound good. The words sound tough. Because of this, people use them with a certain abandon. Was a consensus really preaching a revolution? Or was it made to feel “old-timey”, complete with our forefather’s garb and ambiance to create a particular mood?
The point here is that this may be another case of manipulation of the market by a large organization with a particular agenda. The agenda is irrelevant and the organization is as well. This is not about any particular stance on politics - just an observation of the collective unconscious and it’s affect from marketing campaigns.
I feel that we need to step back, separate ourselves from advertising campaigns and slogans (really, they are everywhere) and learn to say things in our own way. Our collective conversational skills will hopefully grow to a place where we can communicate with each other with the respect that we all deserve.
seems in today’s society, “free thinkers” are on the endangered species list. like we’ve collectively allowed our thoughts, our speech, to be herded like sheep by trendy, (seemingly) witty marketing gimmicks. you’re right - ultimately, the organization & the agenda are both irrelevant because it’s become less about the platform and more about the bandwagon. until we collectively take a stand and refuse to be seduced, meaningful thought and or conversation among people will continue its retrogressive landslide… until original thought becomes totally defunct. frightening thought.
baaaaaaaaa.
[...] some fascinating articles in the news that relate directly to a previous article I wrote entitled The Marketing of “Revolution”. The news story in question relate to the naming of the current Influenza outbreak of The Swine [...]