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Cultivating stupidity. How to make people consumers?

Cultivating stupidity. How to make people consumers?
 “American colleagues explained that low level of common culture and school education in their country was a conscious achievement made for economical goals. The fact is that having read books educated person becomes worse buyer: he buys fewer washing machines, fewer cars, begins to prefer Mozart and Van Gogh, Shakespeare or theorems to them. Because of this economics of consumer society and, first of all, incomes of masters of life suffer – that’s why they attempt to prevent people from being cultural and educated (culture and education, by the way, don’t let them manipulate people as a herd with no intelligence)”. ©V.I.Arnold

 To make people easy to control it’s necessary to break their habit of thinking much. Mind of an average person should stay on the level of a teenager.

How do they do it?

1) Patterns and stereotypes make thinking much easier. More stencils and generally accepted points of view in head leave less space for own thoughts. Special importance has the opinion of “authorities” speaking through the media – actors, sportsmen, politicians, TV hosts: if one always listens to them he shouldn’t work to form his own opinion.

2) Consumer should have strictly estimating way of thinking. Estimates should be categorical and unambiguous: this is good and that is bad; this is white and that is black – without third choice, without grey shades and semitones.

3) What actually does citizen while relaxing after work in front of the TV? He gets emotions and laughs. Comedy shows (as well as funny pictures and video and quotes on the Internet) take the lion’s share of everyman’s leisure. However, this humor doesn’t demand any mental effort, usually it is flat (like for children), or vulgar-toilet-obscene (as a variant – cynical, but also stupid). The best humor for citizens is when any inadequate action demanding no thinking causes reaction of laughter.

4) All various entertainment industry is aimed at minimizing the habit to think – there are about 50 TV channels in every house, different shows, malls, bars, clubs and cafes, alcohol. Whatever people do they shouldn’t interfere.

I hope nobody will disagree that “House 2”, TNT shows, soap operas and music videos, as well as clicking the mouse buttons in searching for fun or sexual release online, doesn’t develop intelligence, and vice versa, suppresses will to think.

Stupidity, sexual or shocking behavior, aggression are glorified in TV shows and comedies. They demonstrate how funny and cool it is to be stupid and inadequate. Freaks get all the attention. The most popular image in TV show is hysterical, capricious person which behaves deliberately provocatively and demands attention. Youth often wants to copy such freaks – to be not like everybody else, to be special, to be popular. But “distinguishing oneself from the grey crowd” is concluded mostly in inadequate behavior, weird appearance and strange manners, but not in mental abilities. And of course to be “not like everybody else” consumers spend a lot of money to buy “exclusive” cloths, accessories, gadgets and other stuff (this is what the whole industry is aimed at).

5) The other enforced “trend” is hatred and contempt for other people (by the way, because of their stupidity as well). It fuels the wish to distinguish oneself buying more status things. The more people hate and seek to humiliate each other, the more they buy to prove themselves. Other people should be regarded as a source of self-satisfaction (in all meanings of the word).

6) The citizen is implicitly instilled that sense of his life is to demonstrate his importance and to get pleasure doping (through consumption, watching TV shows and shopping). Be cool – buy more. Be proud and get higher. Alcohol, rides, clubs, “take everything from life” – that’s their motto. It is the triumph of the endless stream of endorphins.

7) Mass media should encourage and develop in consumers emotions and qualities which will help producers of different goods and services to get profit. For example:
- greed and desire for free stuff;
- feeling of superiority, self-absorption, narcissism, arrogance;
- aggression, desire to dominate;
- sexual instinct, desire to be attractive;
- desire to distinguish oneself, be special, be not like everybody else;
- desire to be fashionable, to be trendy, to keep pace with life, to change wardrobe and renew cloths more often.

8) The final goal of mass-media is not to make people stupid but to make them consumers.

Ideal consumer should be sure in his exclusiveness, should be selfish and narcissistic. His ego and his wants should be in the centre of his universe. Not logical but emotional attitude to events is encouraged. One’s wishes should obscure one’s real needs. People are tough to desire new things even when there is no practical use in them.

Ideal mass is that wouldn’t think over an invitation but would buy immediately obeying their desires.