The Pictures in the Hidden Pocket of Your Mind

In freshman year I took Personal Communication, where one of the most interesting things we learned about was subliminal messaging. A subliminal message is a message that may be remembered even if the recipient of the message is not consciously aware of the message being presented. This makes no sense right? How can you remember a message that you don’t even know exists and is being presented to you? The answer is - you don't, but this hidden pocket of your mind does - it’s called your subconscious. In fact, your subconscious is probably full of subliminal  messages because they are present everywhere in everyday society. For now though, I want to talk about how they are present in advertising, specifically. 

Advertisers constantly put subliminal messages in their ads to make you subconsciously remember their product or company. It is precisely because of subliminal messages that you may have a random craving for a McDonald's burger. Chances are you saw an ad for the burger and tried to disregard it because it's not a healthy option, but something hidden in the ad is making you think about it, remember it, and come back to it. The crazier and more common scenario however, is that you haven't seen a McDonald's burger ad in ages, but you see the subliminal message that was hidden in the burger ad, and all of a sudden you are craving a McDonald's burger, yet you don't know why. Often people think to themselves; What is wrong with me? That's so random - why did I just think of that? I haven't had a McDonald's burger in ages. We know it seems odd, but we usually just blow it off as a craving. Isn't that mind-blowing?!

Here is how subliminal messaging works. Subliminal ads contain extremely hidden images or symbols that you consciously won’t realize are there, but your subconscious will. Keep in mind that normally when you see ads you don’t look at them for long periods of time. In fact, the whole point of an ad is to be eye-catching and concise in order to be memorable. For example, you may see an ad on a billboard, but only briefly as you drive by at a distance. In this scenario you are not looking at the ad for a substantial amount of time - and advertisers know that! This is also why ads on T.V. are purposely flashed across your screen at a rapid speed - to make subliminal messaging work - because if you were to analyze an ad for too long, your conscious may notice the hidden image or symbol. Although this is not usually bad for you, it is bad for the advertiser if they get caught using subliminal messages. While it is not "technically" illegal in the U.S. for advertising companies to use subliminal messages, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) does maintain the right to rescind the advertising license of any company that gets caught using them. Essentially, any company that uses subliminal messages in their ads is risking their advertising rights. 

Below are some examples of subliminal ads. Unfortunately, many subliminal ads have sexual hidden messages. Did you know that Disney has even been accused of including sexual subliminal messages in their movies?! It's really quite sad. The videos that give the examples have too much crude language, so I didn't post any of them in this post. If you do go look them up on your own time, be forewarned, some of them may ruin your favorite Disney movies.

See the woman made of ice on top of the coke can?

 See the two men sharing chips and salsa?  They also conveniently spell a slang word for a woman's breast. 

See the arrow? Get it - because FedEx ships your stuff forward to you?

See the $1 dollar bill conveniently hidden in the lettuce? Your subconscious sees that and every time you see a dollar you think of the KFC Snacker. Can't you just hear it whispering "it's only a dollar"?

McCloud says that “words and pictures together are considered, at best, a diversion for the masses, at worst a product of crass commercialism.” Subliminal ads are actually both! They contain messages that are essentially subconscious diversions from your normal thoughts to thoughts of the advertisement, and they are definitely crass commercialism! The definition of crass is; lacking sensitivity and intelligence, and the definition of commercialism is; emphasis on the maximizing of profit. Subliminal ads definitely lack sensitivity because they manipulate and deceive consumers. They are also definitely not a smart choice on the advertiser's part, since the advertiser risks their advertising rights in using them. As far as commercialism goes, advertising is the epitome of that! Advertising's only purpose is try to maximize profit, and subliminal ads just take it to a whole other level. So there you have it, the words and pictures combined to create a subliminal message in an ad are both diversions for (or in) the masses and products of crass commercialism! 

A Pocketful of Passion

As a girl, it only makes sense that I am passionate about feminism and supporting other girls and women. For this reason, the piece Woman Warrior really stood out to me. What I loved most about it, was the theme - that femininity can represent power, despite the societal myth that it can't. This myth really, really angers me. It is 2019 and there is still so much sexism against women! Women still get paid less in most jobs compared to men. Women have completely lower glass ceilings that we are expected to let keep us down. This just spells U-N-F-A-I-R in all caps!

I'd like to start off by saying that, I am not good at talking to people and I am extremely introverted, but despite that, I have always prided myself in my ability to stand up for myself. I do not let people make assumptions about me based on my gender, and if they do, then I call them out on it! Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't be in advanced math. Also, I'm a girl that loves English, I don't love English because I'm a girl. I love math too! Why are people still shocked when a girl says that? Am I not allowed to love math because of my gender? The first step in putting an end to sexism is standing up for yourself girls! Luckily, we have gotten so much better at that!

I also don't let people give me extra work just because I'm a girl. I don't care what anyone says, there are not "girl's jobs." It is not my job to clean the house, have a child, or do your laundry. Kingston showed how things that society considers "women's jobs" are really women's powers. When the woman warrior had a baby right on the battlefield, nothing could've evidenced a women's feminine power more. This is why Kingston spoke to me so much when she said "Do the women's work; then do more work, which will become ours too." Kingston is spot on when she says that women are asked to do more work, and then what was supposed to be a one time favor, turns into their permanent job. I have been there! There is nothing more frustrating than trying to be helpful, and then someone just hands the whole project over to you! She then goes on to talk about how husbands aren't expected to (and therefore usually don't) think about or make sacrifices for their wives and children first, saying; "Nobody supports me at the expense of his own adventure... I am not loved enough to be supported." This also really hit home for me because I live this situation every day. I am not always supported or listened to. I am given menial work so that someone else doesn't have to actually do their job. My experiences plus Kingston's, made me realize that the automatic delegating of the menial work to women, happens to so many of us!

With that, it was Kingston's response towards the conclusion that was the most powerful. It was extremely inspirational because it once again hit home for me. She said she "burn[s] the food when [she] cook[s]. [She does] not feed people. [She] let[s] the dirty dishes rot." I have also rebelled like this before because the best way to protest what you don't like is to STOP doing it! Kingston was expected to cook and clean so she just stopped doing it! Through this example, Kingston proved just how powerful and strong women can be - especially considering the courage it takes to stand up against societal expectations! So calling all my girls who are reading this; stop doing what you are expected to do and do what YOU WANT to do! Do what you want to do because you can - because femininity is a power!

A Postcard to Mindset

Dear Mindset, 

David Foster Wallace says that "the most obvious, ubiquitous, important realities are often the ones that are the hardest to see and talk about." He is referring to this "default setting" or... you Mindset. He goes on to talk about how the reality is that we all have this natural default setting that makes us self-centered and automatically see the worst in everything. He uses the very mundane, boring, and dull example of shopping at the supermarket after work to explain what he means. The character in this supermarket scenario is disgusted with and angry about everything they encounter in their shopping trip. The traffic is too crowded and slow, the bumper stickers are offensive and annoying, and the people are inconsiderate and stupid. That is the reality they created in their mind. Their mindset is super negative and they see everything as an inconvenience to them instead of thinking of others. 

I have always had this unparalleled ability to think negatively. I also realized I usually only think about my self-interests and not others' first. Wallace's message is that this is so natural to us, we don't even realize that we constantly think like this. I'm here to tell you today Mindset, that you don't own me anymore. You will not control me. I have the power to let you destroy my thoughts and perceptions, and in the process my happiness and generosity, but I also have the power to let you help me see the beauty in this world. Instead of a crowded supermarket, I will see a common gathering place that I am lucky enough to afford and go to. Instead of a really hard class, I will see an opportunity to learn and improve my skills. Instead of saying the person with the snarky comments is a jerk, I will think that maybe they are having a bad day first. 

Recently in my creative writing class we learned strategies to make our writing better. One that I had already used was "turn the mundane into the miraculous." This means taking the tiniest detail and turning it into a really interesting and exciting story. The same thing can be done with your mindset. Take your negative and irritated thoughts and attitude about the mundane, boring, and dull everyday occurrences, and turn them into them into something miraculous. Let your frustration fall on the route to the further supermarket where the bagger with autism works. Go in and give him a smile and some groceries to bag, because he likes that. Take your anger about your bad test grade, and let it give a tutor who needs the money a really good client. Do this, and the true miracle will be that you conquered your default setting and your negative mindset! Sorry, but not sorry Mindset. You're gonna have to put on a dress now because you are the beautiful in my mind now. 

Sincerely, 

Brenna 

Never Leave Pockets in the Truth

Sometimes a story is more accurate than facts. Presenting only facts about an experience, is boring, and creates pockets in the truth. You may get the setting, but nothing about the “feeling in the air” at the setting when the experience took place. You may get the people involved, but no descriptions about their reactions to the experience. O'Brien calls this happening-truth, and he chose to not write it because it isn't as true as what he calls story-truth, evidenced when he says; "I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth" (O'Brien 203). You see, happening-truths don't tell you about the terror in the soldier's eyes as he lie in his trench, or how the little girl jumped up and down when she saw Cinderella at Disney World. Story-truths give you the full... story. They tell you all the actions, dialogue, and emotions of the people involved in the experience. They even give you all the imagery details such as what you smelled, tasted, and touched while you were there. That is much more realistic and relatable than just facts! It’s also easier to believe, because how could anyone lie about something so profound? Facts alone, make the truth feel empty, but emotions make the truth significant. They make you feel the truth’s power and magnitude, because truth is only powerful when you get the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So never leave pockets in truth.