What are the critical elements that make us human? Do these elements transpond time and space, cultures and continents, communities, families? We breath the same air, occupy the same planet, live and die, but beyond these how similar are we? Genetics play a grand role in determining our human characteristics such as hair and eye color, stature, other physical traits along with many capabilities such as brainpower and physical dexterity. Our environment also plays a special role. Where we were born, the time frame, our parents and extended family begin us on our journey and then comes all of the other potential encounters and experiences. It is nature versus nurture and so much more.
Our humanity is influenced by the civilization in which we live, the morality and mortality factors that affect our lives and living, the human condition that surrounds us, and the variables of life. Humanity is also the characteristic that presents itself through our kindness, compassion, and sympathy for others. Having been brought up in a loving, two-parent home, with terrific sisters as role models, I was taught to love the out-of-doors and nature, physical fitness, and education, my family and friends, and to live with generosity and goodness toward others. Because my family likes each other, we can also love each other, forgiving the errors we make and embracing the wonders of family. I think this solid foundation of mutual respect set up much of the personal life I live now.
Because of my upbringing and experiences, I model my behavior in certain ways but I also know that others live differently and I work hard to accept that that is their right. While I feel relief that I never was put in a situation where I needed to consider an abortion, I respect that that is a decision that others might make. I live in a loving heterosexual relationship but I understand that others might desire to live in a different style. As a woman I have freedom to go and do and choose, but I realize that this is not true everywhere in the world and while this is hard to accept, I appreciate that other women live a different life. I embrace the freedoms that are provided to me in this country and see them as quite wonderful, but I realize that others live differently and that these freedoms appear altogether wrong. In my recognition of the variation of humans and their lifestyles, I believe I exemplify compassion and consideration to all humankind.
I found it interesting to read that some communities that have been overtaken by ISIS forces are quite content to have these soldiers present. One man stated that at least with ISIS there is no corruption and no greed and as long as he stays within their good graces, he lives a safe and secure life. The murders that surrounded him just seemed to be the way things are and he is neither alarmed nor particularly interested. He feels his life is in better shape under what I view as a reign of terror than his previous life, which I would also view as a life of terror. The article mentions the fact that ISIS and similar forces may win out in the end simply because citizens are satisfied with this less terroristic lifestyle and acceptance of current conditions.
This type of life and ideology are alien to me but if I am human and a true member of humanity, I must accept that for some, freedom is valued differently and is not necessarily the government and life choice they want. Who am I to judge? I do not live in these nations, I have not been brought up in these cultures, I have little understanding other than brief visits abroad, reading, and listening to the news. And so as a human, while I am willing to help and education, it is not my job to interfere with criticism or moral degradation. I am fortunate to live where and how I do, but it is not mine to subject upon others.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9111287
Saturday, 27 February 2016
Plausible Deniability
The political arena appears to be filling with multiple cases of plausible deniability. Having never heard this term until this pre-election year, I have noticed its use again and again. For example, when Trump stated that McCain was not a war hero, he utilized plausible deniability. Because McCain was captured, because he survived, because he returned to the United States to live a good life, Trump is free to deny him his hero status with the plausible reasoning stated that he was captured, survived, and returned alive. I suppose in Trump's mind, had McCain escaped or had he come back mentally and physically destroyed or had he died, then he could have been recognized as a champion and an idol.
Another example of plausible deniability is the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage. This right can be denied by those who find it unacceptable for multiple reasons such as poor court judges, the bible says it is wrong, and homosexuality is moral corruption. To some these are completely plausible reasons. For others, those who find the decision plausible and the deniability implausible, the court stayed true to its responsibilities in that the judges studied and discussed to make a wise decision, that the bible is a book among many and that there is a separation of church and state in this country, and that the court is not in charge of morality but rather dedicated to reading and translating the Constitution into modern situations while allowing for freedom of choice.
You can name just about any hot topic and one side or the other will come up with plausible deniability. While it is good to apply reasoning to support an opinion, there is also the breakpoint when it is time to move forward. Issues like abortion, Benghazi, and misuse of email cannot be resolved if a compromise agreement cannot be obtained. Instead fighting to fight takes precedence over intellectual rationality. Because of this repetitive cycle of accusations using the "old" facts to try to generate a new decision, a quagmire of contempt arises. Nothing can be solved or resolved.
Children love to use plausible deniability as an escape from punishment. Even though Sweetie has been told numerous times to not leave her cup on the edge of the table or it will spill, she continues her pattern. When it does come crashing to the floor shattering glass and shooting juice, she can rely on the safety of plausible deniability including reasons for the disaster such as "Brother wiggled the table" or "I forgot" or feigned tears of repentance and sorrow to shift the blame from her and the mess to outside forces.
Adolescents wallow in plausible deniability when a school report arrives at home decorated with failing grades. "The teacher never explains"; "Mrs. Smith lost my papers"; "Mr. Jones doesn't like me" and so on and so forth are handy justifications and explanations. Many parents fall into this trap making excuses for the child and laying culpability upon another. Sometimes this system works well, frustrating the education efforts of the teacher as he is forced to lower standards and accept administrative decrees to raise a grade. Baby is happy, the grade becomes acceptable, and the child recognizes the value and significance of his wailing trump. When you question school organization and the academic delivery it provides, stop to think about the plausible deniability instituted by some parents and students and you may have a different view of the problem. No, teachers are not faultless as many utilize their own plausible deniability too, "I taught it but students did not learn" being a prime example, but most teachers want their students to learn and succeed.
Plausible deniability is a sort of no-fault, fail-safe situation. When it is acknowledged as the best route, the safest choice, the wisest decision, intellectual reflection, analysis, and thinking are tossed right out of the door. This unending rational of innocence or undeserved attack demoralizes our morality as it obliterates our ability to seek the truth and live with compromise and decisions made for the greater good.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9114959
Another example of plausible deniability is the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage. This right can be denied by those who find it unacceptable for multiple reasons such as poor court judges, the bible says it is wrong, and homosexuality is moral corruption. To some these are completely plausible reasons. For others, those who find the decision plausible and the deniability implausible, the court stayed true to its responsibilities in that the judges studied and discussed to make a wise decision, that the bible is a book among many and that there is a separation of church and state in this country, and that the court is not in charge of morality but rather dedicated to reading and translating the Constitution into modern situations while allowing for freedom of choice.
You can name just about any hot topic and one side or the other will come up with plausible deniability. While it is good to apply reasoning to support an opinion, there is also the breakpoint when it is time to move forward. Issues like abortion, Benghazi, and misuse of email cannot be resolved if a compromise agreement cannot be obtained. Instead fighting to fight takes precedence over intellectual rationality. Because of this repetitive cycle of accusations using the "old" facts to try to generate a new decision, a quagmire of contempt arises. Nothing can be solved or resolved.
Children love to use plausible deniability as an escape from punishment. Even though Sweetie has been told numerous times to not leave her cup on the edge of the table or it will spill, she continues her pattern. When it does come crashing to the floor shattering glass and shooting juice, she can rely on the safety of plausible deniability including reasons for the disaster such as "Brother wiggled the table" or "I forgot" or feigned tears of repentance and sorrow to shift the blame from her and the mess to outside forces.
Adolescents wallow in plausible deniability when a school report arrives at home decorated with failing grades. "The teacher never explains"; "Mrs. Smith lost my papers"; "Mr. Jones doesn't like me" and so on and so forth are handy justifications and explanations. Many parents fall into this trap making excuses for the child and laying culpability upon another. Sometimes this system works well, frustrating the education efforts of the teacher as he is forced to lower standards and accept administrative decrees to raise a grade. Baby is happy, the grade becomes acceptable, and the child recognizes the value and significance of his wailing trump. When you question school organization and the academic delivery it provides, stop to think about the plausible deniability instituted by some parents and students and you may have a different view of the problem. No, teachers are not faultless as many utilize their own plausible deniability too, "I taught it but students did not learn" being a prime example, but most teachers want their students to learn and succeed.
Plausible deniability is a sort of no-fault, fail-safe situation. When it is acknowledged as the best route, the safest choice, the wisest decision, intellectual reflection, analysis, and thinking are tossed right out of the door. This unending rational of innocence or undeserved attack demoralizes our morality as it obliterates our ability to seek the truth and live with compromise and decisions made for the greater good.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9114959
Requiring Maturity For Big Rig Operators
A couple of summers ago, I had a dangerous run-in with a truck driver who should not have been behind the wheel of a big rig.
It happened when I was driving back to New York on Interstate 91, not far south of White River Junction, Vermont. I was in the passing lane, going past several cars that were traveling near the 65 miles per hour speed limit. I was probably doing between 70 and 75 mph myself, when the grill of an 18-wheeler took up my entire review mirror. The truck was about a foot off my rear bumper, where it stayed for several minutes as I passed the other vehicles.
I pulled into the right lane to let him go by once I was able, at which point the driver sent me a clear message by coming back into my lane when there was still about 20 feet of trailer yet to pass me. My choices were to pull onto the shoulder or let him knock me off the road. Luckily, I saw what was happening in time and safely moved over. I then exchanged looks with my wife, who, like me, could conceivably have been killed if I hadn't been paying enough attention.
We decided not to let the matter drop. I followed the truck driver - closely, but not too close - while calling out identifying characteristics to my wife, who contacted the state highway authorities. Over the course of the next 50 miles or so, the driver did his or her best to lose me. First the truck sped up to close to 85 mph, during which time I dropped back but kept it in sight. Then it slowed to about 30 to try to induce me to go past. I didn't.
My reward came around the time we went through Brattleboro. There, as we emerged from a construction zone (at which point the driver was behaving virtuously), a Vermont patrol vehicle was waiting in the median. As soon as the obnoxious semitrailer driver went past, the patrol car pulled out, turned on its flashers and pulled the 18-wheeler over for a roadside inspection.
I don't know what happened after that. I assume the driver received no sort of citation for his treatment of me, since the officer would not have seen the incident firsthand. But if the driver's logbook and other credentials were not in perfect order, I expect he or she did not have a very good afternoon.
An underage driver? I have no reason to think so. But one acting without the maturity and judgment necessary to be entrusted with a 40-ton machine? Absolutely.
Maturity doesn't always come with time, but it always takes time. Proponents of a congressional proposal to allow teenage truck drivers to operate across state lines within certain limits put a lot of people in peril when they lose sight of this.
The proposal in question is part of general highway legislation currently before the Senate, introduced by Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. If adopted, the legislation would amend a federal law that currently prohibits drivers under 21 from operating large trucks between states, even if state laws permit the teens to drive them. According to Bloomberg, 48 states currently allow younger drivers (between 18 and 21) to hold commercial licenses for intrastate commerce. (1) And as older drivers retire, industry researchers warn of a worsening driver shortage, which allowing younger drivers to operate across state lines might help address.
The new system would introduce a graduated licensing program for commercial drivers. The American Trucking Associations has thrown its support behind this idea. "Graduated licensing is proven and effective for reducing the risk of young drivers of passenger vehicles -millions of drivers have gotten their licenses this way - and it has been a top policy priority for many organizations, including some that are attacking Senator Fischer's proposal now," ATA's executive vice president, Dave Osiecki, said in a statement. (2)
Those attacks mainly focus on safety concerns. Jackie Gillan, the president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, has argued that statistics indicate young truck drivers are four to six times more likely than drivers over 21 to be involved in fatal crashes. Gillan argued that, instead of introducing graduated licensing, the Senate should consider cracking down on laws permitting drivers between 18 and 21 to operate large trucks within a state. (1)
We need good truck drivers, and a lot of teens need good jobs. Of this, I have no doubt. Allowing teenagers to drive trucks, however, does put a lot of people at risk, starting with the teenagers themselves. Anybody who lives in the Rocky Mountain West can tell you how easy it is for a semitrailer to jackknife across an interstate during a blizzard. And anybody who has seen it can tell you just how frightening it is.
Whether this proposal is the right path will depend on exactly what the proposed graduated licenses look like. Many states allow for graduated licensing for teens getting their first standard driver's license, moving from a permit (where the driver must be supervised at all times) to a provisional license, where a driver can operate alone only in certain conditions, such as during daylight hours or when driving directly to and from a job. The exact provisions vary between states, but they provide a useful guide for considering how a graduated commercial licensing program might work.
Let 18-year-olds drive big trucks, but let them do so only under the immediate personal supervision of a second, experienced driver. Maybe require that older drivers have a certification, or an endorsement of their safety record, to demonstrate the maturity necessary to supervise a younger operator this way. At first, maybe only allow such driving at certain hours of the day, or forbid it in weather conditions that would require the truck's lights or wipers.
Can a properly trained 18-year-old safely operate an 18-wheeler in broad daylight on a wide-open freeway in South Dakota? Sure. There is a lot to be said for providing that experience and bolstering the national truck fleet in the bargain.
But we don't need more immature truck drivers on our highways. It only takes one fit of pique or one lapse in attention to put lives at risk.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9116063
It happened when I was driving back to New York on Interstate 91, not far south of White River Junction, Vermont. I was in the passing lane, going past several cars that were traveling near the 65 miles per hour speed limit. I was probably doing between 70 and 75 mph myself, when the grill of an 18-wheeler took up my entire review mirror. The truck was about a foot off my rear bumper, where it stayed for several minutes as I passed the other vehicles.
I pulled into the right lane to let him go by once I was able, at which point the driver sent me a clear message by coming back into my lane when there was still about 20 feet of trailer yet to pass me. My choices were to pull onto the shoulder or let him knock me off the road. Luckily, I saw what was happening in time and safely moved over. I then exchanged looks with my wife, who, like me, could conceivably have been killed if I hadn't been paying enough attention.
We decided not to let the matter drop. I followed the truck driver - closely, but not too close - while calling out identifying characteristics to my wife, who contacted the state highway authorities. Over the course of the next 50 miles or so, the driver did his or her best to lose me. First the truck sped up to close to 85 mph, during which time I dropped back but kept it in sight. Then it slowed to about 30 to try to induce me to go past. I didn't.
My reward came around the time we went through Brattleboro. There, as we emerged from a construction zone (at which point the driver was behaving virtuously), a Vermont patrol vehicle was waiting in the median. As soon as the obnoxious semitrailer driver went past, the patrol car pulled out, turned on its flashers and pulled the 18-wheeler over for a roadside inspection.
I don't know what happened after that. I assume the driver received no sort of citation for his treatment of me, since the officer would not have seen the incident firsthand. But if the driver's logbook and other credentials were not in perfect order, I expect he or she did not have a very good afternoon.
An underage driver? I have no reason to think so. But one acting without the maturity and judgment necessary to be entrusted with a 40-ton machine? Absolutely.
Maturity doesn't always come with time, but it always takes time. Proponents of a congressional proposal to allow teenage truck drivers to operate across state lines within certain limits put a lot of people in peril when they lose sight of this.
The proposal in question is part of general highway legislation currently before the Senate, introduced by Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. If adopted, the legislation would amend a federal law that currently prohibits drivers under 21 from operating large trucks between states, even if state laws permit the teens to drive them. According to Bloomberg, 48 states currently allow younger drivers (between 18 and 21) to hold commercial licenses for intrastate commerce. (1) And as older drivers retire, industry researchers warn of a worsening driver shortage, which allowing younger drivers to operate across state lines might help address.
The new system would introduce a graduated licensing program for commercial drivers. The American Trucking Associations has thrown its support behind this idea. "Graduated licensing is proven and effective for reducing the risk of young drivers of passenger vehicles -millions of drivers have gotten their licenses this way - and it has been a top policy priority for many organizations, including some that are attacking Senator Fischer's proposal now," ATA's executive vice president, Dave Osiecki, said in a statement. (2)
Those attacks mainly focus on safety concerns. Jackie Gillan, the president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, has argued that statistics indicate young truck drivers are four to six times more likely than drivers over 21 to be involved in fatal crashes. Gillan argued that, instead of introducing graduated licensing, the Senate should consider cracking down on laws permitting drivers between 18 and 21 to operate large trucks within a state. (1)
We need good truck drivers, and a lot of teens need good jobs. Of this, I have no doubt. Allowing teenagers to drive trucks, however, does put a lot of people at risk, starting with the teenagers themselves. Anybody who lives in the Rocky Mountain West can tell you how easy it is for a semitrailer to jackknife across an interstate during a blizzard. And anybody who has seen it can tell you just how frightening it is.
Whether this proposal is the right path will depend on exactly what the proposed graduated licenses look like. Many states allow for graduated licensing for teens getting their first standard driver's license, moving from a permit (where the driver must be supervised at all times) to a provisional license, where a driver can operate alone only in certain conditions, such as during daylight hours or when driving directly to and from a job. The exact provisions vary between states, but they provide a useful guide for considering how a graduated commercial licensing program might work.
Let 18-year-olds drive big trucks, but let them do so only under the immediate personal supervision of a second, experienced driver. Maybe require that older drivers have a certification, or an endorsement of their safety record, to demonstrate the maturity necessary to supervise a younger operator this way. At first, maybe only allow such driving at certain hours of the day, or forbid it in weather conditions that would require the truck's lights or wipers.
Can a properly trained 18-year-old safely operate an 18-wheeler in broad daylight on a wide-open freeway in South Dakota? Sure. There is a lot to be said for providing that experience and bolstering the national truck fleet in the bargain.
But we don't need more immature truck drivers on our highways. It only takes one fit of pique or one lapse in attention to put lives at risk.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9116063
The Hidden Truth on How Israel Became a Nation
How was Israel really created is a question many have asked for the past few decades. It's stated that Israel was created on May 14th 1948, but the process would begin much earlier than that. Um el Aleq was a small vast village which was originally founded and created by el-Khouri a christian Arabic family. The land would then be purchased by Baron Edmond James de Rothschild in 1912-1913. During 1912 and 1913 Rothschild would create The Jewish Colonization Association which would manage the land for Rothschild as well as colonize it. The area was bought to create a Jewish Settlement from the Zichron Yaakov area to the property bought for the colony in Binyamina.
Later in 1914 the Ottoman buildings would be settled by Jewish farmers whom were sons from Zichron Yaakov, who gave their selves the name Gidonites. The sons would rename the land Givat Binyamina to honor Baron de Rothschild. They would lead the underground movement (NILI) which stood for "The eternity (God) of Israel will not Lie." The group was an Jewish espionage group which helped the United Kingdom fight the Ottoman Empire in Palestine during World War I.
In 1919 Rothschild would come back to the area and for the next three years Binyamina founders would be trained there. The settlers were fighters in the Hebrew Brigade whom would help drain swamps and help create farms throughout the area turning it into an agricultural master piece, despite the farm being abandoned in 1925.
In 1939 during the Stockade settlement operations, a band of Beitar members would create a new settlement by the name of Tel Tzur on the hill between Shuni and Ramat Hanadiv. (The Betar Movement was a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Riga, Latvia, by Vladimir Jabotinsky. Their Chapters started and grew across Europe, even during World War II.) The area they founded was quite isolated and would become an strategic site for military training as well as weapon practice. The military activities would come to a stop on August 16th, 1945 when the British army raided the Shuni and arrested members of the Irgun (A right-wing Conservative' Zionist organization founded in 1931. During the period when it was active (1937-48) they would carry out violent attacks on Arabs and Britons in its campaign to establish a Jewish state; it was disbanded after the creation of Israel in 1948.)
Shuni would be used as an operational base for many big military campaigns which included assaults on enemy ammunition stores and attacks on British Police stations. They would become most famous for the Acco Prison break on May 4th, 1947 where Israeli freedom fighters would be broken out of jail by their allies. The land is still under Israel control and is still a hotbed for enemy attacks by Arabic nations.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9117072
Later in 1914 the Ottoman buildings would be settled by Jewish farmers whom were sons from Zichron Yaakov, who gave their selves the name Gidonites. The sons would rename the land Givat Binyamina to honor Baron de Rothschild. They would lead the underground movement (NILI) which stood for "The eternity (God) of Israel will not Lie." The group was an Jewish espionage group which helped the United Kingdom fight the Ottoman Empire in Palestine during World War I.
In 1919 Rothschild would come back to the area and for the next three years Binyamina founders would be trained there. The settlers were fighters in the Hebrew Brigade whom would help drain swamps and help create farms throughout the area turning it into an agricultural master piece, despite the farm being abandoned in 1925.
In 1939 during the Stockade settlement operations, a band of Beitar members would create a new settlement by the name of Tel Tzur on the hill between Shuni and Ramat Hanadiv. (The Betar Movement was a Revisionist Zionist youth movement founded in 1923 in Riga, Latvia, by Vladimir Jabotinsky. Their Chapters started and grew across Europe, even during World War II.) The area they founded was quite isolated and would become an strategic site for military training as well as weapon practice. The military activities would come to a stop on August 16th, 1945 when the British army raided the Shuni and arrested members of the Irgun (A right-wing Conservative' Zionist organization founded in 1931. During the period when it was active (1937-48) they would carry out violent attacks on Arabs and Britons in its campaign to establish a Jewish state; it was disbanded after the creation of Israel in 1948.)
Shuni would be used as an operational base for many big military campaigns which included assaults on enemy ammunition stores and attacks on British Police stations. They would become most famous for the Acco Prison break on May 4th, 1947 where Israeli freedom fighters would be broken out of jail by their allies. The land is still under Israel control and is still a hotbed for enemy attacks by Arabic nations.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9117072
Advertising Reality
Why are we so easily fooled by advertising? I'd say most consumers are bright and aware and wise to the ways of marketing media, but still they buy shoes to make them faster, exercise machines to make them stronger, protein shakes to help them lose weight, and shirts with stripes aligned for a sleek, trim silhouette. Are the shoes, the machine, the drink, or the clothes what make us the shape we are? No, absolutely not. Even though these items might be beneficial to the body physique such as good, light-weight shoes that fit well can make our feet feel better and ready for walking and jogging to enhance health, the shoes themselves are not automatic nor self-motivated. It is the wearer who counts and who must do the work to reach success.
If you watch television very often you know how advertising softens our senses and sets us into buying mode. Do you need a burger right now? Probably not but that tantalizing hunk of meat topped with fresh vegetables, melted cheese, and gooey sauce is quite inviting and may force you from the lounger to those special, aforementioned shoes and into the care for a zip through the drive-through window for a carry-out bag of delicious, dripping with grease delight. Forget the lack of hunger or diet promises and live for the moment.
Advertising coerces us to purchases every item under the sun, 99% of which we do not need. Say, for example, you have a fairly new car that runs great and gets excellent mileage and then the hunky movie star waltzes onto your screen, smiling as he jangles the twinkling keys and slides into the smooth leather of a new ride. The idea starts to itch your brain as you gaze out the window at "Old Reliable" in the driveway. Easy financing, friendly service, and soothing voices beckon and guess what? Tomorrow you are at the car dealer signing up for a deal. Even when money is tight, auto dealers have a method to entice buyers with a "lower than your old payment" appeal and soon you are happily driving a revolving money pit as you ride the new car cycle again and establishing an always a new car lifestyle.
Advertising can be educational as facts are provided, photos are shared, actors and actresses offer feedback on vacations, homes, ways to travel, gardening supplies, job possibilities, and on and on. Advertising gurus are excellent at their trade and they know how to bend our heart and mind strings to get what they want us to want. If 97% of all Americans buy Product X, why would I want to be an outsider, a loner, and purchase something different. If I came out in public with the wrong make-up, wrong clothes, and wrong hair color, my life could become a disaster. And for some, especially those chased by the paparazzi this might be true, but certainly this is not my case.
I did hear a story recently, however, where the shoes would have made all of the difference. A young man had recently moved to a university city from England. At 6'7, 350 pounds he had been an amazing rugby player, one to be reckoned with based on size alone. Recruiting football coaches spied him and invited him to "walk-on" to the team. Going home and chatting with his dad he pointed out that he would need cleats, the special $150 type. His dad, unimpressed with his deal or his plea stated that the bargain store shoes would work just fine for this walk-on affair. Being 18 and aware of status and also a bit stubborn, the son refused the cheap shoes and so no walk-on arrangement arrived. Instead he waited a year for the football call to come around again and instead went to college with his dad's financial support. The next year coaches called again with shoes made available and while he was not a scholarship player until the following year, he then had a full ride to play and complete his education. A lot of money in the long term could have been saved with the purchases of those fancy cleats.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9124206
If you watch television very often you know how advertising softens our senses and sets us into buying mode. Do you need a burger right now? Probably not but that tantalizing hunk of meat topped with fresh vegetables, melted cheese, and gooey sauce is quite inviting and may force you from the lounger to those special, aforementioned shoes and into the care for a zip through the drive-through window for a carry-out bag of delicious, dripping with grease delight. Forget the lack of hunger or diet promises and live for the moment.
Advertising coerces us to purchases every item under the sun, 99% of which we do not need. Say, for example, you have a fairly new car that runs great and gets excellent mileage and then the hunky movie star waltzes onto your screen, smiling as he jangles the twinkling keys and slides into the smooth leather of a new ride. The idea starts to itch your brain as you gaze out the window at "Old Reliable" in the driveway. Easy financing, friendly service, and soothing voices beckon and guess what? Tomorrow you are at the car dealer signing up for a deal. Even when money is tight, auto dealers have a method to entice buyers with a "lower than your old payment" appeal and soon you are happily driving a revolving money pit as you ride the new car cycle again and establishing an always a new car lifestyle.
Advertising can be educational as facts are provided, photos are shared, actors and actresses offer feedback on vacations, homes, ways to travel, gardening supplies, job possibilities, and on and on. Advertising gurus are excellent at their trade and they know how to bend our heart and mind strings to get what they want us to want. If 97% of all Americans buy Product X, why would I want to be an outsider, a loner, and purchase something different. If I came out in public with the wrong make-up, wrong clothes, and wrong hair color, my life could become a disaster. And for some, especially those chased by the paparazzi this might be true, but certainly this is not my case.
I did hear a story recently, however, where the shoes would have made all of the difference. A young man had recently moved to a university city from England. At 6'7, 350 pounds he had been an amazing rugby player, one to be reckoned with based on size alone. Recruiting football coaches spied him and invited him to "walk-on" to the team. Going home and chatting with his dad he pointed out that he would need cleats, the special $150 type. His dad, unimpressed with his deal or his plea stated that the bargain store shoes would work just fine for this walk-on affair. Being 18 and aware of status and also a bit stubborn, the son refused the cheap shoes and so no walk-on arrangement arrived. Instead he waited a year for the football call to come around again and instead went to college with his dad's financial support. The next year coaches called again with shoes made available and while he was not a scholarship player until the following year, he then had a full ride to play and complete his education. A lot of money in the long term could have been saved with the purchases of those fancy cleats.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9124206
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)