An Expose' of Barnumian Activities

P. T. Barnum was credited with saying, "There's a sucker born every minute."  This rings true when it is put into context, examined for what it means.

There is a major business activity called marketing, within marketing is a subset of activities called advertising, and within advertising there is a major amount of skulduggery going on.

Some advertisers are so adept at appealing to our senses that we are swept into buying whatever they offer.  They understand that there is always a major segment of the population that is inexperienced and ignorant of the basic facts surrounding a product or service; and it is to this naivete' that they pander.  Go into any superstore and you are bombarded with this mind bending propaganda all of which is aimed at satisfying one, or more, of your appetites.  Let your imagination return to the last time you were in such a store.

There are many examples of this and some of us unwittingly fall into the snare while others, grossly uninformed, take whatever the advertiser says as factual.  The fulfillment of appetites is major pitfall for us and a major opportunity for advertisers.  It is seen on screen and in print; an attractive model, a big juicy hamburger, a sweaty cold glass of beer or soda, a scantily clad woman.  All of the messages are the same, satisfy your image/ hunger/ thirst/ impulses.

Then there are the insidious campaigns that undermine reason and cause the inexperienced and naive to fall into addictive traps.  Tobacco and alcohol are legitimate products that are addictive and the advertising promises minor euphoria when the product is used.  Drugs are not openly advertised but the marketing campaign is the same, unpublished but fully extant.

Pharmaceutical companies marketing Oxycontin are an example.  By convincing doctors who can prescribe this drug of it's pain remedy and it's safety, they have created the monster of Opioid addiction that is causing a major problem in our society.  People of high stature have been "hooked" on these and subjected to shame when their dependency is made public.  There are, I dare say, millions of people so addicted.

Vapors of nicotine supplied by an "electronic cigarette" are now being foisted upon young and inexperienced users.  This product is plainly targeting the young and naive while the manufacturers insist that they are providing a safe alternative to tobacco.  These users will come to their senses years later, as have many tobacco users, only to find out that they suffer from respiratory damage that can't be repaired.

Beer and whiskey proclaim the benefits of ingredients, aging, color and taste but in the final analysis, alcohol is a poison.  It is addictive and this addiction has affected more people than all of the other drugs combined.

The operating environment that allows this consists of inexperience, naivete', and impulse.  There are so many examples of it that a definitive list of them would be endless.  It is basically, try it you'll like it.  And it is aimed at every impulse we have, be it satisfying a sweet tooth, looking good, relieving a sexual pressure, or seeking euphoria.

Most people succumb to the message of the panderers.  Some use and then refuse further involvement but others get trapped into addiction; it is this segment that the scoundrels are targeting.  The marketers know full well that what they are doing will destroy people and do it anyway.  They know in their heart of hearts what they are doing is evil but will not stop because they too are addicted, to greed.

There is no law that can be effective against addiction.  Our drug, tobacco, and alcohol regulations hardly slow it down.  Prohibition of alcohol was a complete failure; taxation opens the door to government revenue but also smuggling and bootlegging, attempts to  avoid the tax.

The only remedy is getting experience, knowledge, and discipline upon which one can rely to make decisions about what one does to satisfy needs; in two words, personal responsibility.  It doesn't sound like much fun but physical addiction and permanent damage to one's body isn't much fun either.  We see addicts and don't make the connection that it is even possible for us to become addicted; only to wake up in a filthy flop house one day; or even worse, not wake up at all.

(There's a long list of products that marketers have foisted upon the consuming public, not the least of which is body wash.  A bar of soap lasts for several months, little by little it is used to remove dirt and other unwanted substances from the body.  That was not good enough for those selling cleansing products so they invented body wash, diluted soap, a container of which lasts several weeks.  Voila!  Higher sales, more profit provided by the stupidity of the consumer.)