I just took the Kingdomality Test. Over the past ten years or so I've taken the Kingdomality Test either three or four times (including today's test). I am a shepherd; here's what they have to say about me:
"Your distinct personality, The Shepherd is to tend to your human flock. You understand the needs of those for whom you are responsible. Shepherds are vigilant and reliable. You realize your obligation and commitment to the well being of those entrusted to your care. Shepherds are very dependable. You engender a feeling of comfort and stability to those within your charge. On the positive side, Shepherds can be empathic, caring, understanding, practical and realistic. On the negative side, you may be manipulative, close-minded and sentimentally rigid. Interestingly, your preference is just as applicable in today's corporate kingdoms."
What's your medieval vocational personality?
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
We Are Being Raped Every Day
I was chatting with a buddy today, and he gave me an analogy that I think is worthwhile: we are being raped every day of our lives by advertisers.
From Wikipedia: "In criminal law, rape is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with another person without that person's consent." I'll submit to you now that it is true we are not all being forced into physical, sexual intercourse. But consider this: every day (if not every hour or even more frequently) we are unavoidably subject to advertising that is meant to stimulate us into purchasing a product or service, and to effect that goal advertisments must be noticed and sufficiently pleasurable so as to cause us to pay attention and be stirred to fill a perceived need by the product or service being offered. With the exception of copulation, this sounds suspiciously like the legal definition of rape according to Wikipedia.
Advertisements are everywhere you go: all over the internet, on the TV, on the radio, on signs and billboards, in the movies, in books, on DVDs, in your software, in your magazines, in your newspapers, on your doorstep, in your e-mail, in your postal service mailbox, and even in the bathroom stalls. You can hardly do anything or go anywhere without being subject to an advertisement of some form in some way. It's invasive and it's forced since in many instances you cannot avoid them.
Advertisements are meant to cause pleasure. In some form or fashion your brain is rewarded by an advertisement that catches your interest. If your reward pathways and pleasure centers weren't stimulated by an advertisement then you'd find little to no interest in what was being offered. If you really want to get scared, find some information about "neuromarketing" and ask yourself what kind of potential this has to effect our society. Also consider the promised pleasure of receiving whatever it is that you're buying. Receiving something new or even novel stimulates the pleasure centers in the brain as well.
Studies have shown that spending money causes stimulation in the pain centers of the brain! When you pay money your brain is stimulated as if you were being physically hurt. You are being compelled to hurt yourself through the reward of pleasure. Humans, with a natural drive to seek and experience pleasure, have historically done as was natural and pleasured themselves with buying products and services. Humans have ignored the economic ramifications (pain!) of unplanned spending and the level of debt for most people is a reflection of this. I speculate this is because of the pleasure offered as the reward and the lack of forward thinking of the pain. I also speculate that if a person saw the personal, financial ramifications of their spending along side the pleasure-inducing advertisement for what they want to buy then many purchases would not get made.
In the end I conclude that advertisers are assaulting consumers with the imminent threat of pain (biochemical and possibly economic) by enticing consumers with forced pleasure through the exposure of advertisements that cannot be avoided into spending money on their products. We are being raped every day by advertisements, and most of the time we don't even realize it.
I feel like I need to take a shower.
From Wikipedia: "In criminal law, rape is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with another person without that person's consent." I'll submit to you now that it is true we are not all being forced into physical, sexual intercourse. But consider this: every day (if not every hour or even more frequently) we are unavoidably subject to advertising that is meant to stimulate us into purchasing a product or service, and to effect that goal advertisments must be noticed and sufficiently pleasurable so as to cause us to pay attention and be stirred to fill a perceived need by the product or service being offered. With the exception of copulation, this sounds suspiciously like the legal definition of rape according to Wikipedia.
Advertisements are everywhere you go: all over the internet, on the TV, on the radio, on signs and billboards, in the movies, in books, on DVDs, in your software, in your magazines, in your newspapers, on your doorstep, in your e-mail, in your postal service mailbox, and even in the bathroom stalls. You can hardly do anything or go anywhere without being subject to an advertisement of some form in some way. It's invasive and it's forced since in many instances you cannot avoid them.
Advertisements are meant to cause pleasure. In some form or fashion your brain is rewarded by an advertisement that catches your interest. If your reward pathways and pleasure centers weren't stimulated by an advertisement then you'd find little to no interest in what was being offered. If you really want to get scared, find some information about "neuromarketing" and ask yourself what kind of potential this has to effect our society. Also consider the promised pleasure of receiving whatever it is that you're buying. Receiving something new or even novel stimulates the pleasure centers in the brain as well.
Studies have shown that spending money causes stimulation in the pain centers of the brain! When you pay money your brain is stimulated as if you were being physically hurt. You are being compelled to hurt yourself through the reward of pleasure. Humans, with a natural drive to seek and experience pleasure, have historically done as was natural and pleasured themselves with buying products and services. Humans have ignored the economic ramifications (pain!) of unplanned spending and the level of debt for most people is a reflection of this. I speculate this is because of the pleasure offered as the reward and the lack of forward thinking of the pain. I also speculate that if a person saw the personal, financial ramifications of their spending along side the pleasure-inducing advertisement for what they want to buy then many purchases would not get made.
In the end I conclude that advertisers are assaulting consumers with the imminent threat of pain (biochemical and possibly economic) by enticing consumers with forced pleasure through the exposure of advertisements that cannot be avoided into spending money on their products. We are being raped every day by advertisements, and most of the time we don't even realize it.
I feel like I need to take a shower.
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