Breaking the Magic

Ba-zillions of dollar are spent by companies each year to compel the consumers of America that their products are truly necessary. After years of television, marketing experts have honed their craft to a point of magic. The know how to cast spells on the bulk of humanity. And it seems that those spells are pretty effective.

I find most of this bewitching to be pretty hilarious. I'm probably not the only one.

I just watched a hair dye commercial. I myself could be considered a candidate for such a product. I'm not that old, but my hair is a nearly-black color, and the white hairs seem to be multiplying around the sides. (oddly, and annoyingly enough - the white ones actually grow faster than the dark ones. Which, for my monthly hair buzzing means that I have little white wings protruding all over the place.) My hair is beginning the graying process, and people are starting to notice - and verbalizing it to me.

So I am in that target group - the still young guy who is suddenly becoming gray niche. This and many commercials could grab me. They don't.

For me, I break the magic through one or two methods.

1. When I watch a commercial, I ask myself "What is the literal message that the imagery would lead me to believe." or "What is being visually communicated."

2. I often ask these questions and watch the commercial with the volume muted. This way I can focus on what the images are telling me, rather than being told about the product. Most commercials are selling a feeling or an idea - and the product is tied to that emotion.

So - for instance - tonight I watched a few commercials in this way. The most stunningly ridiculous was in fact....the hair dye bit.

An unhappy, frowning man with some gray hair applies the product. Suddenly, there is a gorgeous, significantly younger, nymphomaniacle women who is all over him. He's now happy, desirable and he takes her to his home where he is tackled on the bed by her - breasts pressing him down - as he turns off the lights. Implied sex ensues.

Real message of commercial: Our product will get you sex with hot women.

Of course - that's not what the product is for. That's just what the subtext of the product is saying. That's the emotion they're appealing to. "This product will make you more desirable, it will make you feel younger, and look younger."

So what, you say. That's consumerism. Well, what's really going on isn't a positive. Here's why.

I think that much of our consumerism is built upon the foundation of fear. Think about this for a moment. How many products could you name that are targeted to counter just these 3 fears/concerns?

1. Reduced attractiveness/desirability
2. Physical Signs of Aging
3. Unhealthy Habits/Lifestyles

With just those three, I'll bet you'd fill a sheet of paper if you watched an average day's TV and kept a running list. It's amazing!

Here's my profound caveat: The problem is the solution.

The solution that these commercials offer is problematic. They address deep, broadly felt and very much real fears. People are aging. Our culture does have an unhealthy value on looking right. We do judge people by their sexual desirability. We do become sick. Some of us do need more money. We are overweight and unheathy. We're bored. We have serious medical conditions. We will disappoint, deteriorate, and die.

But the solutions these products offer up against those fears are, at best, superficial. They don't deal with the real problem - just the external perceptions. The problem isn't that my hair is gray, the problem is that my life is short, and these white hairs are a visible sign that my time is running out.

What I'm afraid is happening is that we are deluding ourselves. We think that these products can somehow save us from the real issues. And distracting yourself from a real problem through a temporary and superficial solution is no solution at all.

I am getting older. (So are you!) I could spend my mental energies, money and time seeking solutions to fight that. (hair dye, diet pills, cosmetic surgery..etc) But if that's been my focus, it still won't change that reality. What it will do is prevent me from asking better questions.

Questions like: What legacy will I lead my children? What am I doing today that will outlast me - have a positive effect on future generations. What things, if I don't do them now, will I wish I had done when I am old. Have I considered my eternal destiny - God, faith, and the afterlife? What are the most important things - what should I live for? What AM I living for now?! Will I have regrets based on the way I am living now?

But we aren't asking those questions. We're spellbound. Bewitched by the empty promises we see played out before us. Our hearts are captured by the possibility of being cool, or being found sexy. We're worried that we're looking more wrinkled, fatter, older. (we are) I could be more significant with a new car, a new technology toy. I could save a few dollars with this offer, this company, this product. I could be seen as younger, cooler, wiser, wealthier, smarter, happier if only I...

Snap out of it! Happiness is never found in externals but in eternals. And life is definitely not in what other people think of those externals. Decode those slick tricks, those crafted commercials. Watch them with the volume off. (better yet just turn them off!) Evaluate their promises. They're absurd.

No. Find out what will last, seek God, seek eternity, seek real life, seek wisdom to live today. Life is now - but it might not be tomorrow. Make the most of it. Turn off the TV and live what you've got.

I'm letting my grays show. They're real, and they are reminders. (My wife thinks they're sexy!)