How is Brainwashing Changing Your Mind?

According to Cambridge dictionary brainwashing is a method of altering your way of thinking. Is it good? I am beginning to think it is...sometimes. 

Portland, Oregon has joined The Joy Team sign company and is putting up billboards with a positive and, according to the news, effective way to influence people's state of mind. One sign here in PDX is located on Sandy Boulevard. It says, "You are freaking awesome!"  I love that one so much.

The Joy Team uses this one on their website.

Seeing this sign every morning on a commute to work would have to make you smile and feel good about yourself, even if you didn't know why.

I took this picture of a cigarette display as I was walking through the airport in Denmark this spring. It stopped me in my tracks. EVERY package across that country has a warning like this. The user is prevented from seeing a different massage no matter where they go. That my friends is the definition of a brainwash. In this case, I think it is a good use of the practice.

Incidentally I took this photo in Denmark airport this last spring.

I liked that their warning was bigger than the logo on the package. Not only do cigarettes kill, they damage your sperm, ruin your skin and kill the people around you. If you were a smoker, those warning have to make an impression.

Are there bad or even evil uses for brainwashing? You can bet your life. News networks get inside our heads. We need to be very careful to watch all the viewpoints. The advertising industry has figured it out I think. But sometimes I need to say "yes" to a campaign or sign. How about you?

Have a wonderful day.

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Adsense: Does Just Breathing Count?

I know the title might be a little misleading but I do just wonder about things. For example, I was looking at my Adsense earnings today. The money part of blogging has ceased to mean a thing to me but once in a while I check to see what is happening. Here is how it has been going...

I looked for FITBIT bands...
now that is all I see in
the ads! I am sorry I didn't buy
from you but the ads were everywhere. :)

The real people that actually stop and read anything is not much but I do get between 500 and 600 hits per day. Of those people a few really care about what I have written. A few of those that read are also taken by the ads in the sidebar...the trouble is every blog or website they go to will probably show the same ads so the chances of anyone clicking on my ads drops to the minus column. Personally, I did a search for a particular type of skirt I want. Now, no matter where I am on the web, that skirt shows up in the ads. I am assuming that this happens with everyone.

However, on those days my traffic drops, the income will go up. I find that extremely strange!

Even today, when I doubt anyone has clicked on an ad, I have earned a few pennies. So the question is "does just breathing count?" Do I earn income even though no one has clicked an ad or has someone seen an item that catches their interest and clicked...then I earned 4 cents? I wonder.

Now as far as Amazon is concerned, I do know that someone has to buy something on the main part of the page they do in a Amazon search. Those ads at the bottom earn Amazon money and I won't see a penny of it ever. As far as Amazon is concerned, I don't even exist unless someone buys something. Going to the website through my blog does NOT earn me or any blogger money. In their case, breathing does not count.

Any thoughts on the subject?

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TV Commercials: Who are those people anyway?

I would go see Rodolph Valentine

See, I never do this. I am not a person that wishes for the old days or even thinks about them.  But I want the old movie posters back. I have begun to notice that I don't know what name belongs to what famous people. I used to know everyone. Now I remember the face but have not name to go with it.  Has that happened to you?  Remember when the poster for a new movie appeared in theaters, the names of the stars and co-stars were featured at the top. Starring Jimmy Stewart and Sophia Loren it would way. I liked that...I decided to see the movie or not based on the star power of the people on the poster because I knew who they were.  Now, I cannot even figure out who is in the movie and suspect that the company releasing the film is hiding something.  I guess I am just suspicious.   Please, just tell me their name, preferably in large print.

Being of an age (70 years old) that young people would call old is bad enough.  But now I don't know who that guy is in the McDonald's commercial...the one standing behind the young man telling him to buy the nugget basket to share with the pretty girl across the room.   If I were getting the right information I would know who everyone was.   It could be that I should be focusing on the young man and the girl and the chicken nuggets but all I can think about is the older guy giving the advice.  Is he famous?  Do I know him?

Really, people, I do realize that face recognition is important but should it be a test?  Please don't make me guess about who is who and why I should know them. Make them wear name tags or something.

While we're on it, if you are going to play a beautiful song with a commercial, one I recognize but cannot name, tell me that too.  It is getting so I need to do an internet search to even watch car commercials.

So there you have it...let me recap:

• List the stars in movies on the advertising in large print.
• Tell me who the famous people are in the commercials...I missed the memo and need to know.
• Put the name of the song and the person performing it in small large print at the bottom of the commercial.

Have a wonderful day.

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