What-if?

RED PILL OR BLUE PILL?


3:05 CHOICE IS AN ILLUSION

We are viewing Momento tomorrow, which stars Carrie-Anne Moss (TRINITY) and Joe Pantoliano (CYPHER).

Need I say more? It's time for another Matrix themed post (revisiting the pill scene Emma mentioned in one of her earlier blog posts).

Much like Kindred, being a work of science-fiction allows for The Matrix to push norms. It is chock-full of philosophical references that challenge the viewer's perception of reality, freedom, and choice (just to name a few). If you haven't seen it yet, I strongly recommend it. For those who haven't, here's some quick info about the movie (from IMDb because I couldn't summarize the film. Stuff in parenthesis from myself): A computer hacker (Neo) learns from mysterious rebels (Morpheus & Co.) about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers (man vs machine!).

The first clip is from the first movie. Morpheus offers Neo a choice. The blue pill allows him to continue on his merry way living under an illusion, under the "reality" that has been accepted. The red pill allows him to follow Morpheus' path and gain consciousness of the confines of the Matrix, which is a stimulation of the world as we know it. In another scene, another character, Cypher regrets choosing the red pill and would have rather lived in ignorance.

I was probably around ten when I saw the Matrix for the first time, and though I didn't understand most of it, the pill scene stuck with me. I wondered: what would I do if I were given the choice? Would I take the risk of having my life change, unknowingly for better or worse, and become aware of a truth that cannot be forgotten or would I rather return to my daily life despite knowing that everything is a lie. The characters we've encountered in our readings didn't have Neo's right to choice. For example, in Kindred, Dana couldn't control the force that threw her back in time and in the rest of the texts, fate seems to dictate the characters' actions. Just as many of us wrote of not having choice in our blogs, the chance to make a real choice for ourselves is a weighty rarity. As I mentioned in my blog on Cat's Cradle, I would rather pull the wool over my eyes than see a blinding sight. Some would say that my choice is "cowardly," but I ask, do you really want to know if our reality isn't what we believe it is? Do you really want to doubt the meaning of your existence? Do you really want to know the Truth?

I question reality. Life sometimes doesn't feel "real," as if things are sometimes too smooth, too familiar. Some days unfold as if written out, and other days feel like repeats. I would like to believe that I'm the protagonist of my own story that the world, if it isn't an organic matter, is something that is created around my existence. It sounds cocky, I know. BUT, I mean it more in the sense that if everything is an illusion, I rather be at the core, to be part of the reason and not just a dispensable filler. I just want to live in a reality that allows me to feel significant, and even if we are unaware of a greater Truth, then I rather NOT know what it is if it detracts from my sense of self. I fear knowing too much of the unknown. I don't mind challenging what feels constrictive, but there is always that shadow of doubt and fear that I have that there exists unthinkable, life-changing knowledge so immense that you cannot disbelieve it. Then, there wouldn't be a choice to forget and live on merrily as Morpheus claims the blue pill allows. In a way, Neo never even had a real choice since both options follow the path of discovering a greater consciousness.

This is idea of a no-choice-choice is strengthened in the second clip, which is from the Matrix Reloaded. The Merovingian uses causality to prove that contrary to what Morpheus says, choice is an illusion. Every action is an effect of a cause, whether or not you can trace the direct correlations. With this approach, choice is a lie. There is no choice. The choice you think you made on accord of your "free will" and "independence" is just a ripple in the water.

Thank you media

Lately, it seems that many of the class discussions and blog posts have concentrated on a false sense of advertising by the media. As the semester is winding down, I have thought about the path our class has taken, and our own interests truly have determined the syllabus. So much material has been covered in such little time. It is important not to forget the different “worlds” we have been introduced to.

I am beginning to get my final paper together, and as abstract as it sounds, I will be using Area 51. This is a military property outside of Las Vegas, which has been top secret for decades. The purpose of this military base has been questioned for as long as it has been there. It is famous for both the rumored research of alien folklore and testing new military technology that the world is yet to see. Nobody knew for sure until lately when the government had released results of tests and experiments on military equipment, mostly aircraft.

False advertising has been around for as long as production has started. In the early developments of this country, people were still deciding which materials were best to use in their ships, what food to eat, etc. All of these were still run by companies advertising that one was better than the rest.

Area 51 was falsely advertised by the media. One man claimed to see something in the air, and assumed it was a UFO, the next thing we know the site is claimed to be researching extraterrestrial life. Not only is it interesting to see how the media blows up a simple mistaken identification, but also how people are so easily fooled by it. It is fair to say that there are still many out there who believe the Area 51 site was used to research life beyond our planet. Thanks to the media, the hope is still alive for those who think there is such thing as life beyond our planet.

Fashion

Fashion magazines and advertisements are manipulative as a whole within our society. I brought the Vogue magazine into class as a prime example of these manipulations mostly because of my knowledge of the fashion industry. In the riveting documentary The September Issue, the viewer follows Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour as she prepares for the highly desired and anticipated September issue of the magazine. What we learn from this documentary is that Wintour has the entire fashion industry in the palm of her hand—her choices for what is fashionable are displayed in the magazines and are what models, designers, girls, women, and a large chunk of society aim for. The fashion industry is also famous for its advertisements that are full of lanky, tall, beautiful, “perfect” women who readers are supposed to strive to become. In reality, it is something like 2% of women who are this size, and if one watches the Dove evolution video, they can see how fabricated the entire industry is. We can say however, that the advertisement editors do have some impressive photoshop skills.

The other video I attached is on the same page and it shows how women put on make up- it shows the viewer how much is used over the course of the year for a “natural look.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUTnyUhynC0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hibyAJOSW8U

Product Placement

Have you ever noticed how in a lot of recent movies, all of the characters have iPhones and use MacBooks? And scenes are shot at specific angles to make the apple insignia obvious? This, in my opinion, is an especially sneaky way of advertising. Nothing is directly telling you 'here are the reasons why you should buy our excellent product!' but just showing the images could send subliminal messages to the audience.

I confess that I saw Breaking Dawn, the new Twilight movie, over Thanksgiving break. Out of all the ridiculous moments in that movie, one that really bothered me was that Edward Cullen had an iPhone. I mean, why would a vampire need an iPhone? Is he really going to sit around using all those fancy apps, playing Angry Birds in his spare time while Bella is sleeping, beating his vampire siblings in Words with Friends, and updating his Facebook status? Can't he just use any old cell phone, if all he ever does with it is call people? Nevertheless, Apple paid a lot of money to have their products shown in the movie, because if Edward Cullen has an iPhone, then millions of preteen girls might subconsciously conclude that they should have one, too.

I've noticed Apple products making their way into many recent movies, but this was the most obvious and silly example I could think of. Sure, it makes sense for a fairly well-to-do character in a movie to have a MacBook. I can accept that, although it still annoys me that they blatantly show the apple insignia. But a vampire using an iPhone? I'm pretty sure there's no app for bloodsucking.

Organic Industry, Trader Joes and Five Guys

So I neglected to post my mediated artifact discussion before break. Yet, the week of break proved enlightening in respect to my topic, the organic industrial complex that I displayed in class with a bottle of kombucha raw tea. In class, I showed how kombucha is marketed as a miracle drink, an elixir filled with things that sound alluring like “organic acids and aminos,” “electrolytes,” and “probiotics and detoxifiers.” My purpose was to show that organic brands can be just as misleading and overwhelming in their advertising as the traditional food giants like Nabisco, General Mills, etc.

Organic brands usually sell a lifestyle. They tend to associate themselves with active, toxic free living, whatever that means. Another common theme is a sort of American dream rags to riches story and a dream of bringing the gift of quality food to the masses. The kombucha bottle I brought in has one of these stories. “G.T. Dave began bottling kombucha in 1995 from his mother’s kitchen. He had no business plan, just a desire to share his gift with anybody who could benefit from it.” Organic brands also like to frequently point out that they are the little guys, even if this is not the case. The kombucha bottle illustrates this perfectly. “Although G.T.’s kombucha has grown from its humble beginnings, he remains committed to expanding the company gradually and organically, never sacrificing quality for the sake of profits.” This seems very nice and all and I don’t think it’s unfair for the company to advertise this way. However, upon closer inspection, the kombucha that I purchased is made by Millennium Products, INC in Beverly Hills, CA of all places. That doesn’t sound like G.T Dave to me. At best, this is misleading. The company behind the massively successful CLIF bars shares a similar story of pursuing the dream of a perfect granola bar that would provide energy for road biking adventures, doing so by crafting granola bars in mother’s kitchen. I find these stories very amusing actually. It’s amazing how consistent all these brands are.

I think I should note that why I am critical of their advertising, I thoroughly enjoy these products and often select them. I am in no way immune to their advertising either. I believe I am better informed than most but still not immune. I remember this when I fork out twice or thrice as much for a clif bar vs a nature valley bar. My wallet certainly doesn’t appreciate it but I definititely experience a certain placebo effect when I choose a product like a CLiF bar or a Naked juice instead of a candy bar or a soda. They make me feel better, more energetic, even if the actual results may be significantly less.

So I said that an extra week gave me insight towards the topic. Why, you may ask? Well, for the most part its because I arrived home to find that my mom has become a trader joe addict. Everywhere I looked, I was bombarded by another Trader Joe replacement to a product my family used to buy at Hannafords. Peanut butter, bread, meat, the freezer especially. My personal favorite, however, is the French artisan handsoap in the bathroom. That stuff smells really good. As you can tell, I enjoyed the change on the whole. Most of the Trader Joes products are delicious in my experience. However, Trader Joes is perhaps the pinnacle or mecca of the sort of little guy success stories I spoke of above. Quite frankly, a visit to Trader Joes can get a bit overwhelming. I went to Trader Joes with my mother over break and found it to be just that, overwhelming. There were just too many products that I wanted to buy. I could have spent the whole morning shopping. Why? Because their advertising is unrivaled. For the niche of shoppers they attract, their cute packaging and incessant use of the words “organic” and “natural” are deadly. No wonder they keep growing nationally.

The other enlightening thing I learned over bread has little to do with organic. However, it does involve food and a company that has been growing like weeds. I’m speaking, of course, of Five Guys. We have one in my hometown now. Its awesome.

Yay

Me, Myself, and I

There is a force inside of all of us that drives us in a certain direction. Its that little voice inside your head deciding for you before you can decide for yourself. Its when you find yourself acting without thinking, without knowing what lie ahead. For some people this voice is influenced by family, others friends, and some religion; there are of course other more specific elements for certain individuals. I feel as though it is a combination of sorts. A combination of where you came from, who you grew up around, and most of all what you believe in. In my case I bow down to two voices, one in my head the other in my heart. Most of what comes from my heart is what I've learned through the years is right and wrong, and what can be successful and unsuccessful. However it is not always the educated decisions that produce the greatest end result. Sometimes one must follow their heart to a certain destination. For me my heart bases decisions on my religion, Christianity, and I am reminded of my religion and belief by a certain artifact; my necklace, more specifically my cross. It reminds me to think of more than just myself in regards to the outcome of my decisions. Even if there is no personal gain to be had it may not be necessary to reach the most positive outcome. What do you do though when you have both these voices arguing in your head? Is there any way to make the right decision all the time? The answer is no, I cannot make the right decision all the time and that is for a good reason. With failure comes knowledge and with knowledge comes a positive future. Every wrong choice I make, whether it is from my heart or my head, aids me in making better future decisions. The key thing is to never get down on yourself for making a mistake, embrace it, learn from it. Even after 19 years I still do not know whose opinion to trust, my head or my hearts, but I am confident that one day in the future I will understand how to take both sides and create the ultimate conclusion.

The Conspirators

Sorting through countless movies, trying to decide which to watch, my cousin and I came across one that I had never heard of: The Conspirators. The trailer and movie description presented it as the real story behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The movie presents eight potential accomplices of John Wilkes Booth, who are each tried in aiding in the assassination of the President. Although we didn’t watch the movie, the story the trailer tells has remained in the front of my mind. What interested me were the historic alterations; The Conspirators didn’t necessarily make me consider the validity of Lincoln’s assassination, but rather the validity of history in general. As we all probably recognize by now, everyone is shaped by their surroundings, and the past was no different. People’s choices are influenced by others, or current events, just as we saw in Kindred; by today’s understanding, those living in the 1800’s had a skewed perception of race, but at the time, slavery was standard.

Because we recognize how our surroundings influence decisions, and how the past shapes the present, it seems expected that we are intrigued by “what ifs” and “could have beens.” Why else would Hollywood spend the time and money to produce a movie like The Conspirators if not to capitalize on our desire to think about how one miniscule change in history could severely alter lives today? We are intrigued by movies like The Conspirators or The Butterfly Effect seemingly by natural curiosity, but the movie industry knows how to magnify this curiosity in order to make the movie successful. Trailers depict excitement, romance, plot twists, humorous scenes, favorite actors, good music and more to attract a wide variety of audiences. If assembled correctly, a trailer can make any movie look good, no matter the topic. I strongly dislike history as a subject, yet somehow, The Conspirators trailer drew me in, quite obviously so much so that it’s still on my mind and I can write a blog post about it.

“If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. You play good, you win!”

I never would have guessed that I would get my inspiration for this week’s blog post while watching Thanksgiving Day football. I had actually completely forgot about the blog up until my dad said one of his favorite (and his only grammatically incorrect) phrases.

Through the years my dad has used this quote (by whom, I have no idea) to explain why many athletes fall into the marketing ploys used by athletic companies to sell the latest, coolest looking, trendiest gear. They claim, and many believe, that by buying the newest equipment and the coolest uniforms, teams and individuals will play at a higher level. I’ve always thought about whether this idea is merely of form of manipulation used by these companies, or a theory that could truly have some evidence backing it up.

Throughout my life, I have always taken the approach that the newest gear, equipment and fashion played no part on whether you succeed in sports. I have never been a very “flashy” person on the field and in a sport like lacrosse, which has created a very attention-grabbing atmosphere, I always seemed to clash with everyone else. I didn’t have the nicest, newest pads, never wore high socks or bought expensive helmets or cleats, but was always was able to do well. I actually think that the way I looked allowed me to benefit from being labeled as a “newbie”. As an employee at a local golf course, I also saw this idea (that the newest, best-looking gear made you a better athlete) be proved wrong. I can tell you that no matter how expensive your clubs are, you’re not a great golfer if you don’t play enough. The best members are usually the ones that have the same clubs their father used in the 50’s. So these are the reasons I believed the “look good, play good” ploy was merely a manipulation.

Then there is the other side. The other side believes that the more you feel that you look the part, the more comfortable you feel about how you look on the fields, the better you will play. This idea I completely agree with. In sports, one cannot compete well if they are not comfortable. If looking good in the newest gear is something that makes an athlete comfortable, because it allows them to feel as if the audience does not look at them mockingly (which for many athletes is the case), then this is definitely a quote that they live by. The question now becomes whether each individual athlete can feel comfortable in any gear, or only the “best looking” gear. This is what causes athletic company’s marketing strategies to shift between manipulation and the truth.

So really, manipulation used in marketing strategies for any company can be seen as manipulation, or can truly hold value based on the individual and how they react with that product. Ok, maybe certain foods won’t automatically lead you on a path to a healthy life, but for some people it actually does cause them to make different choices and to think about what they are doing. Maybe any old ibuprofen will do the same job as Advil, but maybe the extra comfort you feel from knowing that you’re taking a drug that is proven to work that many people use actually allows you to feel better then taking any other brand. These conjectures are what cause me to really think about the manipulation used in marketing. While it may be manipulation, it usually holds some amount of truth. Depending on who you are, this truth can range from a little to a lot. So the next time you don’t think your being manipulated, look deeper and maybe you will find that you are. More importantly, next time you think your being manipulated, look to see if there is truth to why you doing what your doing.

Black Friday Madness

Every day after Thanksgiving, thousands of shoppers wake up as early as 5 a.m. to participate in the madness we call Black Friday, the one day when stores have the “best deals” of the year. With so many shoppers in the same mall, the day can get pretty chaotic. My brother read an article on a guy that pepper sprayed four people in Wal-Mart for a video game. Seriously? That instance made me start thinking of how this single day turns people into crazies; it manipulates them into buying more items than they typically would buy.

The whole idea of a sale automatically puts you into a buying mood and faced with so many bargains, you will end up buying more things that you may not need. You may go in planning to buy a pair of jeans but when you notice there’s a “buy one get one half off” sale, you’ll end up buying a second pair of jeans simply because it seems like a good bargain. However, unless you were planning to buy two pairs of jeans, you just spent more money then you were originally planning to spend. My mom partook in this madness last year to “see what it would be like” and she ended up buying me a TV for my room, which was unnecessary because I already had a TV in my room. When I asked her why she bought it, she replied, “There was a really good deal on TVs, I had to get it.” I find it interesting how this entire day shows how easily people can be manipulated.

Not On My Own Just Yet

In response to Sade’s and Alison’s posts about the freedoms and limitations of college, I was surprised my first few weeks at college by the lack of responsibilities that I have experienced while studying at Hamilton.

Last year I lived as an exchange student in Finland so I have already spent a year living away from home. Although there were rules I was required to obey, I had a lot of freedom, and with it a lot of responsibilities. At the school I attended while abroad, students were allowed to come and go as they pleased. Students were not questioned for missing a class and were not even required to inform the teacher where they were going if they left in the middle (including if they didn’t come back). Cell phone use was also commonplace in classrooms and was rarely acknowledged by the teachers. Instead the students were simply required to learn the material and complete the work on time. Focus was placed on these activities over attendance and participation. In my home life it was expected that I clean up after myself, help cook the food, and help with the laundry.

When I came to college, I was expecting to have a ton of freedom and even more responsibility. While I have both of these, I do not have quite as much as I expected. Although it depends on the teacher, some teachers do not punish students for late work (as long as it is not turned in too late). In my biology class, some students forgot to do an assignment and the teacher simply let them turn it in the next day. The same thing occurred in my Spanish class. I was also surprised that when a student in my Spanish class missed his exam, the teacher asked a student to call him in the middle of the exam to remind him. A few of the students have missed many classes and the teacher reminds them of the importance of attending classes (although they are sophomores and should already know the punishment for missing more than a few). These students do not have as much responsibility as I expected they would, as they have our professor constantly reminding them the importance of coming to class (similarly to my mother reminding me when I was in high school). Before I started college I pictured colder professors who would say nothing to a student who slacked on their responsibilities, and instead would remain silent while lowering their grades. Although it’s a pleasant surprise that the professors are so nice and caring, I believe these students should take more initiative and realize their responsibilities.

In my dorm I was surprised by the lack of responsibility by some students who leave half-eaten food, dirty dishes and crumbs in the common room. The other day someone left a half-eaten piece of pizza and a half-empty bowl of soup in the common room for over a day before it was cleaned up (and I would bet that it was the cleaning lady, not the student, who cleaned it up). These students, however, do not have to clean up after themselves because someone else in the dorm, or the cleaning lady, will.

Also sports teams (I know freshmen on the baseball team have to do this) have to report their grades and how their lives are going to their coaches. Their coaches then guide them and let them know at what point they need to get a tutor. At first I thought students were completely on their own at college but its nice to know that everyone has someone looking out for them (I’m sure my advisor would help me in the same way a coach helps his players). I had assumed before coming here that I was completely responsible for my grades, and my life in general, while here but the truth is, there are so many people guiding us in appropriate directions I do not have as much freedom, and responsibility, as I thought.

The Science Behind Shopping

In light of the quickly approaching Black Friday I thought it would be interesting to analyze all of the subtle manipulating forces acting against consumers as they browse their favorite stores.

Wegmans, a grocery store that originated in Rochester, is the most popular grocery store in my town. At first not everyone was too thrilled about a new grocery store competing with our already existing Quality, but the company was smart and built its new location right next to our local elementary, middle and high schools. With its new prime location, Wegmans quickly became the go-to shopping spot for moms who were looking to quickly grab their groceries after dropping their kids off at school. Had the store been built away from the school, its popularity would have been slow coming and competition with Quality (which was located just on the outskirts of town) would’ve remained very competitive. Later, Wegmans gained popularity with the students themselves when it built a sub shop within its stores and attracted high school athletes who needed a meal in between school and games, but didn’t have time to drive to another restaurant or grocery store. Once inside the store the athletes would also feel the need to grab small snacks to bring with them on longer bus rides (since they were already within the store, they could quickly grab the snacks).

After establishing its prime location Wegmans became even subtler with its manipulation. Wegmans sells, and has always sold, the cheapest milk within twenty-five minutes of its location, and heavily advertises this fact. As a result, many shoppers will go into Wegmans for this great deal. The milk, however, is located in the very back corner of the store and there is no straight shot to get there. Instead, the store is designed as a maze (similar to Ikea) so shoppers have to wind down different aisles (with more expensive items) to reach the milk. By the time they reach the milk and get back to the check out lines, they have undoubtedly found more items that they need. Although these items may not be great deals, it is easier to get them with the milk than to go to Quality as well.

Shoppers in Wegmans may notice that not only are the aisles designed like mazes, but also aisles with more expensive items in them have tiny ridges in the flooring that make more noise as the cart passes over them and actually slow the cart down. This manipulation forces the shopper to spend more time in these aisles where the items are usually more expensive, and unnecessary. This is reported to slow the shopper down and cause a 6% increase in buys of items from these aisles.

Manipulation techniques such as these are not practiced only by Wegmans, although it was my prime example, but by other stores as well. Ikea is famous for its mazes, which shoppers become lost in and are then forced to spend more time wandering through the aisles looking for an exit. Malls employ this same technique. Stores that sell warm clothing reduce the air temperature inside, making the shopper cold and influencing them to buy warmer clothes. Manipulation of consumers is everywhere. Although it may begin with advertisements and brand names, it continues in store design.

Wisdom Teeth

Yesterday, I went to the dentist to get my wisdom teeth pulled. I knew that the operation would leave me in pain, but I was mentally prepared and unafraid...until I stepped into the operating room. As soon as I sat down on my chair, the doctor started hooking me up to a monitor while explaining the entire procedure to me. I was going to be put under via a needle and pass out for the next hour or so. When I wake up, my mouth will be numb and I will only begin to feel the pain a few hours later, once the numbing went away. I was going to be prescribed three different drugs to help with the pain and the swelling. Although I knew all of this and had spoken to various friends about their experiences so that I could better prepare myself, I totally lost it and began to cry. I’ve never been hooked up to a machine, which was intimidating, I have a huge fear of needle, they make me feel nauseous, and the idea of being put under scared me. I was about to miss an hour of my life without noticing that any time had past and no recollection of what happened within the hour.

The nurse tried to soothe me. She first explained that how I feel when the drugs are administered is how I will feel when I wake up. So, I should try to keep positive and calm. Then, she tried to assure me of her career experiences (she worked at the emergency room at some hospital, I wasn’t totally paying attention). But, her mini resume reminded me of the first day of class and how Professor Schwartz lied to us and asked, “How can you trust that I am the professor and that I have any credit?” Now, I didn’t think that someone had kidnapped the real doctor and the person talking to me was an actor, but I realized that she could have completely lied to me in order to ease me. At the time, I tried to forget about that possibility seeing as my surgery was in her hands.

The last thing my doctor said to calm me was, “This is a big experience for you, but we do this operation almost everyday,” which brought me back to perspective. It is funny how most professionals perform the same procedures everyday and routinize themselves with significant events for their clients. What was one of the most memorable days of my life thus far, or I guess non-memorable since I was passed out, for my doctor was just another day with another surgery with another patient.

May I have some Advil (ibuprofen)?

For my media(ted) art(i)FACT I brought in a Target brand bottle of ibuprofen. On the bottle it says “compare to active ingredient in Advil Ibuprofen tablets.” Advil is the name almost everyone immediately thinks of when they go to get a bottle of ibuprofen; I have many times by mistake referred to ibuprofen in general as Advil. But does that make it any different than the generic brands of the medicine? Probably not. But if you think that a brand of medicine works better than another then it might effectively do that for you as a result of the placebo effect. I previously wrote a blog post on the placebo effect and it’s pretty interesting; it has been proven time and time again that if we believe that a type of medicine works even if it is just a placebo, the placebo can affect us in ways that the real medicine would. Therefore if we think Advil works better than the Target brand Ibuprofen, it might for us even if the medicines themselves are exactly the same.

On the topic of name brands versus generic brands in general, Sabrina pointed out to me that the Target brand is really its own name brand. She told me that people actually want to buy the Target brand over other brands. Apparently the Target brand name is “up&up” which I didn’t even notice. Now that I look at the bottle again I do see the up&up logo; I had no idea previously that it was a Target brand though, I just knew that I bought it at Target. Because I didn't recognize the brand name and because it said compare to active ingredient in Advil, I just assumed that it was a generic brand, but it really isn't. When compared to a different brand of ibuprofen people may think that they should get the "up&up" brand instead, maybe even instead of Advil. The Target brand ibuprofen is cheaper than Advil and is probably a happy medium between an entirely unknown ibuprofen brand and the most well known. For many of us brand names do influence decisions to buy certain products over others. Though maybe some will prefer Target brand medicine over Advil itself, brand names often “mediate” buying decisions in some form or another.

Fair Enough to be Lovely?

For my media(ted) art(i)(FACT) I brought a picture off an online ad for ‘Fair and Lovely’, a fairness cream that’s sort of a cosmetic staple in South Asia. Fairness is traditionally considered a virtue in South Asia. Unilever basically endorsed a cultural cliché when it named its product as such. However, in doing so, it has mediated the idea of “loveliness,” which apparently means the same thing as “fairness.”

I feel like it’s been in the cosmetic industry since as far as I can remember. It has been so successful that now the market is swarming with fairness products that want to follow suit. However, it still maintains an upper hand over all the new products (in my opinion.) Naturally, Fair and Lovely has worked its way so comfortably into our natural vocabularies that now, ‘fair and lovely’ sounds like such a familiar idea. As such, what the artifact also mediated is the comfort level with which one can now associate fair with lovely.

The ads for the cream only reinforce the idea that’s already lucid from the name (this goes for all fairness products in general, to be honest.) One ad shows a young girl who dreams of becoming a cricket commentator but doesn’t even dare to go through with the selection process until of course she starts using the product. Once she does, she effortlessly makes it through the auditions. Another basically shows a marriage held together by Fair and Lovely. So, one more thing the artifact mediates is the idea of career and familial success.

Like I said, Fair and Lovely is only restating a culturally accepted notion. So, the roots to the problem trace back much deeper and it’s a problem that needs to be solved. But to sell the idea that this little tube of “loveliness” is the solution to the stigma that dark women face, how “fair” is it really?