“J. Crew up in here one more time & we gon’ United Colors of Benetton all on your ass.“
That’s how I dream. I understand what my mind was trying to say, lol, bad metaphor though– I never could afford one of those Benetton sweaters. That marketing though! What a beautiful vision of bright colors, diversity, access and social justice. “Benetton’s United Colors gave the brand license to embrace the full spectrum of humanity, promoting itself as diverse, fun, and playful, unlike competitors, which often appeared stark and serious.” No correlation to the products themselves, or the consumers who had the means to buy the products. Marketing is just pretend: create a vision people have feelings about and manipulate people through their feelings, driving them into the marketplace to buy more.
Instead of pretending, let’s look at what’s real, examine what’s true. Leaving behind and perhaps building upon our delightful fantasies and our faith, cultivating more rigorous inquiry into how things are. Facts not feelings. Marketing trades on people’s feelings in some of the same ways what’s happening in the U.S. politically right now does. As public health officials are being excluded from congressional hearings, we’re being asked to believe a vision created for us by people who do not have our best interests in mind.
From the Guardian, “Donald Trump is effectively abandoning a public health strategy for the coronavirus pandemic and showing a “clear willingness to trade lives for the Dow Jones”, critics say. A leaked internal White House report predicts the daily death toll from the virus could reach about 3,000 on 1 June, almost double the current tally of about 1,750, the New York Times revealed on Monday.”
It’s not cynical to think that what’s fueling the unfolding tragedy in the U.S. isn’t only a matter of lack of leadership, but an intentional focus on profit over people. (What up with Jared’s PPE stash?) Who’s benefiting from this pandemic, how specifically? Always follow the money.
I woke from the dream this morning to news that J. Crew has filed for bankruptcy. “The first national US retailer to file for bankruptcy protection.” The landscape is shifting all around us. As Jen Hofmann‘s been detailing for a long time now with the Americans of Conscience checklist, it is important to pay attention to what’s changing.
I believe in science. I want to hear facts, data, information, real questions being addressed, not emotional manipulation, fantasies, magical thinking and gaslighting. I look forward to Dr. Fauci’s testimony.