While in college I came across a textbook called “Consumer Behavior” which was about advertisement. It was written in the 80s so much of the information was dated, but one statement stood out — that without advertisement life would be an “existential nightmare”.

I happen to have lived in such existential nightmare and beg to differ. On the contrary, I believe a culture which is saturated with advertisement is the worse option. Exposure to propaganda of any kind preys on the plasticity of our brains and their ability to associate symbols with meaning and emotion. Whether driven by the free market as is the case for advertisement or an authoritarian regime as is the case for propaganda, the producing party has an incentive to maximize the impact on individuals as means of control.

Defending oneself from such subjugation is a lifelong struggle which requires discipline and sacrifice. It’s a trade-off between freedom and sense of belonging because vast majority of the people in any culture are saturated with implanted symbols which give them something to have in common with one another. One can be free at the cost of being an outsider.

Society however fears outsiders because they represent a wildcard. We used to be burned at the stake, excommunicated or sent to gulags. Learning to survive and fit in (at least superficially) is a skill which took me years to develop. I owe big gratitude to George Orwell who said in “1984” that if you abide by the small rules you can break the big ones.

I hope that with this text I have planted a seed in your mind. Oh the irony!