The propaganda machine

I've been rolling around the ideas of sustainable living, environmentally friendly lifestyles, etc., and my hope to see those movements become mainstream practices. And I've run into a problem.

In American culture, it seems that people have gotten too accustomed to doing and buying whatever the billboards and TV ads tell them to do or buy. And while I don't have any hard numbers at my finger tips, I'm guessing the vast majority of those ads are paid for by for-profit companies, looking to sell some product or service (or disservice, in the case of airline travel -- ba doom boom).

So if a large percentage of the actions, purchases and behaviors of Americans are dictated by companies looking to sell a product or service, it stands to reason that sustainable lifestyles would only become truly mainstream if those companies found ways to (profitably) sell products and services that contributed to sustainable lifestyles.

My problem is: that isn't happening, and I have a hard time imagining it.

Think about it. Television manufacturers want you to buy as many big, expensive TVs as possible. From a profit perspective, they've got no motivation to encourage you to keep and repair your old TV instead of sending it to the landfill and buying three new ones.

Beverage companies want you to buy all the bottled water you can drink, shy of getting one of those rare cases of water poisoning and suing them. (They don't like being sued.) It doesn't matter to them, at least not in any financial way, that you would consume far fewer of the earth's resources by filtering and drinking the water out of your own tap at home or the office.

So the TV companies and the bottled water companies and hundreds of other types of companies all bombard you with the same message: Buy more. And in doing that, they counter any secondary, subcultural messages you may be getting to consume less -- which is one of the key messages, if not the key message, that we need for true sustainable living.

Don't get me wrong: I think we're seeing some good progress toward environmental awareness among the general population. We're slowly seeing more hybrid cars on the road. We're seeing some movements toward increased alternative fuel sources, both for vehicles and electric power generation.

But generally speaking, the trends we're seeing are schemes to reduce our impact without resorting to conservation or simpler living, and even those trends are far from mainstream.

So contrary to my journalistic, anti-brainwashing upbringing, I find myself contemplating these questions: How could media messages be tailored to further a more mainstream acceptance of environmentally sustainable living, i.e. conservation? And more to the point, who would pay for these messages?

Maybe there are companies out there now missing the boat (sorry, cliche) on advertising their pro-sustainability products and services as such. For example, Brita and other home water filter companies could be on TV telling you to buy their filters and reusable water bottles instead of disposable bottled water. Maybe they are doing this somewhere, and I'm just not seeing it. And maybe there are other companies that could revise or broaden their product/service offering to cater to the sustainability market (and hopefully promote the expansion of that market).

This is rather nerdy, I realize. And I think I might have just given away a good idea for a specialty startup advertising agency to the internets (as Courtney and Mickey call it). But, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on the subject, if any. Mickey, I know you probably have some, and feel free to make your own post out of them if they're too much for the comment section. (No pressure.)

Belated shout-outs / holla backs

I've been meaning to extend a 'thanks' and return two blogger favors for a couple of weeks now -- but alas, as Jacob points out my blogging brain seems to work on geologic time.

Two of Meaghan's old college friends (that's an expression, as they aren't actually old) recently gave this blog nice recommendations and/or links from their blogs. So, in return, I recommend you check out the following:

-Nicole's blog (along with British significant other Simon): A Brit and his Grits

-Kari's blog (along with husband Jonathan): C'est la vie...a running update on the Massons

Now, these are cultured ladies -- Nicole having just returned from an extended stay in England and Kari currently living in Lyon, France, after prior experience doing health education work (I think?) in Africa, where she met her husband.

So, the point is, don't expect the typical American tripe that you read on this site. Kari frequently provides miniature French lessons at her site. Nicole likes to recommend other useful websites and advocate charity organizations, in addition to reporting on the Saga of the Taco Bell incident. (I'm not sure the incident has actually reached saga proportions yet, but I am hopeful.)

Despite the sarcastic tone that I can't seem to escape, this is a genuine recommendation. These are two experienced bloggers with interesting stories to tell, so maybe we amateurs can learn a thing or two from them.

Well, go on then...

Top 10 things I'm year-end-review thankful for

I'm gonna beat you suckahs to the punch with a couple of cliche post topics rolled into one. I know in a couple of days bloggers all over the country will write about what they're thankful for, and then in about six weeks they'll once again seasonally conspire to write their personal year-end reviews. Well, here are both of mine combined, two days and about six weeks early, respectively. (Sorry, Mickey. I know you'll hate me for being cliche.)

So, it's been a tough year in some respects for me and the missus, particularly the last four months. Family problems have weighed heavily on our minds and wallets, not to mention put a serious pinch on our free time. But, in retrospect, we've both enjoyed a lot of good things -- some new, some pre-existing -- so I'm going to write about those, being the optimist that I am.*

On to the list then (of the top 10 things I'm thankful for this year, as a review of sorts):

10.** Meaghan and I both got new and improved jobs this year -- she as a graphic designer in the PR office of my college alma mater, I as a financial journalist for an online news service specializing in corporate mergers and acquisitions. (It's every bit as nerdy as it sounds. Some days it's nerdier than it sounds.)

9. After nine months (me) and five months (Meaghan) on said new jobs, we both still enjoy them and have yet to discover any lurking deadly secrets about the organizations that employ us. Granted no company (or college) is perfect and there will always be inefficiencies and incompetence here and there, but I think we've both found our new jobs to contain far fewer examples of those than our previous employer. Plus, we're getting better benefits, better hours, less stress, etc.

8. For all the stress and headaches of aforementioned family turmoil, it seems that the mentally ill family member in question may very well find herself in a healthier situation now and in the future than where she was before the most recent crisis. (Sorry to be so vague, guys. It's just not something I feel like blogging about in detail.)

7. After a few years of discussing and saving for it, we finally took our vacation to Italy this summer. It was certainly the most beautiful and memorable trip we've had the chance to take together. We did the obligatory historical sight-seeing in Rome, which was very cool, but I think Meaghan and I were in agreement that our time in Tuscany -- mostly relaxing and wine tasting -- was the most enjoyable.

6. In the category of non-new blessings, Meaghan and I have continued to progress on the update of our semi-historic home. Depending on whom you ask, the house's original construction dates to somewhere between the 1920s and 1950s. Our remodeling/renovation work began in April 2005 and has been a highly rewarding experience. We've learned a lot and done a lot of things that three years ago I could not have imagined we would be doing (e.g. installing ceramic tile in bathroom floors, including one with a mosaic-style border pattern). Sure, we could have bought a newer house and dodged a lot of the repairs we've had to make, but I'm glad we didn't.

5. We finally have high-speed Internet at home (thanks to my new job, which reimburses me for it). I'm not such a technology junkie that the Internet would normally make my 'things I'm thankful for' list. But, as it turns out, it has led me into the world of blogging that, among other benefits, has given me a good way to stay in touch with friends with whom I wasn't communicating very often before blogging. So I'll try to do a better job of writing in mine regularly, guys, instead of just reading yours everyday.

I guess what I'm really saying here is I'm thankful for my friends and family, and the Internet makes it easier to communicate and keep up with those who don't live nearby. So make a note: No. 5 is friends and family, not the Internet. Sorry Al Gore.

4. I shouldn't make a 'thankful' list without mentioning my health. It's easy to take for granted, but God knows I certainly don't always eat well or exercise regularly. Nevertheless, I've been very blessed with continuing good health. Without that, it would be hard to enjoy any of this other stuff.

3. Meaghan and I are (still) slowly settling into a church that we both like here in Rome, as I (still) work to sort of redefine my faith. A few years ago, I doubted whether I would ever find a church I would enjoy again, given my strong distaste for the intolerance and empty rituals that seem to be so prevalent in organized religion. We seem to have found a place where people know how to be genuine human beings and Christians at the same time -- something to definitely be thankful for.

2. Silly as it will sound to non-dog people, I am thankful for our dog Sadie. Her sweet demeanor and funny personality bring so much stress relief and humor into our lives. Again, this falls into the not-new-this-year category. We picked her up from the animal shelter exactly one week after we moved into our house in 2005.

1. You saw it coming, I suspect. And sorry, Jacob, you'll want to stop reading now. My No. 1 thing I'm thankful for this year (as in the past 10 years) is Meaghan. She's the perfect companion for me, an easy-going roommate and my best friend. I know it sounds sappy, but it's true.

Of course there are other things I'm thankful for: "Family Guy" reruns, "The Office" new episodes, my Jack Johnson CD collection (don't judge him by the songs on the radio), that the neighborhood kids are getting older and a little less destructive. But I've gone on long enough. Thank you and good night.


*Actually, I am not an optimist. However, I do find it refreshing to occasionally focus on good thoughts, in place of my usual analysis and overanalysis of life's problems and how they might be solved. This is that occasion. Enjoy.

**The order of the list might or might not hold significance as to the degree of thankfulness for each item. I am far too indecisive to pick a "favorite" in almost any category or situation.

Single-file line, eyes forward

Ah, another business trip and another reminder of one of life's true, pure joys -- air travel.

For those readers who don't know me that well: that was sarcasm, bitter sarcasm to be more specific.

Even when a flight goes smoothly and arrives on time, the experience of flying on a commercial airline is by far the worst thing a corporation has ever given me in exchange for a couple hundred American dollars.

The air system and reading lights never quite work. The cramped seating makes those old yellow school buses seem like luxury coaches. And your luggage (if you're dumb enough to check it in) could end up pretty much anywhere. Not to mention that no matter how short the flight itself, flying anywhere generally manages to take up my entire day.

For the most part, I get the sense that the airport workers know how much the experience blows, and so they habitually greet you with scowls and grimaces, as a means of conditioning you psychologically for all the unpleasantries that lie ahead.

However, while checking in for my recent flight to Dallas I encountered a TSA worker of a different variety -- a borderline jolly black gentleman who instructed us cooly through the security checkpoint.

It was here, listening to this gentleman's instructions, that I was taken back to elementary school. That is not to say I specifically had to remove my shoes and carry all my liquid supplies in a clear quart-sized baggie with a zipper top when I went to school, but I do recall often being bombarded with a laundry list of instructions.

When we sat at our desks, it was feet on the floor, no talking, no sleeping, no passing notes. When the teacher led us to the cafeteria or anywhere else en masse, it was single file line, no touching, no loud talking, look straight ahead, no tripping, no pushing (these overlapped with no touching, I think).

So it occurred to me at the airport that the security checkpoint rules might very well be a massive government experiment to see how well Americans can follow basic instructions. I think we're failing, from what I can tell. I'm the only person I've ever seen actually take out their quart-size bag of toiletries for independent X-ray. People also have a hard time understanding that they should remove their luggage from the conveyor after they pass the metal detector, rather than standing there for five minutes repacking their laptops and putting on their shoes.

But at least one TSA worker has decided to take the (friendly) elementary school teacher approach. This gentleman I saw yesterday employed sing-songy instructions and rhymes in his best radio announcer voice to convey messages such as: "Did you know there are tables in the rear for your repacking and redressing convenience? Please take your gear and head to the rear." And repeat, of course, "Take your gear and head to the rear."

There was also this line, which might have been demeaning had it not been delivered in such a charming tone: "Please have your boarding pass out in your hand. Look at your hand. Do you see a boarding pass there?"

His personality was a nice break from the otherwise sterile, almost hostile airport experience. Still, I can imagine his wife is probably ready to rip out his smart-ass tongue.

Where is Ralph Nader, by the way?

So, it just occurred to me that I haven't heard a thing from old Ralph Nader so far in this (pre-)presidential campaign season.

My knowledge of political history is far from rock solid -- certainly nothing compared to Jacob's knowledge of world dictators; see his blog at right -- but as I recall Nader has been the Green Party candidate for president the last several times around. Granted, in the past he has been lucky to get 2 percent of the vote, so ordinarily I wouldn't blame him if he had finally decided to give up his presidential dreams and settle for being master of his own domain (the only title we can each hold firmly for ourselves -- sorry, I'll stop).

But, in case no one has noticed, we seem to be right now in the midst of a media onslaught of pro-environmentalism. Al Gore won an Oscar and Nobel prize for raising awareness about global warming (a wholly altruistic endeavor, I am sure). I even just got back from an electric utility industry conference, where the biggest topics of the day were carbon emissions, global warming and how future government regulations are going to impact the power industry, which is responsible for much of the carbon emissions via their burning of an awful lot of coal.

So isn't this the Green Party's time to shine? The mass media has primed the nation for an all-out environmental platform from a presidential candidate. If the voters aren't ready for Nader now, they never will be.

Who knows, maybe Nader does plan to run and is just saving his energy and campaign dollars for after the party primaries.

And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Nader could actually win. Even with all the green media coverage of late, I doubt you could find more than 10 percent of the population that would rank the environment as the No. 1 campaign issue. Plus, the Democrats (and maybe even some Republicans) are going to be positioning themselves as green candidates as well and further thinning Nader's potential voter pool.

OK, and now that I think of it, those electric utility guys are going to be using some big bucks and major political influence to fight extra-hard against radicals like Nader. They know carbon regulations are coming, so they want someone in office who will make sure the rules are not unreasonably harsh -- from the power industry perspective.

Well, now I've gone and talked myself out of it. You know what, Nader: why don't you take it easy this year?

But where is Ross Perot? The little guy sure gave amusing TV interviews.

Oh those funny conservatives

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Since I'm here at the doorstep of Disney World for a couple of business conferences (shit, I've become that guy who goes to "business conferences"), clearly I've got nothing to do but watch TV in between writing about which company might be interested in buying which other company in the future.

So I figured I'd share some things with my faithful blog readers.

No, wait. Stay. I'm going to share things I saw on TV, nothing from the conferences.

Whew. Almost lost you there.

Following are my two favorite funny moments from this weekend so far. Let's see if you notice a theme.

1. Amy Poehler reported (from Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" desk) about a plan to manage the pigeon population in the Staten Island ferry station by feeding the birds birth control pills. The punchline: "This, after the plan to distribute abstinence pamphlets proved unsuccessful."

2. At the conclusion of The Simpsons annual Treehouse of Horrors episode -- which included a Heck House to teach Bart and his friends a lesson about sin -- Ned Flanders says goodnight with the line: "I just want to say that for watching this network, you’re all going to hell. And that includes FX, Fox Sports and our newest devil’s portal, The Wall Street Journal. Welcome to the club."

I laughed hard at both of those, which felt good. But it also reminded me of why I never fully enjoy watching TV with my dad, a Baptist minister. Don't get me wrong: I love my dad and he's one of the most reasonable Southern Baptist ministers I can imagine knowing.

Nevertheless, I find I often enjoy jokes the most when they're at the expense of Christian conservatives -- ridiculing their over-the-top puritanical morality and dogmatic assurance that they're right and everyone whose beliefs are 1% different from theirs is eternally damned. I'm confident my dad would be disappointed by how hard I laugh at these jokes.

Further complicating matters, I think I might still be a Christian conservative myself. I suppose I still share many of my dad's same old-fashioned morals and religious beliefs. The biggest difference, I guess, is that I don't assume everyone else does or should share these values and beliefs.

Then again, I think I could probably laugh just as hard at the absurdities of over-the-top liberals. It's just that all the TV writers prefer to take jabs at evangelical Christians. Maybe I'll have to become a comedy writer and make a niche of joking about ultra-humanism and blind devotion to every new statistic or scientific study that hits the newsstands. Hm, this strategy is going to need some work, I think.