America’s obsession with material consumption misleads. How is one to find what is real when we are constantly bombarded with self-serving lies? It’s not easy.
Today, I discovered that my face and voice is being used in a viral video that sells Microsoft Vista. They did so without my explicit permission and under false pretenses.
Here's how it happened:
Last week I attended a focus session to get my opinion on computer operating systems. So far so good.
A hidden camera was recording the session, “…so that our unnamed clients can evaluate your responses”. I agreed.
Then they trotted out the product. It was something called Mojave. I was then shown a computer with Mojave installed on it. Certain features were pointed out to me by a client facilitator. They looked cool.
After I expressed my pleasure at the look of what SEEMED possible, I was informed that the operating system was in fact, Visa – and not Mojave – as I had been led to believe. I was pleasantly surprised. Then it was announced that the client was Microsoft. More surprise.
When I admitted that my impression of Vista had been changed, they asked me if they could use my image more broadly. I agreed without realizing that they would use it in a commercial. Had I known, I would have refused. But I did not know.
Now, when I saw that I was in a commercial, I was shocked. I did not give them permission to use me to sell their product. Additionally, my evaluation of their product was limited. My comments were about how the product SEEMED to be under VERY CONTROLLED conditions. I have no idea how reflective of the real product their demonstration was. I don't know, and I in no way endorse their product. But there I am, on the net, praising Vista.
I was duped by Microsoft. If they did it to me, and used my voice and image, what will they do to you as a buyer? It's a frightening thought. And that's why I will NEVER BUY A MICROSOFT OPERATING SYSTEM.
My point is that Truth is multi-dimensional. Our media twists and spins so much that finding what is real, versus what companies and governments want us to believe, is a very difficult task.
Sometimes we have to cut off the sources of lies to be quiet enough to locate what is real.
Trust the Truth you find within yourself. Question everything corporate America tells you. You’ll be saner and happier if you do.
And Microsoft, I’m calling my lawyer.
For those of you who want to see lies in action, here is the YouTube link:
http://www.crn.com/software/209900017
Proceed with caution.
- Arye Michael Bender -
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Operation Integrity
Today I read that there are few options for our next president regarding Iraq. That story was a sidebar to General Petraeus telling his boss what his boss wanted to hear.
Many options exist. There is even one with integrity. Here it is:
Ask The United Nations to send real 'peace keepers', and send our troops home. If the U.N. refuses, grant every Iraqi collaborator political asylum, and bring them to our country as we remove our troops. Not complicated. And as soon as we have removed every last American, and the Iraqis who collaborated with the invaders, offer a heartfelt apology to the Iraqi people. Then give the Iraq government enough money to rebuild - without Blackwater & Bechtel CIA types skimming off the profits.
Easy!
Rememer, generals will always support continued warring. It goes with the territory. Job security dictates that generals please to their Commander and Chief.
Petraeus was just playing Good General, sitting in George Bush's lap, licking his master's face.
It is not too late for our government to employ integrity. Is it?
- Arye Michael Bender -
Many options exist. There is even one with integrity. Here it is:
Ask The United Nations to send real 'peace keepers', and send our troops home. If the U.N. refuses, grant every Iraqi collaborator political asylum, and bring them to our country as we remove our troops. Not complicated. And as soon as we have removed every last American, and the Iraqis who collaborated with the invaders, offer a heartfelt apology to the Iraqi people. Then give the Iraq government enough money to rebuild - without Blackwater & Bechtel CIA types skimming off the profits.
Easy!
Rememer, generals will always support continued warring. It goes with the territory. Job security dictates that generals please to their Commander and Chief.
Petraeus was just playing Good General, sitting in George Bush's lap, licking his master's face.
It is not too late for our government to employ integrity. Is it?
- Arye Michael Bender -
On Charlton Heston
Some years ago, I produced a TV piece about the American Film Institute for 'PM Magazine'. AFI arranged for our us to interview Mr. Heston on the sumptuous grounds of the Doheny Mansion, where AFI was then located. At ten AM, Charlton Heston jogged over to where we had set up. Due to the jog, he was not quite impeccably groomed, but in too much a hurry to do anything about it. While Steve Fox conducted the short interview, I couldn't take my eyes off the top of Mr. Heston's head.
Had to bite my tongue hard to keep from blurting out, "Moses wears a bad toupee!"
I still carry those tongue scars today.
- Arye Michael Bender -
Had to bite my tongue hard to keep from blurting out, "Moses wears a bad toupee!"
I still carry those tongue scars today.
- Arye Michael Bender -
Friday, April 4, 2008
Biting the Hand…
Okay, I have a problem and I admit it.
It's a problem that sets me at odds with the current mindset of America, as well as my own financial well-being. It's advertising. Yep, that ubiquitous, inescapable, lying pulse-beat of capitalism – Advertising.
If advertising only did what it was originally designed for, to present a product of service of value, I’d have less trouble. But, fact is, almost all advertising is targeted at our unconscious minds, our emotional brains. And those programs that make us all ache to fill a false void by consuming mindlessly, are what is making our society insane.
We are bombarded constantly with words, images, and sounds directed at overriding free will. Most contemporary ads grab hold of our emotions then manipulate them mercilessly to achieve a not-so-hidden agenda. You know: To feed the need for greed.
Consciously, we all know how little truth is contained. But our thinking minds are bypassed. We are helpless to stop the commanding impulses. We get lost in a sea of lies, implanted deep inside. The more difficult it is to recognize and act on truth, the harder it is to live a sane life.
Politicians know this, and sell themselves as products by hitting our fear buttons. We end up with shabby, corrupt, hypocritical leaders, and wonder how it happened. There are now so many lies and scams and spins in our society, that we get overwhelmed. We give up trying to find the even a nub of truth. That's exactly where big business, and their in the pocket politicians, want us. When we’re overwhelmed and confused, the implanted impulses automatically take over. That's how the program works. We all know why, don't we? To sell us what we really don't need sp that we feel better about ourselves and our place in the world. Then after we act on the impulse and buy, we feel empty again. Now what? The next impulse takes over, and it's ring around the rosey all over again.
I love my free will. Next to the breath of life, it may be God's greatest gift. While I do everything I can to keep my free will intact, it takes constant vigilance. That, in itself, is exhausting.
Don't get me wrong. I like living in this world, with all its twists, turns, and spins. But I don’t like inviting more unwanted stuff into my already wary head. What's a human to do?
Oh well... I'll stay as conscious as I can. ...It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. And yes, I know. Advertising surrounds this very blog. Maybe I need a really big gas-guzzler. Maybe a week in Vegas will make me feel ten years younger. Maybe we really need to elect John McCain to lead a hundred year war. Maybe I really do need to lose those fifteen pounds...
Okay, I'll have another Big Mac... And super-size the drink, please. Now, where's that Hummer dealership?
- Arye Michael Bender
It's a problem that sets me at odds with the current mindset of America, as well as my own financial well-being. It's advertising. Yep, that ubiquitous, inescapable, lying pulse-beat of capitalism – Advertising.
If advertising only did what it was originally designed for, to present a product of service of value, I’d have less trouble. But, fact is, almost all advertising is targeted at our unconscious minds, our emotional brains. And those programs that make us all ache to fill a false void by consuming mindlessly, are what is making our society insane.
We are bombarded constantly with words, images, and sounds directed at overriding free will. Most contemporary ads grab hold of our emotions then manipulate them mercilessly to achieve a not-so-hidden agenda. You know: To feed the need for greed.
Consciously, we all know how little truth is contained. But our thinking minds are bypassed. We are helpless to stop the commanding impulses. We get lost in a sea of lies, implanted deep inside. The more difficult it is to recognize and act on truth, the harder it is to live a sane life.
Politicians know this, and sell themselves as products by hitting our fear buttons. We end up with shabby, corrupt, hypocritical leaders, and wonder how it happened. There are now so many lies and scams and spins in our society, that we get overwhelmed. We give up trying to find the even a nub of truth. That's exactly where big business, and their in the pocket politicians, want us. When we’re overwhelmed and confused, the implanted impulses automatically take over. That's how the program works. We all know why, don't we? To sell us what we really don't need sp that we feel better about ourselves and our place in the world. Then after we act on the impulse and buy, we feel empty again. Now what? The next impulse takes over, and it's ring around the rosey all over again.
I love my free will. Next to the breath of life, it may be God's greatest gift. While I do everything I can to keep my free will intact, it takes constant vigilance. That, in itself, is exhausting.
Don't get me wrong. I like living in this world, with all its twists, turns, and spins. But I don’t like inviting more unwanted stuff into my already wary head. What's a human to do?
Oh well... I'll stay as conscious as I can. ...It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. And yes, I know. Advertising surrounds this very blog. Maybe I need a really big gas-guzzler. Maybe a week in Vegas will make me feel ten years younger. Maybe we really need to elect John McCain to lead a hundred year war. Maybe I really do need to lose those fifteen pounds...
Okay, I'll have another Big Mac... And super-size the drink, please. Now, where's that Hummer dealership?
- Arye Michael Bender
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Honesty in Politics
Enough of two-faced politicians!
I've decided that I'm only going to vote for a candidate without a face lift. If they can't put their real face forward, they've exposed something deep down below the surface. Something so basic, that we should not ignore what it reveals.
Look carefully at the profiles of all three major candidates. Check out how their necks and ears and other surface skin looks compared to their faces.
Can you guess who gets my vote?
... Who do you suppose that is?
... Could it be... oh, I don't know... could it be...
Barak Obama?
No contest...
Judge for yourself. Then vote accordingly.
- Arye Michael Bender -
I've decided that I'm only going to vote for a candidate without a face lift. If they can't put their real face forward, they've exposed something deep down below the surface. Something so basic, that we should not ignore what it reveals.
Look carefully at the profiles of all three major candidates. Check out how their necks and ears and other surface skin looks compared to their faces.
Can you guess who gets my vote?
... Who do you suppose that is?
... Could it be... oh, I don't know... could it be...
Barak Obama?
No contest...
Judge for yourself. Then vote accordingly.
- Arye Michael Bender -
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
War and Peace -- The Candidates
Three Candidates:
John McCain: At least with McCain we KNOW he will pursue a never-ending occupation --translation: war-- in Iraq. Clear cut.
Barak Obama: He has courageously written and stated that he will end the war in Iraq. Clear cut.
A national election between those two would be a choice of peace over war. Thank the gods that the choice will be in our hands, as opposed to one made by the hidden gnomes.
Mrs. Clinton: Her words and actions have been unclear. Should she gain the nomination, we will have given away our chance to choose peace over war.
That too will have been our choice.
Either way, the next national election will show us who we really are as a nation. The optimist that resides deep inside me believes we'll do the right thing.
Time will tell.
Thank you Spike Lee.
- Arye Michael Bender -
John McCain: At least with McCain we KNOW he will pursue a never-ending occupation --translation: war-- in Iraq. Clear cut.
Barak Obama: He has courageously written and stated that he will end the war in Iraq. Clear cut.
A national election between those two would be a choice of peace over war. Thank the gods that the choice will be in our hands, as opposed to one made by the hidden gnomes.
Mrs. Clinton: Her words and actions have been unclear. Should she gain the nomination, we will have given away our chance to choose peace over war.
That too will have been our choice.
Either way, the next national election will show us who we really are as a nation. The optimist that resides deep inside me believes we'll do the right thing.
Time will tell.
Thank you Spike Lee.
- Arye Michael Bender -
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
War Love
America's love of war goes back at least forty years, probably longer. Here is a short list of the most popular:
War on Poverty -- Lyndon Johnson
War on the Vietnamese People -- Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon
War on Crime -- Richard Nixon
War on Drugs -- Ronald Reagan, George Bush
War on Saddam Hussein -- George Bush I
War on Iraqi People -- George Bush II
You may note that the majority of our most recent wars would fall into the 'lost' column.
My suggestion is we fight the ultimate war.
America needs a WAR on WAR.
You can sign me right up.
War on Poverty -- Lyndon Johnson
War on the Vietnamese People -- Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon
War on Crime -- Richard Nixon
War on Drugs -- Ronald Reagan, George Bush
War on Saddam Hussein -- George Bush I
War on Iraqi People -- George Bush II
You may note that the majority of our most recent wars would fall into the 'lost' column.
My suggestion is we fight the ultimate war.
America needs a WAR on WAR.
You can sign me right up.
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