There is a lot of chatter in the media, and especially on social media, about “The Big Lie,” that is, the thing many people are saying and believing today, which is that the last presidential election was stolen. Lots of bad things have happened to people because of their embrace of this belief, and the lengths they have been willing to go to, to prove what they see as the truth of this matter. I know of some people, even very well-known people; people with good critical thinking skills, people who have always seemed pretty logical, but who now believe whole-heartedly that the last presidential election was stolen. So far, they seem to not have any intention of changing their minds about this belief, even if there is no proof to back it up, or if the proof they cite has not been proven legally or scientifically, or in any other way. According to this theory, you can’t trust the mainstream media in this country, and this story fits well with their overall belief systems, and so they choose to believe it. No recitation of facts or display of logic will dissuade them of this belief unless or until they decide they’re done believing it. Some people never will be done with it and the story is told, re-told and reinforced by people who have a horse in that race, every day.
I think it’s worth pointing out that just because someone tells the same lie repeatedly, it doesn’t mean it’s true, but that is how urban myths are made. I know that it is insulting to some people to have this myth compared to previous great myths, such as the myths told by the Nazi’s before and during WWII, but if you set your biases aside, you should be able to see the similarities in the psychology. Many ghastly deeds were in fact perpetrated during that time by people who believed certain things because of the propaganda they were consuming. Millions of people died horribly as a result.
On Saturday mornings, when I was a kid, I used to follow my dad around the yard while he did his weekly yardwork. While he was pulling weeds, adjusting sprinkler heads, and pruning rose bushes, I would pepper him with various questions, as kids are wont to do. I remember one time asking him about the word “propaganda” which is a word I had just recently heard. I asked him what it was. He told me it’s something that happens in other countries to advance certain beliefs, especially political beliefs. I asked him if we had it here in our country, and he said no, we didn’t. I felt proud to live in a country that didn’t have propaganda. We people living in America were more honest, civilized, and enlightened than people who lived in countries that had propaganda, especially communist countries. I didn’t know what communism was either, but it was for countries where people weren’t free, like we are in the U.S. If only life were as simple as it was presented to me as a child!
The truth is, we do have propaganda in this country. It’s called – advertising – and it’s been going on forever. Here’s a couple of examples: “You’ll wonder where the yellow went, when you brush your teeth with …” or “My bologna has a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R, my bologna has a second name it’s ….” If you grew up in Southern California as I did, you’ll recognize this one, “If you need a brand-new Dodge in your driveway or garage, go see …”
These jingles were not life or death propaganda, but they certainly stuck in your mind and caused you to want the product they were selling. When I was a kid, watching Saturday morning cartoons, I wanted some of the most ridiculous things because they were advertised on TV: special cookies, crackers, cereal, or sneakers, in which I was promised that I could run faster and jump higher if I only had and wore them. In fact, I could practically “fly” in these sneakers! My poor parents were hounded relentlessly for these specific brands every time we went to the store. Sometimes I got what I wanted, but mostly I didn’t. Brand name products are notoriously more expensive than off-brand items, and so it goes.
This kind of advertising propaganda goes on even today, and if possible, it’s even worse now than it ever was, but for my age group, it’s mostly ads for medicines of certain kinds. I’d rather hear about bubble gum or toothpaste, but instead, I hear about various medications for HIV, shingles, Hep C, or eczema. Thankfully, I’ve found I need relatively few of these medications, at least so far, but I imagine hordes of senior citizens flocking to their doctor’s offices insisting they be prescribed the medicines they saw on TV. Nothing else will do! It must be that! Never mind that, according to the fast-talking legalese that follows these ads, these meds may have side effects up to and including death. That’s OK, no problem. I want to be the first old lady on my block to get rid of unsightly skin rashes by poisoning my entire system with some unknown and unpronounceable chemical. Better living through chemistry!
As I’ve gotten older though, I have learned the fine art of delayed gratification. Not so much because I wanted to, but more because I could never afford most of the stuff the advertisers were trying to sell me. As an adult, I found that other things almost always took my money before I could give it to some company for something I thought I wanted. In part, it’s called “parenthood.” As a parent, it seems there’s always something or someone else who needs something. I’ve found if I delay my gratification long enough however, at some point, I don’t even want the thing I thought I had to have anymore. Life goes on, and my job is to go on with it. The other option, of course, is to buy that thing on credit. Oh! Now there’s a solution! And maturity is over-rated and over-ruled.
Soon, I find that whatever money I thought I had left over, is going to pay off credit cards for things I bought 6 months, 2 years, or whenever ago. I’m glad I have those things, but I’m not glad I have the payments. Now I’m so busy paying for the past, I can’t enjoy my present, much less plan for my future.
I was fortunate during my working career, in that, I kept my jobs for a fairly long time. I worked my primary jobs for between 6 and 7 years each. I didn’t get fired or laid off. So, that’s good. But, sometimes in your working career, you must make a change, either because you can’t stand the working conditions where you are any longer, or because you want more money, or because you move, or for any number of other reasons. Now, if you get fired, laid off, or quit your job and you have debt, you’re really in trouble. Your creditors don’t give a rat’s ass about your working conditions, or the quality of your work/life balance. They expect their money. Every month. Like clockwork. It’s your job to figure out how and where to get the money. This fact can have a negative influence on your decision-making skills when it comes to finding a new job, or anything else for that matter.
So don’t buy into the myth that because you can afford the payments, your consumer debt is no problem. Having this happen, is kind of like being the frog who jumped into a pot of room temperature water, but then ends up boiling to death as the temperature in the pot on the stove rises. Don’t play with that fire, although that’s the common myth of the day. “Don’t worry, if you can afford the payments, you’re golden.” Wrong!
If you decide to forego consumer debt, and instead, build your own personal wealth, expect push-back from friends and family members. Mostly, they’re not going to get it. They’re going to think you’re crazy, especially when they’re so smartly putting their vacations on their credit cards and earning “points” for future trips. It’s easy to feel left out too, when your friend, who works at the same place you do, has just purchased a new $60k Jeep, and spends every weekend out in the desert, or up in the mountains, tearing up the earth, while you stay home and play scrabble with the kids. Remember, your friend has a job and a Jeep. You have a job and a $60k savings plan. At some point, it will begin to even out. Just some more thoughts and unsolicited advice for the day. Something to think about maybe?
Adventures on Earth and Beyond 