Marketing Evil
by Joanne Mandel
 Ever wonder why it has become acceptable these days
for young girls to dress in a manner that not long ago
was reserved for ladies of the night? The next
generation reflects the transformation of Americans'
attitudes, values and beliefs over the past 50 years.
To a great extent, this cultural shift is the result
of clever marketing by the cultural left with a big
assist from corporations trying to win young consumers,
author David Kupelian writes in The Marketing of Evil Cumberland House Publishing, 2005, 240 pages, $24.95).
Those who want to 'liberate' us from traditional
values peddle the view that there is no difference
between right and wrong. "Millions of Americans today
accept ideas and behaviors that would have horrified
all previous generation," Kupelian writes. "We've gone
from a nation unified by Judeo-Christian values to one
where those same values are increasingly scorned,
rejected and demonized." How that happened is the
subject of his book.
Advocates use subtle propaganda techniques, expertly
playing on our deeply felt values of fairness,
generosity and tolerance. Their ability to portray
unlimited tolerance as the intelligent attitude,
combined with our natural weaknesses and desire to fit
in, have been used to promote abortion on demand, new
definitions of family and marriage, homosexuality,
and various bizarre forms of 'self-expression.'
Mr. Kupelian argues this is the result of planned campaigns. He
presents the success of psychologist, Marshall Kirk, and marketing
maven, Hunter Madsen, both gay-rights activists, who spelled out their
three-step public relations plan for the "conversion of the average
American's emotions, mind and will," in After the Ball: How America
Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the '90s (1989).The plan was
to
begin by flooding media outlets with a steady stream of stories
highlighting the basic nobility and creative genius of 'gays.'
The second step was to publicly attack and discredit critics in
order to silence dissent. Finally, media are convinced to broadcast
positive images of support and ignore or denigrate opposite views to
mass audiences.
The mainstream media's repeated misuse of the phrase 'wall of separation
between Church and State' is another example of constant repetition that
conditions people to buy a distorted vision of America, as Mr. Kupelian
notes. The phrase serves as a battering ram to eliminate any reference
to G-d from government, schools and anything supported by government
funds. Today, the mere mention of G-d or prayer is equated with the
establishment of religion.
Unfortunately, no group is more tuned-in to media
messages than youngsters. America's children are
studied like laboratory rats by a few giant media
corporations - Viacom, Disney, AOL/Time Warner and
others - that will do whatever it takes to sell them
billions of dollars in movies, music and clothing.
Items with shock value, those that are tempting,
degrading and corrupting work best. Just a few moments
viewing MTV will bring the viewer up to date on the
latest trends.
Mr. Kupelian puts part of the responsibility for our
cultural descent on the failure of parents to provide
a strong Judeo-Christian orientation for their
children. By revealing the calculated manipulation of
public sentiment, The Marketing of Evil offers the
knowledge to break free from the marketers' colossal
con job once and for all. It is a book for anyone who
does not consider the distinction between good and
evil a relic of the past and is not about to take the
path that promises soul-numbing 'liberation.'
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