Why would monotony be held in such high regard that it is raised up to become a global holy grail? Why would the promotion of monotony be so valued that it's sharpened into a disciplined science? Why am I being SOooo monotonous, asking such senseless questions?
It all sounds like an advertisement for a bad, low budget fiction: A B-movie featuring a jaded, disengaged global civilization.
Picture it:
Grey! A world of Sameness
or maybe
Grey's the Greatest!
[i Multitudes of dull, emotionally-grey people standing around all over the world, as one big bleak monoculture with blank lives, drained of all their colour - waiting. Waiting to be told what to do. Waiting to be told how to act, what to eat, what to wear, what to listen to, what to believe, when to do it all and where to do it AND THEN to keep these drones from thinking for themselves, a small self-appointed sect supplies numerous reasons for why they should continue to do what they're asked.As the plot sickens it goes on to show the main maniacal motivation of their behind-the-scene controllers.]
Profits! The bottom line! The next quarterly report! Bonuses! Power! Ya!
To them, if they can get the whole world to think and act the same way, then whenever they have something to sell, all they need to do is put out one call-to-action and the drones shell out, So money pours into their hungry little hands.
The sign over their door: Monotony Makes Money - It's Good Policy!
Sounds just a bit out there right? Not so - sadly I'm describing the world where most of us live.
As I spent a good chunk of my career drafting campaigns for advertisers, I know from whence I speak. Now, I'm not saying that all advertising is greedy and manipulating however advertising in general has become the science of impeding intelligence long enough to get money from it. Advertising creates false demands and then promotes the myth of scarcity. As a client of mine recently told me, "That whole industry is sauteed in wrong sauce!"
Sound a bit severe? There are two sides to this story.
Think Globalism over Globalization
Globalization is now generally understood to be the ever-increasing practice by which companies move all their money and products around the world searching for cheap materials and labour, under governments who turn their back on environmental, consumer and worker protections. These global trade and financial practices have essentially evaporated international borders. Globalization, which is totally free of moral and ethical issues, buys up and abuses the earth's resources for profit with all decision making concentrated in one place. Globalization requires the standardization or 'greying' of pretty well everything and everybody. Even though it's disguised through expensive advertising, Globalization secretly demands homogenization. Take a close look and you can clearly see it for what it really is - a carnival of monotony and the Globalization rally cry of, "The
end
justifies the means."
is uncaring, impersonal and immoral.
On the flip side, Globalism is the polar opposite of globalization. Globalism recognizes the fact that all of us share this single delicate planet; that we all have a vested interest in our 'spaceship earth' as Buckminster Fuller called it and we have all heard the term 'global village' coined by Marshall McLuhan. Both men recognized the sensible conduct and mutual respect required by all of us to survive in a common, balanced world. In fact all the variety in our world from genetics to cultures, to the seas and lands to our atmospheric layers, are now increasingly being referred to as Global Commons.
Globalism embraces being active on a daily basis in the widest possible matters, promoting the understanding of others, tolerance, respect of our differences, sharing and a healthy balance for sustainability. Embracing Globalism truly is embracing, "The
means
justifies the end."
We are at a crossroads. Humanity knows things are out of whack and that something has to be done. The question is:
"But what?"
All over our shrinking world we see increased standardization, the wearing away of indigenous cultures and the proliferation of what is being called non-places
like homogeneous malls, restaurants and airports. It's the serial monotony of monoculture. Globalization threatens our very identities, the keystone of cultures and our comprehension of self.
Cultures include the language, beliefs, social interactions, traditions, laws, art and music of communities. By understanding this and protecting it we can prevent identity crisis and the heartbreaking blending of distinctive cultures into a bland monotonous grey. We can prevent these attempts to drain the colour from our rich world.
Studies show that between 80 and 90% of what we know is learned through our eyes and that the average human target
in the so-called developed world, receives more than 16,000 brand encounters
per day. We are bombarded in public washrooms, schools, elevators, from the sides of vehicles and even on the food we eat. Take a look at your bananas and oranges and even your eggs.
I just read an article about smart ads
that can detect and identify the size, age and gender of any passer-by through the use of hidden cameras and then instantly project an ad designed and aimed at that specific target.
Humans, viewed as targets with wallets.
The very latest from the science
of advertising I am talking about was covered in a recent TV segment. Covert in-store cameras focus on you as you enter their doors and record every action you make, or don't make, the amount of time you move or linger, logging and plotting everything in a chart. How does it feel to be seen as a statistics generator - with cash?
Now understand, I'm not down on science and advertising or corporations, just the wanton destructive
objectives behind them. Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein and Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer all recognized the powerful potential of technology and openly cautioned humanity about the pitfalls of its misuse.
In her book No Logo
Naomi Klein describes the growing backlash against uncontrolled consumerism by people reclaiming public spaces and rebelling against corporate power. She says, "The corporate hunger to homogenize our communities and monopolize public expression is creating a wave of public resistance."
And this is becoming more evident through reports of small businesses and towns rejecting big box retailers as a growing number of the population become more informed and stand up for inspired citizenship over blind consumerism.
A glaring example of this is how the recent release of military documents turned the media spot-light on the increasing popularity and global influence of culture-jamming, hactivism
and digilantes.
Merely existing in a monotonous, manicured life where we all look and sound the same, limits our opportunities for new experiences and realizations. Sure, some routines are necessary like brushing your teeth, but unquestioned buying habits and schedules become the rut that keeps our innovative wheels from turning. Just think about how it could influence things like artistic originality, overall problem solving and positive scientific invention.
In the light of globalization's massive push to conform, we can be frozen into inaction by the bystander effect
- if nobody else acts then neither will I - or we can simply say YES to Globalism. We can choose its philosophy to support all the unique qualities that make societies noteworthy and say YES to living a balanced, harmonious, courageous, generous life. We can choose to question the status quo by resisting the pressure to homogenize, monopolize and dominate markets. We can choose to reclaim confidence in our individuality and celebrate our interconnectivity.
Here's a wake-up call for you. Sadly, the term social deviant
is now commonly used by corporate America to describe anyone outside so-called monoculture
norms. So I suggest we ALL be social deviants for a better world!
With that said, I believe we can easily tap into our creativity and our right to be heard to effect huge change. We can use our minds in cooperation with our hearts to build truth, respect diversity, expose injustice, advance conflict resolution, promote peace, relieve despair and reject fanaticism, fundamentalism, expose inequity and the viscous vendors of fear. (FEAR: False Evidence Appearing Real)
We have a choice to buy in or buy smart and I don't mean just products and goods. We don't have to meet each other to care about each other. We can choose to willingly serve others, eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness and cynicism by developing a love for all.
We can promote rebalanced, long-term solutions, harmony and civility. We really can
advance civilization. We can each do it by enthusiastically adding our vibrant, energetic colour to an insensitive and unpromising grey world.
It's an exhilarating time! It's our choice. Go forward and make colour the new grey!
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Biography
