Programming the Nation? (2011)

Programming the Nation?: Directed by Jeff Warrick. With John B. Alexander, Richard Beggs, Nick Begich, John Blackstone. According to many authorities, since the late 1950’s subliminal content has been tested and delivered through all forms of media, at an increasingly alarming rate. “PROGRAMMING THE NATION?” examines the purported uses, influences and potential subconscious side-effects of what’s going on beneath the surface of advertising, film, music and political propaganda. Even the US military has been accused of using this technology in their Psychological Operations Unit, (PSY OPS) campaign. This socially relevant documentary not only traces the history of this phenomenon, but seeks to determine the validity and potential threat that may or may not exist. Do you ever find yourself doing or buying things without any conscious reasoning? Why has consumer debt in America risen over 50% since 1990? How is it possible that the United States consumes about 25% of the world’s resources while only making up 4.5% of the world’s population? Are we all part of an elaborate scheme which has been programming the nation? Decide for yourself…

“Remember those bumper stickers: u0026quot;If Youu0026#39;re Not Outraged, Youu0026#39;re Not Paying Attentionu0026quot;? And u0026quot;Apathy Is the Voice of Complicityu0026quot;? This film isnu0026#39;t a shoulder-shaking wake-up call exactly, but rather a well-done survey of a critically-important issue/symptom that frequently gets overlooked or laughed-off.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA quality documentary on this subject was long overdue. Thereu0026#39;s something for everyone here, I think. For those new to this subject; the large and impressive interview cast is a tour u0026#39;de force of heavyweight experts (including some of my personal heroes). Veteran students will glean new perspectives and useful insights- presented in a casual, entertaining, and highly-watchable style.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe meta-issue at hand is our societiesu0026#39; misplaced priorities, IMO. Specifically, the vital questions regarding IF and HOW our priorities are _engineered_ somehow. Iu0026#39;ve watched many documentaries about the aberrant shenanigans going on behind the scenes, and Iu0026#39;m becoming increasingly disdainful of those who seek to profit from what translates into the slow-motion crashing of societiesu0026#39; foundational structures. That may be a bit of an overstatement, but if you disagree, Iu0026#39;d encourage you to continue questioning.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eA pinnacle example from the film is this quote from a leaked ad agency internal memo: u0026quot;Weu0026#39;re in the business of making women feel badly about themselvesu0026quot;. Yikes! What a concise and shocking summary of one of the many abhorrent truths of our times! u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;m standing and cheering for Jeff Warrick and his production team for their talent and vision! Iu0026#39;ll be watching for their next project.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;d say this terrific film is required viewing for all of us in consumer culture, especially teenagers and parents with young children (PLEASE?!) u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Evil will persist in the world as long as good people turn away and do nothing.u0026quot; u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOther highly-recommended programs about persuasion techniques: Parallax Picturesu0026#39; u0026quot;The Ad and the Egou0026quot;, National Geographicu0026#39;s u0026quot;Brain Gamesu0026quot; (Oct. 2011), Douglass Rushkoffu0026#39;s u0026quot;Merchants of Coolu0026quot;, and films by Adam Curtis including u0026quot;The Century of the Selfu0026quot;”