![]() ![]() Many publications have reported empirical evidence supporting subliminal perception, and it is a widely accepted theory among the scientific community. One general misconception regarding subliminal messages is the confusion between subliminal perception and subliminal persuasion/influence. In one case, the judge felt the meaning of the subliminal message was misinterpreted by the plaintiff and did not correspond to the intent of the artist (10). In all cases, the court ruled in favor of the defendant either because the judge felt that the messages were not inserted intentionally, or the messages were not truly subliminal in the first place and therefore protected by the free speech amendment. However, a number of Supreme Court cases have arisen as a result of accusations that auditory subliminal messages hidden in rock music influence destructive behavior in youths, such as drug abuse, promiscuity and even suicide. Auditory self-help, subliminal messages have been marketed to help improve one’s memory, self-esteem, and generally modify one’s behavior for the better, and is is reported that consumers spend more than $50 million annually on such products (2). Other forms of subliminal messages are auditory and are played quietly (undetectable by the ears) in the background of music, or disguised as the lyrics played backwards which is called “backward masking” (10). These ideas were initially popularized and are more commonly associated with the writings and lectures of Wilson Bryan Key (5,10). According to Freudian theories, humans are constantly suppressing their unconscious obsession with sex and death, and McGrane believes advertisers are attempting to tap into our unconscious by targeting these natural, suppressed-in-the-unconscious thoughts(1). They are somewhat like “Where’s Waldo” images except the hunt is for a sexual or death-related allusion. However, these images are detectable if one looks closely at the images. Bernard McGrane proposes in The Ad and the Id: Sex, Death, and Subliminal Advertising that advertising companies embed sex and death related images into magazine ads in order to further encapsulate our unconscious. ![]() Over the years, subliminal messages have become disguised in other ways and now are used to describe anything that is not perceivable to an audience but is still registered by the brain. Many scientists and advertising firms sought out the learn more about how one may be able to influence people subconsciously- where audiences would not be able ponder over and question the information presented to them. Although Vicary’s experiment could not be reproduced, and he openly admitted it being fabricated (2, 4, 5, 10), the studies were widely publicized and are still believed to be true by many. He claimed that popcorn sales increased 58% and coke sales increased 18% (5, 10). ![]() The device was able to flash the words “Eat Popcorn, Drink Coke” for 1/3000th of a second, every five seconds throughout the screening of a movie. Although the term is over two-hundred years old, the debate over subliminal influence began with James Vicary’s invention, the tachistocope, in the mid-1950’s (2,5,9,10). The term “subliminal” means “limen of consciousness” and is used to describe the threshold between the conscious and unconscious (2). Such techniques could potentially provide a way in which others could influence our behaviors without our permission, or ways in which we could influence our own behavior should we have difficulty doing so consciously. Thus, it is evident that there is an exigency to investigate subliminal influence. Issues concerning subliminal techniques used in advertising and entertainment have gone as far as Supreme Court cases and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banning the use of subliminal messages on public airways (5, 10). Questions like the ones above have raised serious public concern over and over again in the past couple decades and fostered a number of studies regarding subconscious or subliminal perception and more importantly subliminal influence. Why would the producers want to include such inappropriate imagery in such a widely cherished children’s film? Can these images have an affect on our everyday lives or more importantly the behavior of our children? I must have watched the films over a million times as a child and again with my nieces and nephews, and have never noticed any of this before. I actually looked into a couple of the scenes referenced in an online forum regarding the topic (7), and lo and behold, they are true. ![]() Have you ever heard of the rumors regarding the hidden sexual imagery in Disney films? Some of the rumors include a phallic castle on the cover of the original The Little Mermaid, Aladdin saying “good teenagers take off their clothes” in a scene in Aladdin, along with many others in films ranging from The Lion King to The Rescuers. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |