Pax Nortona – A Blog by Joel Sax
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Slogan Meme
Posted on May 9, 2005 in Folly Watch Memes
“I’ve just got two words, the first is to do with sex, and the second about transport.”
Nothing I think toxifies our life together more than slogans. And I have compiled five of them for your edification, ones that I feel stand challenging. You’ll note that my selection comes from three arenas: pop psychology, religion, and jingoism.
Let’s make a meme of this: Pick five slogans which annoy you and explain why. Then pass this meme on to three people.
My five
- Fake it until you make it. Excuse me? Don’t be genuine with others? This piece of pop advice supports prejudice against those going through depression or other mental illness. “Just slap a smile on your face so you don’t bother others.” And when the going really gets rough, don’t talk to anyone. Just find that razor blade and run it down your arm.
- America: Love it or leave it. This one pops out whenever there is a war. The implication is that those of us who won’t fight in it or support it hate our country. (Akin to this is the “self-hating Jew” label that gets flung against those who struggle for Palestinian rights.) I would define love of one’s country as respect for all of its people and its Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights. It seems to me that anyone who supports this Administration is anti-American. Should they leave it? Well, I’d rather teach them to love it.
- Jesus Loves You. I have nothing against Jesus. What I have against this slogan is that it is a cheap pull by people who act most unChristian. I most recently saw it on the neon signboard of the Christian Broadcasting Corporation in Costa Mesa. Imagine four or five round, white buildings with all the fixtures and idolatry of a Roman temple, positioned across the street from a shopping center. Money oozes from the sidewalks here. And how much goes to the poor? Not nearly as much as went into the equipment and the fancy building. God is not a cheap promotional for simonry.
- Get off your Pity Pot. This is the AA version of “Chill!” It is an imprecation to hide your feelings because others can’t handle the fact that there is hurt in the world. Someone who is obsessing like this should seek psychiatric help. But many AAers don’t want you to do that — the psychiatric profession, as they see it, just wants to addict you. My advice is that if you can’t get out of your pain, tell the AAers to read page 133 of the Big Book and see about appropriate medications for your condition.
- Guns don’t kill people. People kill people. Yeah, but guns make it real easy.
Here are the lucky ones: Elkit, Will, and Jeremy.
