Freedom or Illusion?

Free, pure, organic, smooth, refined, elegant…

These are the mantras that advertising drills into our heads day in and day out.

Freedom is one of the most powerful aesthetics of our consumer society. It is used to hawk cars, salad dressings, diapers, you name it. It’s also a powerful idiomatic device for political language.

• Want to sustain public support of a war? Say that our soldiers are fighting for our freedom!
• Want to spy on American citizens? Say we’re doing it to preserve our most cherished freedoms!
• Want to bitch about the NSA’s domestic surveillance program? Say that it violates our freedoms!

I work near an American Express office. Everyday I see the sign in their window that reads “FREE” in big white letters on a cool blue background. It’s for their new credit card offer:

From the first time you use it, you'll notice that Clear from American Express is different. It doesn't just help make life simple, it makes sense. And it features no fees-for-the-sake-of-fees fees.

Can a credit card really make you freer? Naw, their freedom is a trap, like in Orwell’s 1984 where freedom is slavery. Credit cards give an individual the freedom to become a debtor (you do it to yourself, you do, and that's why it really hurts). 

I have a “free checking” account. Do I feel more free because I don’t pay a monthly fee? No. I still get charged $2.00 if I use an ATM out of my bank’s core network. That ain’t free.

Freedom is relative. It’s in your head. It’s whatever makes you happy. It’s whatever you want it to be. Freedom is the ability to do what you want, when you want, to satisfy your inner happiness all the while not infringing on the freedoms of others.

I give up. I’m back to the indefinable word freedom. 

Comments

[reverend quitter]

well that's the big lie in america itn't it? that you are "free" to live the life you choose? it's become such a meaningless word here that, as you point out, it's used to sell anything to everyone. cus that's the truth. you are free to become whichever type of consumer you wish just so long as you consume. you are free to choose which war-loving party to join. free to listen to "rock" , "rap" or "alternative". you can choose which tv shows and sports to watch. you can even choose to get your news from cnn or fox.

i've found that the more i distance myself from all of the options above, the happier i am.

[velid]

Patriotsploitation is own catagory of advertising now. Negativland did a fun takeoff of that in "Freedom's Waiting," playing off, among other things, the old 7/11 ad slogan "experience the freedom of 7/11." Washington Mutual Bank in a recent billboard campaign promoted its checking accounts with the slogan Home of the Free with (checking) in a smaller font just underneath and various "all-American imagery" in the background.

The Soviets used to argue that what Americans mean by freedom is just free enterprise.