People these days sure do love talking about transparency. Well aware that transparency is a hot ticket, we at Base wanted to be transparent with you about the fact that we are going to start talking about transparency a lot so we don’t miss out. While we’re being so transparent we thought we’d also mention offhandedly the fact that throughout BaseNow we’re using a potent strain of subliminal messaging to get you to do whatever we want. Sure, it’s perhaps ironic that we’re being transparent about jumping on the transparency bandwagon. And yes, it’s kind of coincidental that subliminal and transparent both imply imperceptibility. Regardless, we wanted to put all these things on the table in the name of transparency. We hope you don’t mind that while we do, we’re manipulating you to unknowingly do exactly as we wish.
With each word and image, we’re using our ethereal powers of e-persuasion to seep into your consciousness and convince you of stuff. And you have no way of even knowing what that stuff is. It could be an overpowering sentiment that Base equals pure awesomeness. It could be a general feeling that Lou Reed is a weenie. It could be a sudden fondness for Ring Dings. We’re not going to be quite that transparent, so you’ll never know. But you’ll know.
A little history: The sneaky science of subliminal messaging was perfected back in the 1950s. At first, subliminal messaging in America was used to get people to do things like hate communists and buy popcorn at movies. While its predecessor, propaganda, masqueraded as honest sentiment, it in fact was Big Brother in neon camouflage, and the fingerprints were visible. Then subliminal messaging made the art of the state state-of-the-art.
In contrast with propaganda, and the unapologetically overt nature of advertising, with subliminal messaging the entire mode of conveyance is invisible, so there are no fingerprints to hide. You might have a whiff of suspicion that somehow, in some dogs’-ears frequency, you’re being sold something, but you can’t pin it down. And like a wary rabbit contemplating a carrot tied to a string, you invariably end up taking the bait. You might wonder whether the brand of toilet paper you’re buying is the brand you’ve been programmed to buy but you buy it anyhow. Because, in the end, you care less than the toilet paper people do. Plus, you’re out of toilet paper.
Excuse the digression. But it’s all part of what we’re subliminally getting you to do. We hope you understand. Or, less subliminally: You understand.
So, thanks for reading. And remember: Trust your instincts, and listen to that little voice in your head. We look forward to seeing you you-know-where you-know-when for you-know-what.