THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR IT - The Pocket Internet

"THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR IT"

(Page 4)

From the standpoint of those in governmental and intellectual authority, all hell broke loose. They faced the onslaught of pamphleteers, whose tracts sought to persuade the masses that established religion was false, that governments were corrupt, and that taxes were oppressive. Pressures were put upon kings to share their power with parliamentary bodies, and shocking new interpretations of the Christian religion poured off the presses.

But if pamphleteers are bad, there was worse news to come. Pamphlets and books were problem enough, but they cost money to print, and the voices of dissent were not rich. But then these rascals discovered an amazing source of funds that enabled them not only to pay their bills but make quite nice profit in addition.

"In fact,
when the
Declaration of
Independence
was first
printed, it
shared a
newspaper
page with
ten ads."

I refer, of course, to that curious invention -- paid advertising.

Imagine the consternation of George III when he contemplated the havoc that was being created by the 40 newspapers in his American colonies. Something like 40% of their content was advertising, giving them relatively ample funds to attact the minions of the British crown.

In fact, when the Declaration of Independence was first printed, it shared a newspaper page with ten ads.

From that day on, advertising has been anathema to power-hungry governments and to those of the intellectual elite who have chosen to be their allies.

But let us give them credit for sincerity. They believe along with Plato that if the ordinary citizen is exposed to various choices of action he will undoubtedly choose the wrong one.

Even today, you will note we have a government proceeding against cereal companies because they have given the consumer too many choices!

"The fledgling government of the
United States bit one bullet early on.
It wrote freedom of speech and press into its Constitution."

The fledgling government of the United States bit one bullet early on. It wrote freedom of speech and press into its Constitution. So have other governments, but many of them were just kidding.

But as late as 1942, the Supreme Court held that, of course, commercial speech was not covered by the Constitution. After all, there must be some limits to freedom, and this would be going a bit too far.

It is only in the last five years that this decision has been seriously questioned. Finally, as you all know, the Supreme Court, upon carefully examining the Constitution, has been unable to find where commercial speech was excluded from its protection.

"...reporters and editors must
be given the broadest leeway,
because it is probable that
they don't know what
they are writing about."

This is particularly embarrassing because there was a great deal of commercial speech at the time the amendment was adopted.

The Court is not quite sure how far this protection goes. But in discussing this, the Court inadvertently gave you all a very nice compliment. It suggested that reporters and editors must be given the broadest leeway, because it is probable that they don't know what they are writing about. On the other hand, you commercial communicators, according to the court, know what you are doing and, therefore, must be held to a higher standard of conduct. I have seen little editorial comment on this point.

At this point we are just about up to date, and I propose to stick my neck out with a firm prediction.

I am bold enough to flatly predict that any dispute that has been going on for 2300 years will continue through the next ten.

You, like your predecessors over the centuries, will continue to be held up to scorn by the elite, and condemned by the powerful.

It has been a long war, and there is no end in sight.

On the one side has been Plato. He believed that it would be forever impossible to trust the common man to listen to both sides of a question and come to a conclusion in his own best interests. He believed that you must join the power of the sword with intellectual superiority, and direct the common man in his every action. Right now, if you count the people on earth and the circumstances under which they live, Plato is still well ahead. Those countries which live under Plato's rules are not cluttered up with marketing, advertising and public relations people.

Editor's note: This speech was written before the breakup of the U.S.S.R. It could be that Aristotle has actually pulled into the lead!

You are, by your everyday life, on the side of Aristotle. You act in the belief that the common man, with all his frailties,

"But, as
professional
communicators,
you play
an honorable
part in a
great struggle
for the
principle of
freedom of
choice."

can over time and in the end cut through all the conflicting and confusing persuasive communications to which he is subject and sort out what is best for him and his fellowman.

I will not be so absurd as to say that the work you and I do every day is going to have any visible impact on the outcome of this dispute.

But, as professional communicators, you play an honorable part in a great struggle for the principle of freedom of choice.

More than three decades after World War II, we see that countries that took the route of Plato are still struggling to meet the basic needs of their people. Those that took the route of Aristotle have prospered, even where every circumstance of nature was against them.

What will it mean if your numbers dwindle? What happens if there are no more advertising, marketing and public relations people in the world?

It will be a signal that people everywhere have lost the power of individual choice. For in a society in which the individual is powerless before the armed might of the state, there is no occasion for your services.

"Where freedom lives,
there you will be also."

When men are slaves, there is no need to persuade them.

Where freedom lives, there you will be also.

What you do does count. What you believe does count. And I believe that the judgement of history will be with you.

Thank you.

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