介绍潜意识人g ballard-the subliminal manj.pdfVIP

TheSubliminalMan

J.G.Ballard

J.G.BallardisaBritishwriterwhohasbeencalleda“poetofdeath.”ButBallard,especiallyintheearly

partofhiscareer,alsowroteexcellentextrapolativesciencefictiononsocialthemes,andthishaunting

storyisoneofhisfinest.

HereBallardspeaksoftheenslavementoftheunconscious,ofaneconomicsystemthatforcespeopleto

consumeagainsttheirwillthroughtheuseoftechnology.Ballardmakesanimportantassumption-the

belief(atleastimplicitly)thatpeoplewouldnotwanttoconsumeathighratesiftheywerenot“forced”to

doso.Inaprofoundsense,“TheSubliminalMan”isabasiccritiqueoftheunderlyingdichotomythat

pervadestheconceptofadvertising-thatofneedsversuswants.Weallhavebasicneedslikefood,,

clothing,andshelter.Almosteverythingelse(includingthebookyouarenowreading)iswants,often

artificiallycreatedbythecultureinwhichwelive.Thinkhowmuchmoredifficultresistancewould

becomeifthetechnologyofsubliminaladvertisingwereforceduponus.Thisthreatgoesbeyondthe

financialdifficultiesthatfamilieswouldbein.Wewouldalsobethreatenedwithdehumanization,foritis

theabilitytothinkandchosethatseparatesusfromtherestoftheanimalworld.

Ballard’sstoryalsoassumesthatindustrywillcontinuetomanufactureproductsthatwilleasilyand

quicklywearout,orifthisisnotthecase,thenitwillfindwaystomakeusdissatisfiedwiththeproducts

wenowhave.Thereislittleevidencethatthingswillchangeforthter.

“Thesigns,Doctor!Haveyouseethesigns?”

Frowningwithannoyance,Dr.Franklinquickenedhispaceandhurrieddownthehospitalstepstoward