Advertising is used in general to sway our thinking and persuade us to accept a certain product – and it works otherwise why do companies spend a fortune on advertising campaigns?
In this case Nuclear Waste Services are using advertising to persuade us to believe the GDF is a good thing for our area – and there are only positives.
Their colouring book aimed at children is a blatant example of manipulating children. Is this acceptable?
The booklet is generic and aimed at anyone of the four potential host areas. However, they are now getting personal and using local people, often those in responsible positions, to do their advertising for them.
It is very clever: government provide the money so that the developers, i.e. Nuclear Waste Services, can make grants available to areas considering hosting a GDF. Successful organisations are then thankful for their awards and agree to having photographs taken and videos made showing their gratitude (and publicising their services). Thus we are brainwashed into believing South Copeland GDF Community Partnership (and therefore the GDF developers) are a benevolent organisation with our best interests at heart.
The underlying (and manipulative) message of this is that the GDF is good. It is supportive and friendly. Look how the funding is helping our community! Look how organisations are benefitting from their generosity.
Their latest propaganda photograph shows the mayor and deputy mayor of Millom town, along with the Baptist minister and a member of her congregation showing how thankful they are for the grant. If you scroll down you will find videos of young people and children benefitting from the funding.
If we carry on at this rate most of the organisations and services in Millom and surrounding villages will receive funding from the GDF Community Partnership and be very grateful to them for that funding. And we will have more photographs and videos that show our gratitude for this amazingly generous Community Partnership. And, wait for it, it seems likely their latest newsletter will be falling through our letter boxes in the coming week so that those who are not on the internet can have the benefit of reading and seeing how the town is benefitting from GDF funding.
So the GDF is firmly being placed in our minds as a benevolent ‘thing’ that supports the community, is kind and caring. And look at all these people, including our own town council, who support it.
If the siting of a GDF in our area comes to the vote (maybe in ten years) just who would dare oppose it? Look at how the town has benefitted and will continue to benefit from it.
It doesn’t matter that the Community Partnership is not telling us about all the possible negative affects it is likely to have on our town and surrounding area. It doesn’t matter that we are being manipulated by government and big business. As long as we continue to get funding…