Subliminal Messages Alive and Well

 The debate over subliminal messages has been alive and well for more than forty years, and both sides of the issue have been explored in their entirety. Do subliminal messages exist, or are they just a figment of one’s imagination? If they do exist, do they work, or are the advertisers just wasting valuable time when they could be devising ways to better serve their potential customers, ethically? These are some of the more popular questions being asked about subliminal messages. I’ll let you be the judge.

 The first known experiment with subliminal projection occurred in 1956, when a special projector was installed in a Fort Lee, New Jersey movie theater by a New York City firm, Subliminal Projection Co., Inc. During a six-week period, patrons reportedly were exposed to two advertising messages projected subliminally on the screen during the regular presentation of the motion picture "Picnic." The words "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Hungary? Eat Popcorn" were flashed on the screen every five seconds at the subliminal level of 1/3000^th of a second. The Subliminal Projection Co. reported that the sale of popcorn and Coca-Cola increased as a result of this simulation.

 There have been many more recent experiments conducted in recent times. There was an experiment conducted by Dr. Kenneth Parker at Queens College in New York where testees were shown the word PLASTIC for such a short time that they cannot be conscious of having seen it. This is tested first. There should have been no conscious perception.When the testees are asked to make a word with the letters PLA, they all give PLASTIC. Other possibilities such as PLASTICINE, PLACE, PLANT…are not suggested by anyone. Also, of the two most popular words starting in ELA – ELASTIC and ELATED – the testees only chose ELASTIC after having perceived the word PLASTIC subconsciously.

 Not only have subliminal messages been tested by experiment, they have also been used in advertising. When subliminal messages are used in advertising, it has been said that the most common forms of messages relate to sexual aggression, violence, and power. Many people have claimed that the Camel cigarettes’ advertisement, containing Joe Camel, projects sexual implications. Supposedly, the head of Joe Camel represents the head of male genitalia.

 Also, in an advertisement for Kent cigarettes many years ago, during the time of the Cold War, there was a picture of three individuals on a ski lift. There was a woman in between two men. The man on the left was dressed in red and yellow, typically communist colors. On the other side of the woman there was a man, obviously more attractive, dressed in patriotic red, white, and blue. It was evident by the picture that the woman was more interested in the gentleman in red, white, and blue that the other man in communist colors. Consequently, the man in "patriotic" colors was holding the Kent cigarette.

 Subliminal messages go beyond just print advertising. There are many examples cited in movies. Disney received an incredible amount of criticism for the appearance of the word SEX in the movie Lion King. Not only does the word appear, but it appears twice! Coincidence? I’ll let you be the judge. Another situation involving the Lion King deals with the names of the characters. In Swahili, the name ‘Simba’ means lion and the name ‘Shenzi’ means barbarian, but the word Pumba (the name of the warthog), when translated from Swahili, means ‘excretion from under the foreskin.’ I cannot verify the Swahili translation, but if that is correct, that is absurd.

 Disney did not stop at Lion King. There have been other incidences cited in the movies Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. In Aladdin, if one were to listen closely, you can hear a whispered message that states, "Good teenagers, take off your clothes." Although Disney spokesperson Rick Rhoades claims the cited verse supposedly says, "Good tiger, take off and go," I’ve heard the cited verse, and it sounds to me like Disney meant to do wrong. In The Little Mermaid, there is a seen where a man performing a wedding is shown in profile and appears to get an erection as the bride and groom approach. Rick Rhoades declined to comment on this incident.

 Subliminal messages are around us everyday, if one would want to believe so. If one were to look at the Windows 95 startup screen (for quite some time) they might possibly begin to notice a few images. For instance, a dark horse (representing power and authority) rearing on its hind legs can be made from the shaded area just to the left of the Windows insignia. Another image could possibly be made from the shadow above and to the right of the insignia. This could represent a flying bird with outstretched wings. This could perhaps symbolize flying and freedom. (Or is it a vulture!)

 Finally, many people have been able to make out (pardon the pun!) a man caressing a woman laying in the missionary position. If you look above the insignia, you can see the profile of a man’s face, with the tip of his nose touching the very top left part of the logo. The white clouds can be imagined as the hair of a woman, supposedly with her head resting on a pillow. If one were to use their imagination, this could be seen, with whatever connotations one would want to apply.

 Subliminal messages can be seen everywhere, if one wants to believe so. There are many examples of subliminal messages, both obvious and not. Is it a mistake that the letters SEX appear on advertisements in magazines all over the world or is it just coincidence? Is it an explicit attempt by Disney to convey sexual overtones in its movie cartoons, or has Disney just been the blunt of bad criticism? Are these blatant subliminal messages or are they just occurrences of chance? I’ll let you be the judge.