We watch with astonishment as a segment of our population has focused more and more on the health care issue as the source of all that is wrong with society. The anger seems to be shading into hatred. What has caused this to happen? My question is how interested parties having a stake in the outcome of the healthcare debate could shape such a trend. In a previous posting I focused on how fear is a powerful a tool for a savvy marketer, for once fear is activated you have a person’s complete attention. The next step becomes how you focus fear so that the person is motivated to act. Shift the fear into hatred and you can develop the perfect foot soldier for a cause.

How might a clever marketer do this? Probably the most effective method is to bring forth all the possible scenarios that illustrate our deepest fears, and then suggest that someone or something is the specific cause of these fears. This puts a focus on what is being played out at the moment and creates a villain. It also jacks up tension another notch, and thereby increases the possibility that a person will choose to act. There is now a focus for action in regards to all that is wrong in our lives. Pandora’s box is wide open, and everything spills out.

However, the real danger in this strategy lies in its destabilizing effect on the entire society. When every thing spills out of the box, we completely lose perspective on the situation. We lose our ability to see the larger picture where we might have compassion for the dignity of the wider population. The marketer’s cause can also get out hand, leading us into places that are damaging for all. We regress into our lowest possible denominator rather than being pulled toward the society that we might become. Do not give away that level of power without carefully examining who and what is really going to benefit from your being a good foot soldier. It might not be you.