April 26, 2015

“Every day, in every way…”


FAMOUS PSYCHOTHERAPY MANTRA:

“Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.”
(“Tous les jours, a tous points de vue, je vais de mieux en mieux.”) 
       Émile Coué
(1857-1926)
       French psychologist and pharmacist
       Coué was renowned for his theories about the healing power of “conscious autosuggestion” or self-hypnosis, also called Couéism or the Coué method. This famous line was inscribed on the wall of Coué’s sanitarium in Nancy, France in 1910 and promoted in his books, such as De la suggestion et de ses application (“On Suggestion and its Applications”), published in 1915.
       Coué claimed that people with mental or physical problems could be cured by saying his catchphrase to themselves 15 to 20 times every day.


UPDATED PSYCHOTHERAPY QUOTE:

“It seems to me that psychotherapy, perhaps like so much else in our current culture, has learned to chant a distinctly counter-Coué mantra: ‘Every day, in every way, I get worse and worse.’”
      
Professor Ernesto Spinelli
       British psychotherapist and psychologist
       In his book The Mirror and the Hammer (2004)


WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY COUNTERQUOTE:

“Every day, in every way, things [in America] are getting worse and worse. It wouldn’t be so bad if, while running through the darkening wood, we knew we were headed toward daylight, but we don’t know any such thing.”
      
William F. Buckley Jr. (1925-2008)
       Conservative political commentator and author
       In his column in The National Review, July 2, 1963


SCARY MOTHER TERESA VARIATION:

“We think of our own faces as ugly because of the wrinkles and lines and sagging flesh...When you look in the mirror, don't ask yourself whether you look like Marilyn Monroe. Say instead to yourself — every day in every way, I look more like Mother Teresa!”
      
Dr. Ronda Chervin
       American theologist
       In her book Seeking Christ in the Crosses & Joys of Aging (2003)


HENRY MILLER’S COSMIC VERSION:

“I am living out my share of life and thus abetting the scheme of things. I further the development, the enrichment, the evolution and the devolution of the cosmos, every day in every way. I give all I have to give, voluntarily, and take as much as I can possibly ingest.”
      
Henry Miller (1891-1980)
       American novelist, painter and social commentator
       In his book The Wisdom of the Heart (1960)


TRANSFORMERS BEAST WAR VERSION:

“EVERY DAY, IN EVERY WAY, I’M GETTING BADDER.”
       Hydra
       His motto in
The Transformers Beast Wars Sourcebook (2008)

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April 8, 2015

Opiates of the people: from religion and cellphones to voting and political correctness…


THE FAMOUS OVERSIMPLIFIED SOUND BITE:

“Religion...is the opium of the people.”
(“Die Religion...ist das Opium des Volks.”)
       Karl Marx (1818-83)
       German philosopher, historian and “Founding Father” of socialism and communism
       In his Critique of the Hegelian Philosophy of Right (1844)
       The quote above (sometimes translated as “Religion...is the opiate of the people” or “Religion...is the opium of the masses”) is the familiar, condensed sound bite taken from a more nuanced point Marx made
in the introduction to A Critique of the Hegelian Philosophy of Right. Here’s what he actually said: “Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions.” 


THE MODERN ZOMBIE APPLICATION:

“Cellphones are the new opiate of the masses, stifling conversation with friends and strangers alike, even worse than those music-carrying earbuds that keep people looking straight ahead like cattle, showing blank, uncurious faces, totally unaware that we might be approaching the slaughterhouse.”
       Tony Vagneur 
       American rancher and newspaper columnist
       In his March 27, 2015 column in the The Aspen Times


THE COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY COUNTERQUOTE:

“REVOLUTION IS THE OPIUM OF THE INTELLECTUALS.”
       Graffiti on a wall in the film
O Lucky Man! (1973)


AN AMERICAN COMMUNIST’S COUNTERQUOTE:

“I think voting is the opium of the masses in this country. Every four years you deaden the pain.”
       Line spoken
the film Reds (1981) by American Communist leader Emma Goldman (played by actress Maureen Stapleton) 
       It does not appear to be taken from Goldman’s actual written works
 


THE ANTI-PC VARIATION:

“Political correctness is the opium of the liberal…It makes them feel good.”  
       Comment in a
letter to the editor in the suburban Chicago Daily Herald, August 20, 2010


THE HOMOSEXUAL TAUTOLOGIST’S VARIATION:

Gudrun (actress Susanne Sachsse): “Heterosexuality is the opiate of the masses.”
Holger (actor Daniel Bätscher): “I thought opiates were the opiate of the masses.”
       In the film
The Raspberry Reich (2004)


THE ECONOMISTS’ VARIATION:

“Popular culture distracts and confuses Americans through distorting perceptions of social issues and existing social institutions. If religion was ‘the opium of the masses’ in the nineteenth century, the electronic media is the ‘opium of the masses’ in the late twentieth century.”
       Economists William E. Halal and Kenneth B. Taylor
       In their book 21st Century Economics (1999)

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April 3, 2015

“What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” – or maybe not…


THE (IN)FAMOUS AD SLOGAN:

“What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.”
       Ad slogan used since 2005 by the
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority 
       This famous nudge-nudge, wink-wink line evolved from the earlier advertising slogan
“What Happens Here, Stays Here,” created in 2002 by the Authority’s ad agency R&R Partners, Inc. Both versions suggest (not very subtly) that people can have sexual liaisons or do other wild and crazy things on vacation trips to Las Vegas and keep it secret. The “What Happens in Vegas...” version became the subject of fierce trademark litigation after it began showing up on “unauthorized” t-shirts and other souvenirs. Of course, the basic linguistic formula used in the Vegas ad slogans is not new. For example, a much older saying among traveling salesmen is “What happens on the road, stays on the road.” And, a traditional variation long used by musicians is “What happens on tour, stays on tour.”


THE INDIANA RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT OBSERVATION:

“As much as I’d like to think what happens in Indiana stays in Indiana, that’s not likely to be the case. So even if it was convenient and desirable (or even possible) for every progressive Hoosier to move out, it won’t let us quarantine Indiana so that the garbage legislation doesn’t spread.” 
       Reader comment on a post about the controversy over Indiana's so-called “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” on the progressive blog Shakesville.com
       (Cartoon by Darkow via the Columbia Daily Tribune.)


THE VAGUELY PUNNY VARIATION:

“Ambiguity: What Happens In Vagueness Stays In Vagueness.”
       Slogan on t-shirts sold via CafePress



THE HANGOVER MOVIE VERSION:

“Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Except for herpes. That shit’ll come back with you.”
       Actor
Jeffrey Tambor, as the character Sid Garner, in movie The Hangover (2009)



THE BRANSON HANGOVER VERSION:

“You can never leave Branson – it will always stay with you. I’ve hit an All American Wall, suffering from a bad case of Red State Madness – like a hangover but without the drinking, as I shit red, white and blue with a constant dry taste of Jesus in my mouth, amidst bad entertainment, bad food, fat, old Americans and utter lack of culture. As they say, ‘What happens in Branson stays in Branson, especially with Our Lord Jesus Christ looking over it.’”  
       Harmon Leon
       American author, journalist and comedian
 
       In his quirky travel guide
National Lampoon Road Trip USA (2007)
       Commenting on the “family vacation destination” tourist town
Branson, Missouri, where you can see shows like Noah: The Musical



THE FML VERSION:

“Today, I learned that what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. This includes my one night stand who turned up outside my front door with a suitcase in her hand.”
       Posted by
“NeverDrinkingAgain” on the FMLife.com website



THE KIDDY VERSION:

“What Happens in Preschool Stays in Preschool”
       Slogan used on
a line of clothing for preschool kids and their parents

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