Gravy and Salad Dressing

Thank God I have been fortunate enough to have been able to travel from an early age. When I was twelve (oh how long ago that was), my father joined the foreign service, working as an engineer in the Agency for International Development. Within months, we were living in Niger, West Africa. I wasn't so happy about this back then, but today I am grateful. I quickly learned that there are very different ways to live, and I also picked up French while I was at it.

Previously, I have mentioned seeing reality as it is and not as we'd like it to be. While I love the United States, where I was gratefully born and raised, I must admit we are the kings of marketing and spin doctoring. We can take the truth and twist it so far around that nobody knows whether they're coming or going anymore. The Bush administration is a perfect example of this as is the "crisis." The financial meltdown is something that was occurring for years before anybody knew about it. Why? Because the unfortunate truth was covered up with gravy and salad dressing to make it taste good. Don't get me wrong, I love a little dressing or sauce just like the next person. But these should be used to flavor, not to cover up. When you can no longer taste what is beneath the gravy, there is a problem.

Marketing is a great tool, but only when truths are being marketed. When marketing is misused simply to generate cash, it often leads to improper and corrupt behavior. A good example of this is demonstrated over and over in the documentary, "The Corporation," which I was unable to finish watching because I feared I would never drink milk again if I did. The truth about milk (if we choose to really think about it) is that nowhere in nature do adult animals consume it. But a thick heaping of gravy was poured over this reality to convince us that "it does a body good." We need milk for strong teeth and bones, right?

Slowly, a movement has been arising where spin doctoring is being demystified. People are beginning to see through the gravy to the truths of the world. As this occurs, there is a resurgence of the old ways, such as organic foods, glass instead of plastics and other "green" behavior. I urge everyone to join this movement, and use their powers of discrimination to see through the veils of gravy and dressing. Only then will we see the end of nonsense marketing, and throw away products that don't add value. This is a truth I see, clearly as it is.