Dylan Daugherty on Pages 301-305 "Lest the revolution be..."

In Cynthia Selfe's critically acclaimed essay, lest we think the revolution is a revolution, she introduces ads and explains how they are created to portray a certain perspective or view. She mentions several "narratives" that Americans allow themselves to believe. These archetypal narratives are much like the one used in video texts to entice the audience. Between the pages of 301, and 305 she talks about a narrative called, the land of equal opportunity. Advertisements and technology such as the internet intentionally portray a world where everyone is welcome. A world without racism, terrorism, and brutality. Ads choose to convey this message because most americans can easily identify themselves with this thought process. It was only 60-70 years ago when immigrants thought, "Americas streets are paved with gold! I can live the American Dream!". But what is true now, and true in the times of mass immigration America is not a place equality. Although the constitution states, "All men are created equal," We have not lived by those lines since they were written, in fact the united states would not be where we are today without slavery. Other advertisements represent a certain optimism, a 1950's ideal home. A man and woman married, 2.5 kids and a pet with a white picket fence around the home. These ads are misleading as welll because the advertisements almost never contain people of color, poor people, gay couples, or most minorities. Selfe's grandmother used to called this ads "Mighty White," aptly named because of the white bread families the ads introduce you to. What we really have in front of us is a land of difference. Although the ads show something nice and represent hope and optimism, the world does not operate like it does on tv or a page of a magazine.

Selfe feels as thought Americans are being mislead by advertisements. Americans are subjected to countless advertisements a day, if a magazine ad is published, millions of Americans will see and read them by the day the magazine is printed. If all these people are being introduced to these ads how are they affected, Selfe states, "This cultural memory is a potent one for Americans, and these ads resonate with the values that we remember as characterizing that golden time..." The ads we are in contact with everyday deeply resonate with what we already know. The old traditions and beliefs associated with the ads come back into our minds when we see them, and some are gullible enough to embrace them.