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CounterPunch
October
22, 2002
Would You Buy
Laundry Soap from these Guys? What About a War?
Marketing the War on Iraq
by ROGER PEACOCK
The American people have endured a massive marketing
campaign this fall. But this campaign isn't trying to get us
to switch to a different long distance company or a new brand
of laundry soap. This marketing campaign is designed to prepare
us to attack, invade, occupy, and administer (for how many years?)
yet another Middle Eastern country; in this case, it's Iraq.
We have been presented with a deluge of reasons for doing so.
But are these reasons compelling? Like most effective marketers,
the organization selling this "product" has presented
all the reasons that it believes will influence us to buy.
Consequently, there are three important
questions for us as consumers to consider before making this
decision. Will this product really benefit us, can we afford
it, and is there any meaningful synchronicity between the sellers'
true motivations and our own?
First, let's look at the last of these
questions. We know that marketers don't tell us their true motivations--"Look,
what we really want is to turn you into a lifetime customer and
make maximum profits off of you, but don't worry there's something
in it for you too." We know that they have their own agenda
which may not be in synch with our needs, so the rule of the
marketplace is caveat emptor--let the buyer beware.
There are many theories about these sellers'
true motives. Control of the world's 2nd largest oilfields is
one theory. But it is possible that the true motivations of the
seller would probably not be sufficient to motivate consumers
to buy this product. They would consider the price/benefit ratio
to be way too high. If it's laundry soap or a long distance company,
consumers can always switch back when they realize they have
yielded to the excitement of the pitchman and made a bad decision.
Attacking Iraq is different. None of us will be able to say,
"Oops. There I go again letting a pitchman get me all worked
up. I think I'll change it back." We won't be able to unkill
the thousands (perhaps tens of thousands) of innocent Iraqi civilians--women,
children, and men who most certainly will die from bombs, tanks,
land mines, and other unseen ordnance. We won't be able to undo
the death and disabilities that will be suffered by some of our
faithful servicemen and women in combat.
Secondly, does this product meet our
need for security from terrorism? Terrorism does not mysteriously
appear out of thin air. It is born of grudge and perceived grievance.
Terrorism is wrong and it is an evil response to grudge and grievance.
But unfortunately the fact that it is wrong and evil will not
stop it. Will a military invasion of Iraq stop terrorism or will
such an act vastly increase feelings of indignation, grudge and
grievance against the invaders throughout the Middle East and
other parts of the world? When people feel a desperate need to
respond to their grudges and perceived grievances, but have virtually
no way to do so, what means are they likely to turn to? Terrorism,
perhaps? Will making war on Iraq only increase the danger of
terrorism born of grudge and perceived grievance? Oh, and what
about terrorism from Saddam? CIA Director George Tenet sent a
letter to lawmakers last week saying Saddam was unlikely to attempt
to strike the United States unless provoked. Will this invasion
be viewed as provocative and increase the dangers of terrorism
by Saddam as well as terrorism by Al Qaeda and others?
Thirdly, this is likely to be a very
expensive product. The war to liberate Kuwait was a multinational
undertaking, and the financial cost was largely paid by other
countries including Japan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. It only
cost the US $13 billion. A real bargain compared to the proposed
new Iraq war which could cost more than $272 billion--that's
greater than 20 times more expensive. (Senate Budget Committee
Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D. said it was important to keep in
mind that three months of combat with a heavy ground force and
a five-year occupation by a large U.S. force could cost more
than $272 billion.)
With a serious and long-lasting recession,
with increasing unemployment, with our return to budget deficits,
with states and local municipalities laying off staff, closing
parks, and generally cutting back on services, is this proposed
war something that we can afford? Will this enormous additional
debt make us more secure?
We may suffer some serious financial
pain as a result of this war, but will the heavy-hitting marketers
of this war--Bush and his war promoters and advisors, Cheney,
Rumsfeld, Rice, Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, and Douglas Feith
experience more financial pain or more financial gain as a result
of this war? Many of them have worked in the oil industry as
CEOs or as directors of oil companies (one was even honored with
having an oil tanker named after her--the Condoleeza Rice). And
many of them will probably work in the oil industry again in
the future. Is it likely that their personal financial situations
will in the long run only get better and better when (and if),
the United States takes control of the Iraqi oil fields?
Unfortunately, the selling of war with
Iraq is a difficult sales pitch to resist. With the telemarketers,
we can just say no--"I don't want to switch long distance
companies. Goodbye." But, to say no to this war pitch requires
more effort. Many thousands of citizens encouraged their congress
people via phone calls, letters, and emails to just say no to
Bush's war resolution. Many congress people reported that these
communications from their constituents were overwhelmingly against
passage. In our state, Sen. Patty Murray and Reps. Jim McDermott
of Seattle, Jay Inslee of Bainbridge Island, Ric Larsen of Lake
Stevens, and Brian Baird of Vancouver had the courage and conviction
to say no.
Now that Congress has failed to protect
us from the march of the Bush administration to war (in spite
of determined resistance by Sen. Byrd of West Virginia and other
resistors to this madness), it is time for us to keep on saying
no. Just sitting at home and thinking to yourself that this Iraq
war thing is crazy, but I can't do anything about it will not
help to stop this catastrophe from happening.
Rallies and protests are being organized
in many locations throughout the country, including the National
March to Stop the War Against Iraq this Saturday, October 26th.
These rallies will present an opportunity for all of us--young,
old, middle-aged, parents, children, Christians, Muslims, Jews,
agnostics, atheists, Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Independents,
gays, straights, activists, consumers, and even couch potatoes--to
get together and unite around one simple idea that we can all
agree on--that this proposed war in Iraq is wrong and we must
say, "NO. Not in our name." The Bush administration's
marketing campaign is a deceitful one, designed to sell us something
that will not meet our need to be safe from terrorism, that we
cannot afford, and that only meets the hidden agenda of its marketers
without any respect for our well-being. And, it will most certainly
kill many thousands of innocent victims.
Will the thousands of civilian victims
who die feel better about it because they are just "regrettable
collateral damage?" Would you?
Will our servicemen and women feel better
about it when some of them return disabled or dead and the leaders
of this madness are rewarded with post-government careers in
the oil and defense industries and even greater wealth and privilege?
Please join your neighbors this Saturday,
October 26th, to be a part of the National March to Stop the
War Against Iraq. Bring your friends or come alone. Your presence
will be welcomed and greatly appreciated by everyone who is willing
to say, "Not In Our Name", and by everyone who is working
to stop this madness.
For information regarding peace actions
at locations all over the country visit www.unitedforpeace.org.
Roger Peacock
lives in Seattle, WA and is a contract writer specializing in
marketing writing and technical writing. He can be reached at
rogerpeacock@juno.com.
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